《Dungeon Maker》


 1 Prologue

    At the age of fifteen, after I graduated from middle school, my father told me something insane.


    "The blood of the devil flows through our family."


    At that time, I was glad that I heard this just after I graduated. It would be scary to think about what I might have done if I heard this while I was still in middle school.


    In any case, my father wisely recognized that I was thinking about sending him to a mental asylum.


    Even now, I could never forget that moment...


    When blue flames bloomed out of my Father''s eyes.


    However, fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, that was his only power.


    My father explained to me that it was because there was too much human blood mixed in that had caused the inherited Devil''s blood to thin out.


    "But in this world, there''s something called atavism. This is where the extent of my power has stopped, but perhaps you or your children may be able to exert even greater powers. That is why I am telling you about the history of our family."


    What my father was talking about was that our ancestor''s traits could suddenly manifest themselves several generations down the line.


    Naturally, I was unable to fall asleep that night. Due to the expectation of what abilities I might inherit, I spent the next few nights wide awake in anticipation.


    A few days later, however, I had a realization.


    Even if the blood of the Devil was running through our veins, my father was still just the owner of a local chicken restaurant, who just so happened to have the ability to turn his eyes into a bluish flame color. I, on the other hand, was just the son of that owner, who was slightly stronger than other children my age.


    But five years later...


    They came for me.

 2 Taking the Throne

    The commonality between men who attended schools of engineering, following an all-male middle school and high school, was very simple.


    They were unable to properly communicate with women since they barely had any interaction with them.


    For Chun Yong-Ho, however, things were a bit different. He was the twenty-year-old son of the local chicken restaurant. Even though he couldn''t communicate well, he had a good mindset.


    "So, your master''s bloodline has died out?"


    Yong-Ho was sitting in front of his computer in just a pair of boxers and a t-shirt as he asked the two people behind the monitor.


    One was an elderly white-haired old man, who gave off the aura of a butler, while the other was a young beauty dressed in a black suit.


    From the looks of it, the old man did not seem to be human. He was covered in red wrinkled skin, and on his head were two small horns sticking out amidst his white hair. He couldn''t see it from this angle, but he knew that it wouldn''t be strange if there was a tail sticking out from his back.


    "That''s right. You''re the descendant of a great figure. One of the seven deadly sins, Mammon, the King of Greed, bloodline is about to die out. How could this not be such a tragic event?"


    "However his bloodline had not completely died out yet. Chun Yong-Ho is still here."


    The cold voice of a woman interrupted the old man, who sounded like he was about to burst into tears.


    The silver-haired lady had light brown skin, which resembled the color of melted chocolate. She was someone Yong-Ho would do a double-take on if he saw her in public, due to just how beautiful she looked, and it wasn''t just because he was an inexperienced engineering student.


    Her hair was tied up high into a ponytail, and in-between the loose strands were two small horns about the size of a thumb, visible just above her ears. Her ears were pointed like an elf''s, and just like the old man, she did not seem to be human.


    Yong-Ho unwittingly glanced at the woman and then turned his gaze back to the old man, giving off a cough. He calmed his mind and took a deep breath. He said, "Let me go through it once again. The lineage of the Demon King Mammon, one of the seven deadly sins, is about to die out. If a demon, no, the head of a dungeon isn''t there, then the dungeon will soon die. If the dungeon dies, then the dungeon spirits residing there shall also die. So you came to me, in search of the Demon King Mammon''s descendants, to take the place as the head of the dungeon?"


    "Oh, you are quite wise. The descendants of Mammon are indeed intelligent."


    The old man spoke with a feverish voice. Yong-Ho became a bit suspicious from the old man''s fervent reaction and turned his attention to the woman instead.


    As expected, the woman explained coldly, "Your blood is the strongest amongst all the remaining descendants. And in fact..."


    "In fact?"


    It didn''t make sense to him that there only remained one descendant of the Demon King. After all, his father was also alive and well.


    ''It now makes sense.''


    Among the descendants, only Yong-Ho himself had the power to take the throne of the dungeon. ''So that''s why they come to talk to me, no, more accurately, to kidnap me.''


    Yong-Ho had no doubt that the figures in front of him were demons. All of a sudden, a blue portal, like something seen out of a video game, opened up in the middle of the room.


    Furthermore, when Yong-Ho finally came to his senses, he found himself in a room he had never seen before.


    The computer and desk he was sitting at remained intact, but everything else had changed. The room was made out of stone and looked quite dull, with two people standing in it beside him.


    Yong-Ho tried his best to stay calm.


    If his father hadn''t told him when he was young that he had inherited the blood of a demon, he would have probably had quite an adverse reaction to this event. Either screaming out of terror or by begging them to stop being crazy and send him home¡­


    Yong-Ho took another deep breath. He had to stay alert.


    ''I''ve already been kidnapped.''


    They sounded amicable, but Yong-ho had still been kidnapped into an unknown place. Perhaps this was what they called the demon''s dungeon. It seemed to be, considering the appearance of the room.


    What would happen if he declined to be the head of the dungeon?


    If there was no head, then the dungeon would die; if the dungeon dies, then the dungeon spirits living here would also die.


    If that was true, then it was a matter of life and death for the two figures in front of him. There was nothing preventing him from making such an extreme choice.


    The descendant of a demon¡­


    The head of a dungeon¡­


    If this was five years ago, he would have accepted unconditionally. At that time, Yong-Ho was completely obsessed with the fact that he was a descendant of a demon.


    But now that he was more experienced, it was a little different. However, to be honest, he still had the same fantasy about being a demon king, but there were a few more conditions attached.


    "Will I be able to return home?"


    "What?"


    "Will I be able to return home if I become the head of the dungeon? I would like to occasionally go back, for like, a vacation."


    Astonished by Yong-ho''s further explanation, the old man breathed a sigh of relief. The woman spoke instead, "That''s definitely possible. And... since you have human blood, you can''t stay in this world all the time. Sometimes, you''ll have to be with other humans once in a while."


    He could go back home.


    Furthermore, if what they said was true, they had no reason to stop him from going home.


    Yong-Ho rolled his eyes again. The old man looked nervous, while the woman looked stiff as a rock; both of their eyes gave off feelings of angst. It didn''t seem to be a lie that both of them could die if Yong-ho decided to not save the dungeon.


    The descendant of a demon¡­


    Perhaps the fantasy that he had so earnestly wished for since middle school was now being fulfilled.


    ''Am I thinking too positively?''


    He had been taken to an unfamiliar place by the two demons standing in front of him, who would eventually die if they were unable to find somebody to take over the dungeon. There was virtually only one choice in this sort of situation.


    This was the road that he was destined to travel.


    If it was so, then he didn''t want to be dragged along that path.


    If he was going to take the seat as the next dungeon king, then he would do it with his own two feet.


    "Okay, I''ll be your next king."


    After hearing Yong-Ho''s awe-inspiring declaration, the old man began to shed tears of emotion. The silver-haired woman also placed a hand on her chest and breathed a deep sigh of relief.


    Seeing how their reactions were so human, Yong-Ho couldn''t help but smile.


    This wouldn''t be such a big deal, would it? Yong-Ho was a descendant of a demon!


    There was a time when he thought so.


    ***


    With a dumb look on his face, Yong-Ho sat on the demon''s throne. It was just a simple and crude stone throne with zero decoration.


    The throne room also looked quite bare. The room was square, gloomy, and entirely made out of stone. The only color that could be seen was a red carpet draped in between the throne and the door opposite to it. There was, of course, no windows, either.


    "How did the previous king die?"


    "He was ashamed and humiliated about not being invited to the Demon banquet, so he committed suicide."


    The family of the demon Mammon had fallen into ruin.


    No, to be exact, it wasn''t a complete wreck, but it was certainly on the verge of being so. Though Yong-Ho wasn''t exactly sure if there was much difference between the two.


    There were many demon kings in this world. There were around a dozen of them, with each one having their own dungeon, and once every few years, they would all gather at the Demon banquet.


    In the past, being one of the descendants of Mammon, one of the seven deadly sins, would have been a glorious affair.


    The fall of the Mammon Family was the subject of contempt amongst the other demon kings. Which, at the very least, was an example to others to not follow in the same suit.


    The large dungeon was on the verge of collapse, and there weren''t any dungeon spirits that were managing the place, either.


    Currently, the only spirits left in the dungeon were the guard, Catalina, and the butler, Eligor.


    At the time of death of the previous dungeon head, most of the spirits either moved away to other dungeons or became wandering spirits.


    Yong-Ho decided that he had to think positively.


    He felt proud that he was a descendant of the great demon, Mammon, but their present situations were quite different. Today was also the first time that he heard about his ancestor Mammon being one of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    So there was no shame in not being able to participate in the demon''s banquet. Of course, there was no reason to commit suicide over it.


    As Yong-Ho ascended the throne, he did, however, have to give up some of the delusions he had hoped for as a demon. He himself felt more familiar with the status of being the ''son of the local chicken restaurant'' or ''the engineering freshman'' rather than the status of a demon king.


    Seeing how Yon-Ho''s reaction was calmer than they expected, Catalina let out a sigh of relief.


    ''At first, I thought he was going to be a cold ruler, but now, it seems like he''s got more of a straightforward personality.''


    Even if he wasn''t going to become the head of the dungeon, would they have just given up and cried till their death?


    Yong-Ho shook his head to get rid of the pessimistic thoughts and asked Catalina, "Where''s Eligor?"


    The moment that Yong-Ho had said that he would ascend the throne, Eligor had started rejoicing but then suddenly just disappeared. Catalina explained in a bright tone, "He went out to meet the dungeon''s merchant. In order for you to become the next head of the dungeon, you''ll need the merchant''s assistance."


    "Uh... what do you mean?"


    He would need the help of the dungeon''s merchant to become the head of the dungeon?


    Did that mean that he had to purchase some form of dungeon tenancy from the dungeon merchant?


    As if Catalina had read Yong-Ho''s mind, she started to shake her head.


    "In order to become the next dungeon head, you must undergo an initiation ceremony with one of the previous heads of the dungeon. But, as you already know, Mammon¡­"


    "Since the last head committed suicide, there isn''t anybody we can invite?"


    Instead of answering, Catalina just showed a sad expression. The more he looked at her, the more he realized how simple-minded she seemed to be.


    "Is the dungeon merchant a former head of the dungeon?" Yong-Ho asked tiredly. Catalina bit her lips a couple of times, and then looked Yong-Ho in the eyes and answered.


    "They''re not. That is... I''m sorry but today''s crowning ceremony is somewhat unofficial."


    After seeing her hands and feet fidgeting nervously, she was probably worried that Yong-Ho might back out of becoming the next head after telling him about the ceremony.


    ''At least Catalina and Eligor won''t die now.''


    This time, Yong-Ho found something positive to think about, which caused him to smirk. Perhaps being the son of a local chicken restaurant might actually have a more promising future than the next head of the Mammon Family.


    "I think they''ve arrived," Catalina spoke after carefully observing Yong-Ho''s reaction. As if she had felt someone''s presence, Catalina finished talking as the door suddenly swung open.

 3 Taking the Throne 2

    Behind Eligor appeared a woman, dressed in highly revealing clothing, walking slowly toward them.


    Her long red hair flowed smoothly behind her like silk. A purple dress enveloped her milky white skin, revealing her shoulders and neck, and partially displaying her large breasts. Her dress was wrapped tightly around her thin waist, with a narrow slit down the side exposing her thighs.


    "It is a pleasure to meet the descendant of the great Mammon. I am the dungeon merchant Sitri."


    After Sitri gracefully bowed toward him, Yong-Ho managed to maintain his posture and prevent extending his head into her gaping cleavage.


    "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sitri. My name is Chun Yong-Ho, and I shall be taking Mammon''s place as the master of the dungeon."


    Yong-Ho felt the need to say something but wasn''t able to talk to her casually right away, so he decided to first just formally introduce himself. He was hesitant to reveal the fact that he was human, but time was just too short for him to come to a proper decision.


    Anyway, if being human was such a problem, then Catalina and Eligor wouldn''t have to come and visited him in the first place.


    After hearing Yong-Ho''s careful response, Catalina sighed in relief and Eligor gave a satisfied smile. Sitri glanced at Yong-Ho for a moment and smiled seductively.


    "Perhaps the Mammon Family has finally regained its luck."


    It might have been an insulting remark to others, but Eligor seemed to revel in it. Catalina didn''t seem to be as delighted as Eligor, but she appeared to agree with the sentiment as well.


    ''Did they not feel bad about the previous master?''


    He didn''t know the details, but he could understand their feelings to a certain extent. Due to the suicide of their former master, Eligor and Catarina were in danger of dying themselves.


    "Then let''s proceed. Chun Yong-Ho please wear this necklace."


    Sitri pulled out a necklace buried beneath her cleavage. It was made of gold with a large green gemstone attached to it, roughly about the size of two fingers.


    Yong-Ho had only just heard that Sitri was going to attend the ceremony never mind what was actually going to happen in it. Naturally, he didn''t know what the necklace was specifically for, nor what Sitri was planning to do from now on. No, regardless of that, he was already on the verge of paralysis due to Sitri''s exposed cleavage.


    After seeing how Yong-Ho looked somewhat nervous, Sitri shook her head and then asked with a smile, "Oh, do you not know the ceremony?"


    Yong-ho was a youthful South Korean male, who went to an all-male middle school, high school, and then entered a school for engineering. Seeing such a seductive woman smile while asking him a question made him realize that he lacked the ability to resist telling the truth to such a beautiful woman like her.


    Catalina tried to clumsily defend herself but eventually just shut her mouth. After all, speaking more would only further embarrass herself in front of their visitor.


    Sitri then approached Yong-ho and explained, "From now on, the ceremony will contain only the necessary procedures and skip all the formalities. By wearing this necklace around your neck, your two vassals and I shall perform the magic ritual which shall allow you to reawaken as a demon."


    After hearing the word, ''reawaken'', Yong-Ho gulped nervously. Sitri noticed Yong-Ho''s expression and continued to talk in an alluring voice, "Master of the dungeon is a special role amongst our kind in the demon world. Especially for you, Yong-Ho, who has succeeded the role of the great demon Mammon. You shall surely receive a great power. This necklace will not only help you awaken your powers as a demon, but it shall also tell you the type of power that you have awakened."


    As Sitri finished talking, the necklace had already been placed around Yong-Ho''s neck. Eligor suddenly spoke up, "A title that indicates your power will appear on the jewel. Like ''The Demon of Magic'', or ''The Demon of Magic'', or ''The Demon of Magic''."


    It was clear what title Eligor personally wished for. With a nervous expression, Yong-Ho examined the jewel embedded on the necklace.


    "Then let us begin the ceremony."


    Rather than a pedestal, the throne just rested on the flat floor, so Sitri was able to create distance between them by simply taking a step back. Catalina and Eligor, on the other hand, naturally stood on the left and right side of Yong-Ho.


    Facing Yong-Ho, Sitri closed her eyes and began to quietly chant in an unknown language. Soon, Catalina and Eligor followed suit, and Yong-Ho began to feel his first genuine fear since entering this new world.


    It was the fear of change.


    The fear of a new life vastly different from his past.


    His blood began to boil. The louder their voices became, the hotter his body began to feel. His mind was beginning to lose focus. Pure pleasure overwhelmed his mind as he bathed in the feeling of being reborn anew.


    Mere moments later...


    Yong-Ho breathed out, releasing all the heat within himself. He suddenly felt himself breathing quite differently than before. The pupils of his eyes had also changed. His eyes shone with an emerald light as a message appeared before him.


    The power received through awakening.


    It was a message symbolizing the reawakened Yong-Ho.


    \u003cThe Demon King of Evolution\u003e


    "Pant... pant...."


    With a heavy breath, Yong-Ho raised his head. Now that he had attained the position as the master of the dungeon, he was able to somehow connect with the feelings of Catalina and Eligor.


    Eligor felt overjoyed. He was trembling with excitement even though Yong-Ho hadn''t received the power he had hoped for.


    Catalina, who had a calmer mindset, still felt both relief and excitement coursing through her.


    Relief¡ªhe could understand. After all, she finally had a place to return to. But, excitement? Why was she feeling excited?


    Yong-Ho shifted the gaze of his bright green eyes to Sitri. He was unable to read her feelings, but he did notice a gleam held within her purple eyes.


    The Demon King of Evolution.


    This wasn''t the only power. As he reawakened as a demon, there was another power that had revealed itself.


    \u003cThe Seven Deadly Sins - Greed\u003e


    That was the real reason why Eligor and Catalina were so thrilled. It was the power of the Demon King, Mammon, that had not been revealed amongst his descendants for many years.


    Yong-Ho looked within himself. He wanted to know more about this power that he had awakened.


    But, at that very moment, the mysterious voice of a young girl rang out in his head.


    [An intruder has entered the dungeon!]


    ***


    Yong-Ho tightly closed his eyes and then sharply reopened them. From the very moment that he had awakened as a demon, he had become connected to the spirit of the dungeon, which now told him what he needed to do.


    As he widely opened his hand, a large window of light appeared before him. Inside the window, that looked like a computer screen, a bird''s eye view of the dungeon was spread out before him.


    The Demon King Mammon, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, was clearly a formidable being. Even though he had experienced his downfall, the scale of the dungeon was truly enormous.


    ''It''s useless''


    More than half of the dungeon was in ruins. Either the ceiling had caved in, the walls had collapsed, or the floor had given way. Even the surviving area wasn''t in the best condition. Almost four-fifths of the remaining land had been "deactivated".


    All rooms of little to no purpose had been deprived of mana supply for a long time.


    They were different from the empty stone room that Yong-Ho had first encountered. Even though its grade was the lowest, that empty stone room, however, was an "activated" space. Yong-Ho wasn''t even able to access a "Deactivated" room.


    If there were a hundred rooms in the whole of Mammon''s dungeon, then only eight of those rooms would be usable. Most of those rooms were just empty stone rooms as well.


    Yong-Ho felt like he had just been scammed, but decided to suppress that feeling and enlarge the available rooms on the map before him. He wasn''t sure if the system had functioned this way before, or if it had specifically tailored itself for him, as it operated like a smartphone.


    The eight available rooms were connected in a straight line. Yong-Ho was located in the second room to the left, whereas the furthermost room to the right was the entrance of the dungeon.


    There was just a single intruder that had infiltrated the first room to the far right.


    "Crimson Ogre!"


    It seemed that the window of light was visible to Catalina and Eligor as well. Yong-Ho frowned deeply as he heard Eligor''s frustrating cry. The spirit of the dungeon quickly provided him with new information.


    [The heart of the dungeon is the room located at the far left of the screen. If the dungeon''s heart is destroyed, then the dungeon will also die.]


    At first, he wanted to ask how the dungeon would die if it was an inanimate object but decided to refrain from doing so. The reason that Catalina and Eligor had come to Yong-Ho in the first place was because the dungeon would die if there was no master to rule it.


    After passing through the first room, the Crimson Ogre then moved into the second. He wasn''t sure if the Ogre was really trying to invade the dungeon or if it had just gotten accidentally lost. Mammon''s shabby dungeon only had a simple route configuration.


    "Don''t worry. There are many different types of traps within this dungeon," Eligor hurriedly shouted. Indeed, in the window before him, a summary of the dungeon was available, which showed him the markings of different traps installed in each room.


    [Pitfall Trap - the most basic and classic type of trap that tricks enemies by covering a deep hole with a large mat.]


    [Arrow Trap - a trap that kills enemies by firing a dozen arrows.]


    [Fire Trap - a trap that destroys enemies with a flame created by magical power.]


    Starting from the second room from the right, there were traps installed in each room.


    ''Nice, now this is more like a demon''s dungeon.''


    However, Yong-Ho''s excitement barely lasted for even five seconds.


    The Crimson Ogre fell into the Pitfall Trap, but the hole only came up to the ogre''s waist. After struggling for a bit, it managed to get out.


    "Ehh, I tried to dig the trap, but we lacked manpower."


    He ignored Eligor''s excuse and looked at the third room. Contradictory to the explanation, the arrow trap refused to fire a single shot.


    "We ran out of arrows...."


    This time, it was Catalina making an excuse.


    Yong-Ho was patient. That was, until the ogre passed the fourth room with no issues, either. Yong-Ho sighed with disbelief.


    "The magic to trigger the fire trap is..."


    The Crimson Ogre then intruded upon the fifth room. Instead of covering his face with his hands, Yong-Ho looked expectantly at Catalina, the guardian of the dungeon.


    "Catalina, can you win against that?"


    It was a little awkward to ask her to do something like that, but since he was now the master of the dungeon, it was only natural.


    Catalina''s face was filled with fear as she looked at the screen, but she nevertheless tightened her fists, as if she was hardening her heart.


    "I-I''ll deal with it."


    She looked as if she was about to cry.


    The Crimson Ogre then passed through the fifth room and was about to enter the sixth. They were running out of time. Yong-Ho focused on the screen in front of him, instead of looking at Sitri for help, who had a calm expression on her face. He analyzed all the information that the Spirit of the Dungeon had given him and devised a plan.


    He inquired about the remaining necessary information from the Dungeon Spirit.


    [A room costs 10 mana to activate.]


    [The path from the heart of the dungeon to the entrance must always be connected.]


    Yong-Ho quickly waved his hands. Since he had awakened as a demon, the magic from his hands could be imprinted onto the screen. He only had 100 mana points. However, the remaining balance of the dungeon was only 10 mana, so compared to that, he had 10 times more.


    It was now impossible to install a new trap into the sixth room. Not even considering the mana that would be required, he didn''t even have the manpower nor the time to install any more traps.


    What other assets did Mammon''s dungeon possess?


    Lots of useless space. That is, lots of inactive rooms with nothing inside.


    Yong-Ho placed his finger on the inactive room just below where he was currently residing. At the same time, he activated the room by consuming his mana and then swiped his finger across to the entrance, activating seven rooms in total.


    In total, 70 points of his mana had been used. But, he was still not done. Waving his hands while tightly holding his breath, Yong-Ho deactivated the sixth room, the only room remaining between himself and the Crimson Ogre. The door in front of the throne room suddenly disappeared, as if it had never existed.


    His eyes darted back to the screen. The Crimson Ogre seemed perplexed by the sudden disappearance of the door.


    ''Please, please!''


    The ogre didn''t seem to want to go back. It instead forcefully opened the new door in the left wall.


    At that same moment, Yong-Ho waved his finger again as he both reactivated the recently disabled old sixth room and then deactivated the ''new sixth room'' in one swift motion.


    He had to obey the rule that the heart and entrance of the dungeon must be connected at all times.


    It was extremely close.


    Not noticing that the door to the ''new sixth room'' had just disappeared, the Ogre seemed to wander around a bit and then eventually exited through a door that he hadn''t yet entered, a room leading to the entrance of the dungeon.


    Catalina and Eligor opened their eyes wide in astonishment. Yong-Ho forgot to breathe as he watched the ogre''s every move.


    "Oh-oh! The Crimson Ogre is fleeing!"


    ''It''s not fleeing, it''s just leaving.''


    Yong-Ho, however, did not blame Eligor for his excitement. He was too busy trying to catch his breath as he slumped down onto the throne.


    He was lucky.


    He was able to lead it out since the ogre wasn''t planning to attack the dungeon and instead had just gotten lost.


    Since the majority of Mammon''s dungeon was empty space, he was able to create a way out through momentarily activating and deactivating certain rooms. Had a trap been installed in the sixth room, he would not have used such a method.


    The Crimson Ogre then completely left the dungeon. Then, as if it had been infected by Catalina and Eligor, the spirit of the dungeon spoke in a bright tone.


    [First victory.]


    [The attacking enemy has been successfully repelled.]


    [Acquired loot: -]


    [Acquired mana: -]


    ''Of course, I got nothing.'' Rather, he had almost consumed all of his mana.


    However, he had won regardless. This was his first victory as the new master of the dungeon.


    ''It''s a small victory, though.''


    Yong-Ho, who was already dropped across the throne, further stretched himself out across it. It was at that moment that Sitri entered his vision.


    She was smiling.


    It was an unusually bright smile that didn''t quite fit with her alluring beauty.


    Sitri looked back at Yong-Ho and quickly replaced the bright smile with her typical seductive expression as she began to speak to him.


    "Dear customer, I look forward to seeing you again in the near future."


    Without waiting for an answer, she took one of his Yong-Ho''s hands and planted a gentle kiss on the back of it. She then gracefully turned around and left the dungeon like a swift breeze.


    A few seconds later.


    Catalina and Eligor quickly knelt before Yong-Ho, as if they had planned it beforehand. They then both spoke in a heartfelt tone.


    "I, Catalina, offer my allegiance to the master of the dungeon."


    "I, Eligor, offer my allegiance to the master of the dungeon."


    A clumsy guard and a decrepit butler.


    The dungeon was in such ruins that it was almost destroyed by a lost ogre.


    ''I just want to give up.''


    However, he never said that out loud. After re-awakening as a demon, Yong-Ho now truly understood. As the master of the dungeon, the dungeon was now a part of Yong-Ho. It wasn''t something he could easily throw away.


    He just gave a hopeless chuckle and accepted the will of the two people in front of him, who had sworn their allegiance to him.


    Chun Yong-Ho, the Demon King of Evolution.


    The one who had inherited one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the power of greed.


    He had taken a great, yet dangerous, first step into the world of demons.

 4 Demon Labor Marke

    Suppose that in the last year of middle school, you were told that you were not a normal human being and that you, in fact, have demon blood running through your veins. And that they were able to prove it.


    If you had imagined yourself as a demon dozens, no, hundreds of times in the last five years, would that be considered normal?


    Yong-Ho had imagined it.


    He had imagined himself becoming a demon king and reigning over a kingdom.


    The reality was that he attended an all-male middle school and high school and graduated from an engineering college. Furthermore, he had also finished his compulsory military service. Despite that, Yong-Ho still continued to imagine such a life.


    Of course, as people grow old, so do the whims of their imagination. Nevertheless, even though it made him seem delusional, Yong-Ho still imagined.


    In the end, Yong-Ho had become a demon.


    Though, the reality of being a demon was quite different from what he had imagined.


    ***


    "It must have been when I was at the hotblooded age of 17 when I imagined a slender nude succubus laying beside me."


    He wasn''t entirely wrong.


    When Yong-Ho woke up, he was lying next to a beautiful silver-haired woman with light brown skin that resembled the color of melted chocolate.


    Though she wasn''t naked nor lying on the same bed as Yong-Ho himself.


    "Hey, hey. HEY!!"


    Mammon''s dungeon sorely lacked a supply of mana, and this was the only room that supplied a decent amount of it.


    On the floor of the throne room, there was an old red carpet draped from the entrance of the room to the throne.


    And there were two people lying next to each other, on top of it.


    One was Yong-Ho, who was sitting up, and the other was Catalina, who was covered in a monster skin cloak.


    Yong-Ho shook Catalina''s shoulders and yelled at her, causing her to groan and writhe in apparent agony. As a mix between a succubus and a dark elf, she was weak to mornings.


    "Ugh..."


    Catalina gave off a moan while partially opening and closing her eyes again. The sound that she made was so peculiar, and the way that her face poked out from beneath the cloak made her look so beautiful that it caused Yong-Ho to suck in a deep breath.


    He had thought that he had gotten used to it, but Catalina was simply too beautiful for a man such as him, who had attended all-male school and graduated in engineering, to face so casually.


    Eventually, Yong-Ho gave up trying to wake her up and decided to get up himself while scratching his head. The dungeon''s butler Eligor had gotten up early to go out and fetch some water.


    ''We even need to go and fetch water to fill up the jar.''


    Yong-Ho sighed once again as he thought about how much of a bad state the dungeon was in, but there was nothing he could do.


    ''After the last master decided to commit suicide... many things have changed.''


    The summary of the story that Eligor told through tears was as follows.


    First, the dungeon spirits left the dungeon and robbed the dungeon of all its wealth, with the excuse that it was their retirement fund.


    Second, after the dungeon master died, since there wasn''t anyone left to supply the dungeon with mana, they were forced to reduce the size of the dungeon. Unlike the other spirits, Catalina and Eligor belonged to the dungeon and couldn''t leave, so their lives were put on the line.


    Third, it took them a long time to find the new master of the dungeon, Yong-Ho. During that time, they had sparingly used the remaining mana to try and save it, so that''s why they were now in this state.


    Yong-Ho looked around the throne room with a blank expression. The dungeon master''s throne room was truly vast. He probably couldn''t have a game of soccer here, but he surely had enough room for a game of volleyball.


    ''Just doing a small touch up would make a huge difference. Moreover, at least there isn''t any debt.''


    Yong-Ho started to laugh after looking at the positive side. Instead of sitting back down in a daze, he checked to see what had to be done.


    At this moment, it was impossible to return home.


    To open a door between the two worlds required an immense amount of mana. According to Catalina and Eligor, they opened the portal with the belief that they might soon die. If Yong-Ho had decided not to become their master, they would have either threatened him or broke down and started weeping.


    Regardless, it was impossible to go back or even contact home at this moment. Eligor later excitedly explained that once a permanent door was set up, Yong-Ho would be able to go back home without a great consumption of mana. However, looking at Catalina''s despondent expression, he was doubtful whether such a day would come.


    Yong-Ho made a decision.


    In the demon world, this dungeon was his home. Therefore, the dungeon had to be remodeled to be suitable for people to live in. He planned to make the dungeon powerful enough to install a permanent portal between the two worlds.


    Yong-Ho walked to the only piece of furniture available in the room, his throne. As soon as he sat down upon the throne, the voice of the newborn dungeon spirit greeted him once again.


    [Hello, Master. Isn''t it a nice morning?]


    The voice imitated that of a young girl, which reinforced the fact that it was a newborn spirit. After nodding and greeting her back, Yong-Ho waved his hand in the air.


    [Mammon''s Dungeon]


    [Master: Demon King of Evolution, Chun Yong-Ho]


    [Dungeon Rank: -]


    [Dungeon Mana: 30/300]


    [Daily Mana Production: 30]


    This situation would cause anyone to feel uneasy, but Yong-Ho didn''t feel frustrated.


    ''The dungeon had fallen into ruin because it had been without a master. However, now that a master had returned, things would get better.''


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes as he decided to check his resources.


    The dungeon spirits, Catalina and Eligor.


    The butler Eligor wasn''t useful in battle. He did, however, have the ability to take care of housekeeping. According to him, he has worked as a butler, a cook, and a teacher for the previous generation.


    The guard Catalina was currently the only fighter in the dungeon. Though, to be honest, he couldn''t help but doubt her combat ability.


    According to Eligor''s evaluation, she wasn''t weak and she did have the ability to evaluate the strength of the Crimson Ogre. However, she seemed quite helpless before, so he couldn''t really rely on her.


    Those two were the only available spirits.


    The remaining mana was just thirty.


    Plus, thirty mana could be produced each day. The mana production would increase if either Yong-Ho himself became stronger or the dungeon advanced in grade.


    A single jar for water.


    A worn red carpet.


    A throne.


    There was also the t-shirt and boxers that he was wearing, a suit left behind by the previous generation, and the desk that came with the computer from his world.


    He had also received the power of the Seven Deadly Sins, Greed, but he wasn''t sure when it would reveal itself.


    And finally, perhaps the most valuable asset that Yong-Ho currently possessed...


    As he closed his eyes, he recalled his greatest power.


    The power of Demon Evolution.

 5 Demon Labor Market 2

    Evolution meant change.


    To adapt to one''s environment, to become more efficient.


    However, it was a bit different in Yong-Ho''s case.


    The power that he possessed deviated from the original meaning.


    It went a step further.


    It activated one''s potential through both body and soul. Through him, was the power to induce development, to advance one level higher.


    If one wanted to be faster, they would become faster.


    If one wanted to be tougher, they would become tougher.


    If one wanted to be stronger, they would become stronger.


    The power would guide one down their chosen path.


    It would bring out their full potential, and finally, awaken them as an entirely new being.


    That was the power of evolution.


    The almighty power that one may receive after awakening as a demon.


    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. He summoned his consciousness that was dwelling deep inside him.


    ''So what does this power really do?''


    The power of evolution


    He had a rough idea, but he was unsure of the extent of the ability and how to use it. If this was a game then a tutorial window would pop up and give an explanation, but sadly this was reality. So Yong-Ho had to figure it out himself.


    ''So, like class change... no, perhaps this power is more akin to class advancement?''


    In a game, you could upgrade your goblins to hobgoblins or upgrade your warriors to higher-level warriors.


    Yong-Ho felt like he had a better idea than before, but he was still missing something. If that was the case, he would be better known as the Demon King of Advancement, instead of Evolution.


    Furthermore, unless this was a game, it didn''t seem that the term ''upper class'' was really used in this world.


    ''Regardless, this power helps beings evolve.''


    Yong-Ho recalled the games that he used to play. Even the strategic simulation games had distinct levels for each unit. If a unit survived on the battlefield for long enough, they would typically accumulate enough experience to level up. Furthermore, the units that had leveled up were clearly stronger and more useful compared to low-level units of the same class.


    Of course, reality would not be the same as those games. No, Yong-Ho''s power was the ability to ''evolve'' beings into superior versions of themselves, rather than just simply leveling them up.


    However, he had enough of an idea to catch the gist of it.


    As an engineering student, Yong-Ho wasn''t satisfied that he couldn''t find a clear process that would fit. However, for now, he decided to be satisfied with what he had.


    His power wasn''t going anywhere, so he would just experiment with it, little by little, to fully understand the extent of his ability.


    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. He saw Catalina, still buried underneath her cloak, rolling around on the floor.


    "Huh?"


    Red, blue, black, yellow, and violet.


    Five separate colors of smoke rose up to the ceiling, all on a similar scale. The five different streams of smoke oddly didn''t merge into one, and none of the separate colors seemed to mix together.


    Yong-Ho blinked. Every-time he blinked, the colored smoke seemed to fade little by little, eventually vanishing entirely as if the smoke had never existed in the first place.


    Instead of being alarmed, Yong-Ho carefully thought about what just happened.


    Why did he suddenly see that strange smoke?


    Was it caused by either Catalina or himself?


    Yong-Ho stood up from his throne and walked towards Catalina, who was still fast asleep this late in the morning. She squirmed around underneath his cloak and showed no signs of getting up.


    Yong-Ho assumed that the source of this peculiar phenomenon must have been himself.


    If so, then what''s different from before?


    It was simple. It was the power of evolution.


    Yong-Ho sat down on his backside in front of Catalina and swallowed dry saliva. He closed his eyes once again and awoke the power of evolution.


    It was just as he expected. Once again, five colors of smoke arose from Catalina''s body.


    What do these different colors of smoke mean?


    ''This doesn''t make sense.''


    It was all too vague. Yong-Ho needed more explicit information.


    He wanted the data to be more accessible to him. More intuitive. Full comprehension with just a glance.


    Yong-Ho suddenly felt the power within him react to his desire.


    The power manifested itself from Yong-Ho''s soul and began to take on a new form. Above the colored smoke, letters of light began to appear.


    [Name: Catalina (Female)]


    [Race: Half Succubus / Half Dark Elf]


    [Main Elements: Wind / Darkness] [Secondary Elements: Lightning / Water / Earth]


    [Stats: Succubus - Charm / Mana | Dark Elf - Agility / Skill]


    [Evolution Rate: 31/100]


    Yong-Ho looked around. Over the letters of light were several square boxes of light. With each box containing different information.


    [Succubus: Charm Specialisation | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Dark Elf: Agility Specialisation | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Hybrid | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]


    [Succubus: Mana Specialisation | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]


    [Dark Elf: Skill Specialisation | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    He intuitively understood the information before him. What was visible before him was the basic information for evolution.


    It displayed the skills that they possessed now as well as the potential skills they would be able to gain in the future.


    Each color represented a different attribute. The square boxes of light indicated the different evolutionary paths one would be able to take, like a form of skill tree.


    In which direction should he evolve Catalina? Which skillsets did he desire her to possess?


    Yong-Ho gulped.


    What would happen if he were to invoke the power of evolution? If he were to choose one of the five boxes of light, what kind of changes would Catalina undergo?


    He wanted to know.


    He wanted to experiment.


    He wanted to use his power.


    "Ach."


    Yong-Ho quickly retracted his hand that was subconsciously reaching out towards Catalina. He hurriedly took a couple of steps back and kept his distance.


    ''No.''


    This was not something he could just do on a whim. He didn''t yet know what would happen if he were to use this power. Experimenting on Catalina without having a clear idea of what exactly would happen was both reckless and insane.


    ''Furthermore.''


    He didn''t think that this power would just activate for ''free''. It was just an assumption, but according to what had happened so far, to activate this power would most likely require the consumption of mana. Since yesterday, Yong-Ho''s mana was still quite exhausted. For now, it was a good idea to refrain from an excessive consumption of mana.


    "Mas..ter?"


    After hearing Yong-Ho nearby, Catalina pulled her out from underneath the cloak. She must have been still half asleep as her eyes were still drooping.


    The smoke that was rising from Catalina''s body gradually faded. Yong-ho casually smiled and spoke as if nothing had happened.


    "Are you finally awake?"


    Instead of answering, Catalina just rolled her eyes and recovered herself with the cloak. She seemed to wriggle around quite a bit, most likely in an attempt to re-organize her clothes. After which, she then stood up and lightly cleared her throat. Her ears were so long that she almost had no earlobes, but he still noticed that they had turned a faint red.


    If he continued to stare at her, he felt that he would be branded as the stereotypical engineering student that likes to stare at beautiful women. Yong-Ho quickly recovered then stood up and headed towards his throne.


    Eligor returned not too long after.


    ***


    "It appears to be different from Catalina."


    "Sir?"


    Instead of answering Eligor''s question, Yong-Ho just opened his eyes in a squint.


    Catalina and Eligor were different.


    Unlike Catalina, who had five different colors of smoke. Eligor only had three colors, red, blue and black.


    [Name: Eligor (Male)]


    [Race: Red Demon]


    [Main Elements: Fire / Darkness]


    [Stats: Red Demon - Strength / Stamina]


    [Evolution Rate: 62/100]


    [Strength Specialisation | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Stamina Specialisation | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Mana Specialisation | ¡ï (1)]


    The information showed both the different races and different abilities of Catalina and Eligor. The skill tree also differed slightly between them.


    However, the part that caught his eye the most was the ''Evolution Rate''. Perhaps it was necessary to first fill this ''Evolution Rate'' for them to undergo evolution.


    ''The crucial question was, how would one fill it?''


    Yong-Ho didn''t have enough people to analyze and to fully understand the complete process. Although the way that he received information was game-like, it didn''t mean that he would receive an explanation for skills as if it were actually a game.


    Catalina and Eligor didn''t know much about the power of Demon Evolution.


    The Demon Kings'' power was only given to demons who had become a king.


    That was the greatest difference between Demon Kings and ordinary demons.


    So, it was quite natural that they didn''t know much about it. There weren''t many who would nonchalantly expose their strongest weapon.


    They had seen their former master use their power often, however, they still didn''t know about any additional functions or weaknesses that it had.


    The Demon King of Mana had powerful mana. While the Demon King of Fire controlled fire. This was the typical level of information that ordinary demons like Catalina and Eligor were privy to.


    ''Well, I''ll just have to learn about it gradually over time.''


    Yong-Ho shook his head in bafflement, and naturally switched topics.


    "No, it''s nothing. You still have to eat in the demon world, huh?"


    The three of them were gathered around in a circle in the middle of the room, eating pancakes and vegetable soup. All of which were cooked by Eligor.


    Catalina flinched momentarily after hearing Yong-Ho''s words and then spoke with the same cold-hearted persona that she had displayed when they first met.


    "I will go hunting after breakfast. I shall put my life on the line in order to bring you some meat."


    Although she was overflowing with beauty, after Yong-Ho knew of her true personality, he saw her in quite a different light. It was almost as if he could hear crying to herself about what she would do if she couldn''t find any meat.


    ''She really isn''t much of a guard...''


    He never said that aloud though, since Catalina would surely start to cry. He instead just nodded slightly and turned his attention towards Eligor.


    "Is it alright to increase the number of members in our family in this situation?"


    The inheritance that the previous head left wasn''t completely gone. There was still the ''last legacy'' that Catalina and Eligor were keeping in case of any trials or hardships that they might encounter.


    Of course, this ''last legacy'' didn''t surmount to much and accurately reflected the state of the Mammon family, but regardless, money was money. Eligor, however, had demanded that the remaining money be boldly invested.


    "Spirits are essential in the development of a dungeon. A dungeon without any spirits doesn''t exist."


    Eligor responded with an unusually serious expression. He wasn''t wrong. In order to gather resources and install various facilities within the dungeon, labor was essential.


    "This is the labor market for the demon world."


    Yong-Ho looked towards his throne.

 6 Demon Labor Market 3

    Yong-Ho sat on the throne with a rugged, black bracelet on his arm. It was one of the items that the merchant Sitri had left him.


    "You can access the Dungeon Market through the Dungeon Spirit, where someone from the market will then come and guide you." Eligor explained.


    The Dungeon Market was a large organization of dungeon merchants that made up one of the core pillars of the demon world.


    The Dungeon Market sold everything that was required to either maintain, expand or repair dungeons. ''Labor power'' was also for sale as well.


    The Dungeon Market had many branches throughout the demon world. However, they also had a ''virtual branch'' created through magic.


    Demon Kings, masters of dungeons, were able to access this "virtual branch" by using an artifact given to them by the Dungeon Market. All the goods distributed to the various Dungeon Market branches were stored in this virtual branch, which could be easily browsed by Demon Kings, even if they didn''t physically visit a branch.


    ''So it''s just like online shopping?''


    However, everything in this world had a price attached to it, and the convenience of trading at the ''virtual branch'' was no different.


    Buyers at the virtual branch had to pay with either more money, mana or something else entirely.


    Though for the House of Mammon, which was in ruins, trading at the virtual branch would be considered a luxury.


    Eligor, however, still recommended that Yong-ho use the virtual branch instead of visiting a physical branch, despite the increase in cost.


    There were a variety of different reasons for this.


    Firstly, the House of Mammon was located on the outskirts of the demon world so visiting even the closest branch would take a considerable amount of time. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the demon world was a very dangerous place.


    Yong-Ho agreed with Eligor''s suggestion since he too did not want to leave the dungeon just yet.


    [Master, I''ll start connecting you to the Dungeon Market. It may sting slightly, but only for a moment so please relax.]


    The Dungeon Spirit spoke up with a cute voice.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon could be considered to be the Demon King''s alter ego. Yong-Ho wondered whether there was really such a cute girl somewhere inside himself, but regardless if that was true he decided to accept it as a good thing.


    Yong-Ho had his eyes closed, so he couldn''t see anything. However, the darkness that enveloped him only lasted for a short while. The virtual branch appeared as a white space, with a familiar person standing before him.


    "Hello, dear customer."


    "Hello, Ms. Sitri."


    It was worthwhile being with Catalina for most of the day. Since he was now confident enough to greet Sitri without blushing.


    Sitri looked straight at Yong-Ho and smiled. She then took a step towards him and spoke lightly.


    "I think I know what you''re thinking about."


    Sitri was present at his crowning ceremony. And here, too, Sitri was waiting for Yong-Ho.


    However, she shook her head.


    "I''m not the official merchant assigned to the House of Mammon. I''m sorry, but it''s already been a thousand years since the Mammon family was one of the Seven Deadly Sins. And..."


    "And?"


    When he asked back curiously, Sitri smiled mischievously, and then winked at Yong-Ho and said.


    "I''m far more influential than you might think."


    Just how was he supposed to respond to a statement like that?


    While Yong-Ho struggled for a short time to come up with a suitable response, Sitri continued to smirk as if she was enjoying seeing him struggle. She then took a couple more steps towards Yong-Ho and casually embraced his arm.


    "You are not the first person with human blood to ascend to the throne of a dungeon. However, in the long history of the demon world, it''s only happened a few times. And none of them had ever inherited the power of one of the Seven Deadly Sins."


    The sensation of her chest through his arm was indescribable. However, Yong-Ho wasn''t able to enjoy the feeling, given his concern about the moronic expression his face was displaying. Although Yong-Ho had been swept up into an extraordinary situation, he was not a fool. Even though he had been pressured into becoming the head of the dungeon, it was still Yong-Ho who had made the final decision.


    The biggest reason that Eligor had recommended him to trade through the virtual branch.


    Was the fact that it was not widely known there was a new king, with human blood, of the House of Mammon. It was safe to say that, at present, the only outsider aware of this was Sitri.


    It simply wasn''t time yet. It would just further complicate matters if the truth about Yong-Ho ascending the throne was known to other demon kings.


    Eligor didn''t clearly state the main reason for his recommendation. It wasn''t because he was trying to hide something. Rather, it was because he didn''t want to frighten Yong-Ho just after he had ascended the throne.


    However, Yong-Ho was able to understand, to some extent, how Eligor felt. Since Eligor was connected to Yong-Ho through the dungeon, it would have been difficult to completely conceal his feelings.


    Yong-Ho looked at Sitri''s face. Sitri returned his gaze with her deep purple eyes. Her red lips whispered.


    "Be careful of the pure-bloods."


    The indescribable feeling that was being transmitted through his arm disappeared. Sitri moved swiftly like the wind as she turned her back towards Yong-Ho and waved her hands in the air, creating a large window of light.


    "There isn''t much difference between low-level demons that work in dungeons. And... considering the current state of the House of Mammon they''re really the only workers that you can afford. Don''t you agree?"


    You get what you pay for.


    It was like comparing different types of apples.


    Although what Sitri said was true, Yong-Ho didn''t feel much discomfort over it. Furthermore, Sitri wasn''t trying to provoke him.


    She turned around again to face him. With her back to the window of light, she put on an alluring smile.


    "However, my dear customer, you are also the demon of evolution." So, not all low-level demons are that same to you, isn''t that right?"


    Yong-Ho wondered how he should react this time. Sitri had just now given a valuable hint to him, confirming what Yong-Ho had originally thought possible since first coming to this virtual branch.


    "Then, I shall now take my leave. Dear customer, I hope you enjoy your shopping."


    Sitri gracefully bowed and then disappeared. In the white space, only the large window of light, opened by Sitri, and Yong-Ho were left.


    Yong-Ho sighed.


    ''I''m exhausted.''


    Although she was a great beauty, she was very tiring to deal with. From her gestures and speech patterns, it seemed as if she had feelings for Yong-Ho, but this could have just been a ruse. Yong-Ho decided that it was best that he kept some distance between them.


    He shook his head. He had been delusional since his third year in middle school, but it had only been two days since he became a demon. Furthermore, there was still quite a distance between his current self and what he had originally imagined that he would become.


    The truth was that he was currently feeling anxious and afraid.


    But, Yong-Ho always found the positive side of any given situation. In order to resolve the problems set before him, he decided to immerse himself into the reality of his situation.


    Sitri''s large window of light was like a huge computer screen. There were two options displayed on the window.


    [Dungeon Market Demon Catalogue]


    [Low-Level Worker Demon List (No Stars)]


    [Skeleton]


    [Goblin]


    Yong-Ho couldn''t help but laugh. It was just as he had earlier heard from Eligor, though it was still quite strange to see the options pop-up on the screen like a video game.


    ''Should I go for the goblin?''


    The advantage of undead monsters, like the skeleton, was that they did not cost any maintenance in food. Moreover, they were able to work for a far greater time than other races.


    However, the skeleton demanded far more mana consumption. The House of Mammon lacked in many things, however, the thing they lacked the most, and subsequently needed the most, was mana.


    Yong-Ho moved his finger towards the window of light and selected ''Goblin''. Dozens of compartmentalized rooms appeared before him each containing a different goblin, just like a character selection screen.


    The price of each goblin was 20 gold.


    Eligor had previously deposited 40 gold to the Dungeon Market, so Yong-Ho was able to choose a maximum of two goblins.


    ''So then, which ones should I choose?''


    Yong-Ho took a deep breath. And activated the power of evolution.

 7 Demon Labor Market 4

    Yong-Ho''s eyes turned green. It wasn''t as noticeable compared to when his father did it, but there was still an obvious change in color when one looked closely.


    Yong-Ho slowly breathed in. As time went by, he could feel his mana slowly being consumed. Although the amount of mana that was being consumed was small, Yong-Ho''s current lack of mana control caused even a small consumption to feel taxing.


    ''Let''s not rush.''


    He still had plenty of time. Yong-Ho looked up at the goblins displayed on the screen before him.


    [Race: Goblin (M)]


    [Strength Specialization | ¡î]


    ''Uh?''


    This was the first time he had seen the specifications of a goblin, so he was surprised that it had only one category. Compared to the multiple categories of Catalina and Eligor, he felt embarrassed just by looking at it.


    ''Why is that?''


    Was the goblin an inferior species compared to Catalina and Eligor?


    That was a possibility. However, a more plausible reason came to his mind.


    ''The goblins aren''t my spirits.''


    Catalina and Eligor were the servants of Yong-Ho. They were not normal spirits, but spirits of the dungeon, where both their body and soul were in-servitude to Yong-Ho.


    Of course, both of them being stronger demons was part of the reason, but Yong-Ho believed that spirits belonging to a dungeon must have higher potential.


    ''I''m glad I have some information to go off now.''


    After seeing the positive side of this situation, Yong-Ho continued to inspect the goblins.


    [Race: Goblin (M)]


    [Strength Specialization | ¡ï (1)]


    [Race: Goblin (M)]


    [Strength Specialization | ¡î (0.5)]


    [Stamina Specialization | ¡î (0.5)]


    There was a difference. It was a clear difference that Yong-Ho could compare and analyze at once.


    ''Even if the race is the same, the field which they can evolve is different?''


    It was a reasonable thought. Even if they shared the same race, they surely couldn''t just be all identical.


    ''Does the number of stars indicate their potential in each field? Even if they evolved at the same rate, the results wouldn''t necessarily be the same either.''


    A smile appeared on Yong-Ho''s face. The more he understood how to use the power of evolution, the more he felt like he was playing a video game.


    ''Catalina doesn''t seem to be completely useless after all.''


    Despite them all being of the same goblin race, some of them had just one evolutionary route, while others had two.


    Catalina, however, had as many as five evolutionary routes, with each path having great potential and the lowest of which, was three stars.


    From their current state, it was apparent that Eligor was on the same level as Catalina, with him having three evolutionary routes with a maximum potential of two stars. It was clear that Catalina''s potential was above that of Eligor''s.


    When he thought of that possible future, he also thought of Catalina''s crying face and couldn''t help but doubt it.


    Yong-Ho came back to his senses from his aspirational daydream. There was no time to waste. At this very moment, mana was being consumed for communication and power maintenance.


    All thirty goblins were currently displayed on the screen. Yong-Ho quickly checked the information for all thirty of them. He narrowed it down to those who had either a large number of evolutionary routes or a large number of stars (potential power).


    [No 04]


    [Race: Goblin (M)]


    [Strength Specialization | ¡ï (1)]


    [Stamina Specialization | ¡ï (1)]


    [No 17]


    [Race: Goblin (M)]


    [Strength Specialization | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [No 22]


    [Race: Goblin (M)]


    [Stamina Specialization | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    ''Wow, this is quite difficult.''


    He was only able to pick two in total.


    In the end, it was their diversity and specialty that he would base his decision on.


    ''I don''t have enough information.''


    There was no way of knowing whether choosing a goblin with a strength specialization or a stamina specialization would be more effective for his workforce. It was possible that he was overthinking the situation, given that he would only be picking 2 workers for the moment. As Eligor had earlier said that eventually, he would need dozens of workers under his control.


    Regardless, he still could not just choose blindly.


    If this was a game, then he was only at the very beginner stage. Each worker was precious, and depending on which worker he chose, there could be a significant gap in the early development rate.


    Yong-Ho, still in conflict, reached out inadvertently and touched one of the goblins on the screen. He took a step back in surprise.


    Yong-Ho''s hand had touched the box that marked one of the possible evolutionary routes. The goblin''s appearance started to change. To be exact, a semi-transparent silhouette appeared on top of the goblin''s figure.


    Yong-Ho had a hunch. After swallowing dry saliva, he reached out and touched each box one by one.


    The Strength Specialization goblins turned into inverted triangles with broad shoulders. The Agility Specialization types generally had elongated limbs, and finally, the goblins with Stamina Specialization had an overall increase in toughness.


    It only displayed a silhouette, but it was enough. It was good enough to see how they evolved.


    ''I''ll have to try it on Catalina and Eligor.''


    But they weren''t here, and what Yong-Ho needed right now was two workers. Yong-Ho, who was contemplating whether to choose between strength or stamina specialization goblins, finally came to a decision.


    [You have selected No. 17 and No. 22.]


    [Thank you, sir. Please allow one to two days for delivery.]


    Yong-Ho laughed at the typical comment that he usually saw on online vendors.


    He had finally decided to pick one Strength Specialization goblin and one Stamina Specialization goblin.


    It was a little unfortunate that he wasn''t able to find the most efficient option, but he thought that it was overall more important to gather different specimens to understand his power of evolution.


    [Would you like to finish the transaction?]


    [Yes / No]


    The amount of mana that he had consumed was already huge. There was no reason to spend additional fees on communication when he had already finished the transaction that he had set forth to do. Yong-Ho pressed ''Yes'' without hesitation. The space before him was now filled with the dullness of the throne room, replacing the white space from before.


    "Did you manage to complete the transaction?"


    Eligor asked Yong-Ho, standing a short, but respectful, distance away. From their facial expressions, Yong-Ho could easily tell that they appeared to be quite anxious. He didn''t realize it at first but since it was his first time visiting the virtual branch, he had spent over an hour browsing.


    Yong-Ho nodded and answered.


    "Yeah. I bought two goblins. They''ll arrive either tomorrow or the day after."


    "Oh oh... finally we''ll have workers in this dungeon again. We''ll be able to reinforce our traps and start building other facilities."


    He said it with such a voice, that it wouldn''t be strange to see him start crying with joy.


    Yong-Ho could slightly understand Eligor''s thrill with the situation. It had been almost a full year since the previous owner had committed suicide. During that period, the House of Mammon had continually fallen further into ruin, and it was very exciting to see the moment when the dungeon was beginning to flourish again.


    "How exactly are the goblins delivered?"


    Yong-Ho asked Eligor, who wiped away his teary eyes with the back of his hand.


    "A courier who''s affiliated with the Dungeon Market will come. They''re always very quick and precise."


    "It seems that couriers are a welcome sight in either world."


    There were times in Yong-Ho''s life, where the anticipation right before a package arrives was more exciting than actually receiving the package itself.


    There was also more good news.


    "Master! Master!"


    Catalina''s voice carried waves of excitement from behind the door, causing both Yong-Ho and Eligor to look towards her at the same time. After about three seconds had passed, Catalina slammed open the door and strode in. She walked in carrying a wild boar on top of her shoulders, which made one wonder how her slender body had the strength to support such a beast.


    "I caught a wild boar! I caught one!"


    Her bright expression was filled with a mix of joy and pride. Her face beamed with so much brightness, that Yong-Ho and Eligor seemed to find it difficult to know how to immediately react.


    When Catalina didn''t receive an immediate reaction from them, she suddenly became embarrassed and quickly put the boar down on the ground. She then tried to act cool about it. It was too late, however.


    Yong-Ho began to laugh out loudly. He rose from the throne and lavished Catalina with praise, who''s long ears were now dropping with embarrassment.


    "Well done, Catalina. You''ve done a great job. You''ve done really well as the guard. You''re definitely the best guard in our dungeon!"


    Despite his lavishing praise, Catalina still maintained her cool expression and tried to act befitting of her status, but her long ears started fluttering uncontrollably like a dog''s tail.


    How should he have reacted in a situation like this?


    Eligor gave a quiet chuckle, and Yong-Ho tried to restrain laughing any further. Nevertheless, he continued to compliment his guard.


    That night, it had now been two whole days since he had been crowned the demon king of the House of Mammon.


    Yong-Ho, for the first time, had tasted meat from the demon world.

 8 The Power of Evolution

    On the day that they held the crowning ceremony, Yong-Ho had felt a change.


    It could not simply be described by the word ''awakened''.


    He was literally reborn as a demon. Of course, many things had changed.


    The first change was that his body had been considerably strengthened.


    His physique was improving every day. Even when working out at a gym back home he had never been able to gain a six-pack like he had right now. Furthermore, the muscles in his arms and legs had gotten noticeably larger.


    It was all because he now had mana. Amongst demons, the mana of a demon king was especially concentrated. Eligor explained that the stronger the mana, the stronger the performance of the physical body.


    ''Eligor is out retrieving water.''


    Catalina, just like yesterday, was sleeping underneath her cloak. Yong-Ho thought about whether he should wake her up but instead, ended up walking towards his throne. He examined his body using the power of evolution.


    [Name: Chun Yong-Ho (M)]


    [Race: Half-Human/Demon - Demon King]


    [Main Element: Fire / Darkness]


    [Strength Specialization | ¡ï (1)]


    [Stamina Specialization | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Mana Specialization | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Charm Specialization | ¡ï (1)]


    [Agility Specialization | ¡ï (1)]


    [Skill Specialization | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Seven Deadly Sins | ???]


    He was very satisfied by how many evolutionary routes that he had, but he expected to have had more stars. He still thought that demon kings were too overpowered, he didn''t even know much about the potential of his own power of evolution. Even though he wasn''t able to see much effect from the power of evolution at the moment, there were a lot of available opportunities to use it, so it would definitely become a more powerful asset later on.


    ''What''s perplexing me the most is the power of the Seven Deadly Sins.''


    Out of the Seven Deadly Sins, Mammon wielded the power of greed.


    Even if one was a descendant of Mammon, it didn''t necessarily mean they would be able to use the power of the Seven Deadly Sins. That was why Catalina, Eligor, and even Sitri were surprised when the power of Seven Deadly Sins emerged from within Yong-Ho.


    ''Since none of the previous generations of owners could wield it.''


    However, Yong-Ho had the power. Although the power hadn''t fully awakened yet, it was still lying dormant inside him.


    A smile unknowingly crept onto Yong-Ho''s face, which he covered with a light cough. He then connected his consciousness to the spirit of the dungeon.


    He had a lot of work to do today.


    ***


    "So this is the most southern edge of the demon world."


    "Yes, that''s correct. It''s actually in the outskirts. In the past, during the era of Mammon, the entire southern region was controlled by the House of Mammon..."


    Yong-Ho thought that Eligor was just a typical old man that missed his glorious past, but Eligor wasn''t even born during the reign of Mammon. He turned his eyes away from Eligor towards the window of light before him.


    ''It''s quite wide.''


    It wasn''t just wide, it was extremely so.


    He assumed, from the meager information before him, that the region he was in seemed to be wider than the United States.


    From there, Yong-Ho''s dungeon, the House of Mammon, was located at the most southern point. Just like Eligor had said, it was based on the outskirts. Just like in a video game, the dungeon''s borders had plenty of space surrounding it to expand.


    Eligor, who wiped away his tears with a handkerchief, started to explain again.


    "Currently, the demon world is divided into six powers. Those are the kings of the demon world."


    After several borders were drawn, this world was divided into seven different regions.


    The southern wasteland, formerly owned by the House of Mammon, is now a land without any owners.


    The remaining six lands are ruled by the mighty demon kings who command all dungeon owners within their territories.


    The world itself was so large that even the nearest "King''s Land" was a considerable distance away. From Yong-Ho''s perspective, despite just starting out with two subordinates, there would likely come a day where he would have to meet those kings.


    However, regardless of that, he still had to keep a track of the overall situation.


    Yong-Ho couldn''t leave his dungeon in such a state, as it was now. As he became more powerful, the day would come where he would have to eventually face them.


    Furthermore, that was why Sitri had warned him.


    There was no need to ask for any further explanations. Yong-Ho was not a pure demon, but a half-blooded demon. From the standpoint of the regular pure-blooded demons, this kind of irregularity was quite rare. There was also a high probability that the other demons would dislike his existence.


    ''That''s why Eligor wanted to hide me.''


    There were two reasons why they called for the dungeon merchant Sitri instead of any other demon kings for his crowning ceremony.


    One reason was that they didn''t really know any other demons to call, while the other, and far more important reason, was that they were trying to conceal Yong-Ho''s existence as the next king of the House of Mammon.


    Even a simple crimson ogre had almost caused the ruined dungeon to perish. At this point, if any other pure-blooded demons were to attack, then it would be all over.


    The more Yong-Ho thought about it, the more things he realized he had to do.


    For the moment, it seemed to him that being the owner of a chicken restaurant might be more prosperous than the owner of a dungeon.


    But Yong-Ho still couldn''t help but smile. No, it wasn''t due to courage, but given that their situation was in such dire straits he had a sense of challenge to overcome the odds.


    Eligor had a satisfied smile on his face after seeing the gallant appearance of Yong-Ho and continued to explain.


    "First of all, the main aim is to restore the overall function of the dungeon."


    The window of light suddenly disappeared, and an aerial view of the dungeon appeared in its place. Almost all areas of Mammon''s dungeon were either inactive or had collapsed.


    "It''s an embarrassing story, but since Mammon, none of his descendants have ever been able to fully revive the dungeon. Just finding the facilities hidden in ruined areas of Mammon''s dungeon will help you tremendously in reviving the dungeon."


    In simple terms, that meant there were certain areas within the dungeon that he had to target first.


    ''It sounds good, but there must be a catch.''


    Considering how the previous owners were not able to fully inherit the power of Mammon in the past, this would not be an easy task. Eligor, who noticed Yong-Ho''s intentions, spoke up.


    "At first, I think it''ll be better to gradually develop the upper level. You could then build up your strength by defeating neighboring low-level demons."


    "I think I''m probably the lowest level demon in the neighborhood."


    The demon world was a land of ''survival of the fitness''. Conflicts with other demons were unavoidable.


    "Then Eligor, which do you think is better, strength or stamina?"


    "Sir?"


    Eligor quizzically blinked at the open question. Instead of explaining, Yong-Ho just activated his power of evolution. He wasn''t planning on first testing out his power on Eligor, but he still wanted to see what the potential outcomes were.


    [Name: Eligor (M)]


    [Race: Red Demon]


    [Main Element: Fire / Darkness]


    [Main Stats: Red Demon - Strength / Stamina]


    [Evolution Rate: 62/100]


    [Strength Specialisation | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Stamina Specialisation | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Mana Specialisation | ¡ï (1)]


    Yong-Ho waved his finger in the air. He lightly touched a box of light that was invisible to others, except for himself. A faint silhouette appeared over Eligor''s figure.


    "Oh."


    In each of the evolutionary routes that he took, Eligor would transform into a buff demon, which was a stark contrast to his current form. He couldn''t be absolutely sure since it was just a silhouette, but he believed that Eligor''s wrinkled face might change as well.


    "Sir?"


    Eligor, who hadn''t had a clue what was going on, called out to Yong-Ho with an anxious look.


    "It''s nothing."


    Yong-Ho, who had been absorbed into his research, deactivated the power. Immediately afterward, a voice sounded on the other side of the door. It was from Catalina, who seemed to be brimming with excitement.


    "Delivery! The packages are here! They''re here!"


    After all, both demons and humans found it exciting when deliveries arrived. Yong-Ho and Eligor both looked towards the door with grins on their faces.


    ***


    Currently, the House of Mammon was composed of eight large square rooms made out of stone.


    Yong-Ho didn''t have to run to the dungeon''s entrance to receive the package, but instead Catalina entered the throne room with a cart holding two large boxes.


    "Master!" They''re here!"


    She normally acted calm, but it seemed that the delivery was too exciting for her, as there was a large smile plastered on her face. Just like before, her long ears were fluttering like wings.


    Catalina quickly dragged the cart to the throne, and Yong-Ho, who had just gotten up from the throne, instinctively leaned over and patted her head. It felt appropriate for the moment.


    "The boxes are smaller than what I imagined."


    The cart couldn''t hold anything else, so he couldn''t really say that they were small, but they were still smaller than he had expected. They looked like common wooden boxes found on docks, that were about one meter wide.


    "The goblins are quite small. They''re probably curled up in those boxes."


    "They''re curled up in there?"


    He thought that it was absurd that someone would deliver living creatures in a wooden box.


    However, since Catalina and Eligor didn''t seem to be bothered by it, Yong-Ho didn''t mention it. He ordered Catalina to open the box with a directed glance.


    Using her thin arms, Catalina easily unloaded the boxes onto the ground.


    "Okay, I''ll open them up."


    "Okay."


    When Yong-Ho gave the go-ahead, Eligor broke open the seal of the Dungeon Market and used a crowbar to open the lid of the box. As if under the influence of some sort of device, the entire box broke apart and revealed its contents.


    Just like Eligor and Catalina had mentioned, there was a goblin curled up inside. It had green skin, a big head and bulging knuckles on its hands and feet.


    Yong-Ho looked at the goblins meticulously, as they seemed to be frozen in place. Eligor explained the problem.


    "If you register them with the dungeon first and then inject them with mana, then they''ll start to work. They''re currently frozen due to the magic of the Dungeon Market."


    [Would you like to register the goblins as dungeon spirits?]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon asked Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho nodded without hesitation.


    [Registering two goblins as dungeon spirits.]


    As soon as the Spirit of the Dungeon finished speaking, a red pentagram appeared over the goblins'' heads. Yong-Ho swallowed his dry saliva. It wasn''t just because he had high expectations for the goblins.


    He had felt the movement of mana.


    He had felt it transfer from himself to the dungeon, and then from the dungeon to the goblins.


    Moments later, the goblins started to tremble. They suddenly opened their large bulging eyes, and then slowly stood up. The goblins looked up at Yong-Ho with a blank stare.


    They were each about 120cm in height. About the same size as lower grade elementary school students.


    "They may be small, but goblins are natural workers. They''re the best spirits for value for money, they hardly eat anything but still work hard."


    ''Is this not child labor?''


    After facing Eligor''s content face, Yong-Ho quickly turned towards the goblins.


    The goblins were still dazed. It wasn''t due to the aftereffects of waking up, but they were generally, as stated in the manual, ''out of it''.


    "Sir, would you please give them your first command? Anything will do."


    Eligor spoke, while Catalina excitedly alternated her gaze between the two goblins and Yong-Ho with bright eyes as if expecting something wondrous to happen.


    Yong-Ho continued to stare at the goblins and then shook his head.


    "No, not yet. If I just use them like this, then it''ll be like child labor."


    "Sir?"


    Eligor asked with a confused look on his face. But instead of answering, Yong-Ho took a deep breath.


    And activated the power of evolution.

 9 The Power of Evolution 2

    [Race: Goblin (M)]


    [Main Element: Earth]


    [Main Stats: Strength / Stamina]


    [Evolution Rate: 100/100]


    [Strength Specialisation | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Stamina Specialisation | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    After officially registering the goblins as dungeon spirits, he could now see all the evolutionary information that he couldn''t see back at the market. Furthermore, luckily, both of them had already reached an evolution rate of 100. It was most likely because they were already the weakest spirits so they couldn''t go much lower.


    Eligor and Catalina continued to look at Yong-Ho with dry saliva in their mouths. Yong-Ho raised his hands in the air, instead of explaining it to them again. Boxes of light appeared over both of the goblins'' heads.


    The power of evolution was the demon king''s power.


    It was a power that awakened from Yong-Ho''s soul and was closely intertwined with his very being.


    So, of course, activating it felt natural. Flames rose from Yong-Ho''s green eyes, as mana was released from his fingertips.


    The goblins began to tremble. Eligor held his breath as he felt the mana from Yong-Ho inject into the goblins. Catalina stared at Yong-Ho with an anxious face.


    Moments later.


    A green aura began to envelop the goblins. The goblins'' cries filled the room.


    "Ahem!"


    Yong-Ho hurriedly stepped back while coughing roughly. It was difficult. He felt as if all his energy had been drained out of him.


    However, Yong-Ho still had a grin on his face. Eligor covered his mouth with both of his hands, his eyes turning red like usual. Whereas, Catalina quickly went over to help Yong-Ho. Her eyes widened when she looked back to the goblins.


    The goblins had transformed.


    The goblin with a strength specialty had grown more than 15cm taller. Its frail shoulders were twice as large as before, and its upper body had formed into a perfectly inverted triangle.


    Even though its legs were short, its arms were large and sturdy. It was like looking at a baby gorilla.


    Meanwhile, the goblin with the stamina specialty had also transformed. Both it''s upper and lower body had developed in balance, with muscles appearing on its thin arms and legs.


    It initially seemed shorter than the other goblin, but after it fully extended its bent waist, it suddenly became taller.


    "This, this is the power of evolution!"


    Eligor was elated. While Catalina was still staring at the goblins with a shocked expression on her face.


    Yong-ho smiled and gathered the remaining mana. He wanted to lie down and fall asleep right away, but instead, he activated the power of evolution again to look at the goblin with strength specialization.


    [Race: Goblin (M)] [Level One Spirit]


    [Main Element: Earth]


    [Main Stats: Strength / Stamina]


    [Evolution Rate: 0/100]


    [Stamina Specialization | ¡ï (1)]


    [Intelligence Specialization | ¡î (0.5)]


    A new ''Intelligence'' stat had appeared. Moreover, that wasn''t the only change. A large box of light had appeared above the goblin''s stats. Yong-Ho felt great excitement as he read what was inside.


    [Promotion: Hobgoblin]


    Promotion. Transcendence. Class change, no, class promotion.


    Everything was good. If they evolved once more, then the Goblins in front of him would transcend even further along the goblin race. It was clear that the very nature of their existence would rise.


    ''Though in the end, they''re just a couple of evolved goblins.''


    Despite being cynical, he couldn''t wipe the smile off his face.


    So what''s next after Hobgoblins? Goblin King? High Goblin? Was it possible for Catalina and Eligor to be promoted like that?


    ''Come to think of it.''


    That was when Yong-Ho suddenly realized, with a worried look on his face, that Catalina was hugging him halfway. Perhaps because he only just came to a realization, but he could really feel Catalina''s presence, through his arms, waist, and chest, suddenly awash over him.


    Despite being reborn as a demon king, Yong-Ho was still unable to overcome his shyness around women.


    ''It is nice, however...''


    He didn''t have any energy left. He naturally leaned his body against Catalina''s.


    That''s what Yong-Ho thought anyway. He decided, without hesitation, to just lean against her even more. Suddenly, Catalina yelled.


    "Oh, my god! Is that a horn?"


    Yong-Ho jumped at Catalina''s sudden cry, Eligor also screamed.


    Small horns were visible on the Goblins'' foreheads, almost like small rocks jutting out of a cliff. Eligor stared at them with tears filling his eyes. He was so moved that he had been brought to tears.


    "Oh oh... mighty Mammon."


    Now, he was just bawling his eyes out. Yong-Ho decided that Catalina was probably a better person to ask at the moment.


    "Is it that great, Catalina, that the Goblins have horns?"


    At Yong-Ho''s question, Catalina gawked at him with a dumbfounded expression on her face. They were standing right next to each other, so Catalina''s beautiful face was right in front of him.


    She started to breathe roughly. After staring at Yong-Ho''s face with a bewildered look for a while, Catalina yelled gleefully.


    "It''s amazing! Fantastic! N-no. You''re amazing."


    After yelling with excitement, she tried to calm herself down and control her excited tone. Instead of teasing her, Yong-Ho asked her once again.


    "So, why is it so amazing?"


    Catalina once again became dumbfounded. But, only for a moment. To demons, it was common knowledge, but she realized that for Yong-Ho however, it was completely unknown, since this was only his third day as a demon.


    After helping Yong-Ho sit down on the throne, she tried to catch her breath. She then started to explain in a calm manner as possible.


    "For demons, horns are a symbol of strength. A demon''s horn is a type of organ that draws in the mana that exists in the world. The stronger your mana, the greater and larger your horns will become. Of course, having a lot of large horns would become uncomfortable so most demons use magic to conceal them. But, uh, anyway, that''s why horns are so important. It''s also possible to get a rough idea on the strength of a demon based on the number of horns they have."


    Even though her visible excitement had died down a bit, her voice was still traveling at high speed. As if she was running out of the air, she kept on having to stop talking and take a breath. After taking another couple of breaths, her explanation continued.


    "It''s not that easy to increase the size or number of horns. Most demons live the rest of their life with the same horns they were born with. Strengthening your mana is the only way to increase the size or number of horns you possess. It''s different for each case. B-but."


    "But?"


    In response to Yong-Ho''s question, Catalina closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and said with a relatively calm face.


    "Goblins don''t originally have horns. Though there is an occasional rare case with a goblin being born with a very small horn, it''s still very rare. Goblins don''t have much mana in the first place, so it''s almost impossible for them to increase their number of horns."


    "But master, you gave those goblins horns. Those goblins have horns..."


    Eligor spoke again with reverence. His voice was trembling with emotion.


    Yong-Ho now understood.


    Why Catalina had been so excited, and why Eligor had been so moved by what he had done.


    ''The power of evolution.''


    He remembered the sparkle in Sitri''s eyes. He understood now why she seemed impressed by him, despite her introducing herself as an influential figure.


    Yong-Ho looked at the Goblins again. Perhaps it was the effect of their evolution, or maybe because they now had horns, but they looked more intelligent now. When their eyes met, the Goblins quickly knelt down and spoke in a stammering tone.


    "Master, master."


    "We, we. Pledge our allegiance. To you."


    Catalina suddenly opened her mouth wide with joy, while Eligor started to weep again.


    Yong-Ho guessed by their reactions that goblins talking was considered pretty amazing as well.


    Yong-Ho sat back down on his throne again. He asked Catalina once again, who was still overcoming her shock.


    It was about the horns.

 10 The Power of Evolution 3

    "Why don''t I have horns?"


    Yong-Ho''s question was quite simple.


    Why did he not have horns?


    If the horn was such an important organ for demons and was essential for the accumulation of mana, how come Yong-Ho, a demon king, didn''t have any? Was it because he was half-human?


    Catalina blinked in surprise, with a face full of astonishment, at Yong-Ho''s sudden question. Eligor also looked towards him with a surprised look on his face.


    "Huh? What''s wrong?"


    "Uh... well... you do have a horn?"


    Yong-Ho blinked at Catalina''s reserved answer.


    Catalina carefully raised her hands and pointed to the small horns that protruded slightly above her ears.


    "Look, they''re in the same position as mine."


    Yong-Ho was quite shocked. But, he understood it to some extent.


    If he thought about it, he hadn''t seen a mirror since he''d moved to the demon world.


    He had indeed felt something strange when he washed his hair, but he would have never guessed that they were horns.


    ''This damn dungeon doesn''t even have a mirror.''


    Yong-Ho mimicked Catalina and placed both of his hands above his ears. "These are horns?"


    Catalina nodded instead of answering. Disappointment filled Yong-Ho''s face and voice.


    ''How come a demon king only has two horns?''


    Furthermore, they were both quite small. They were more like small rocks than horns. And even that was a compliment. Rather, it felt more like his bones were just slightly jutting out. No wonder he didn''t realize.


    "You haven''t been a demon king for long. The power of the dungeon will become your power. As the dungeon grows again, so shall your power. Though, the opposite is also true."


    Eligor hurriedly explained. Catalina nodded her head once and turned into the initial calm and collected figure she was when they had first met.


    "It''s true that the stronger one''s mana becomes, the more horns one will have. However, the number and size of the horns are not an absolute indicator of power."


    Yong-Ho now knew her true nature hiding behind that composed and cool mask, but since she was explaining with a serious expression, he decided to take her seriously.


    ''Well, I''ve got a lot of things I need to work on.''


    As Eligor had said, he had to become stronger. It was too early for him to feel disappointed.


    After collecting his thoughts, Yong-Ho looked back towards Catalina. As she continued to talk, he was becoming more curious.


    "You said that demons usually shrink or hide their horns?"


    "Yeah."


    Yong-Ho continued to stare at Catalina, who fortunately quickly understood what he was asking. She spoke again after lightly coughing.


    "Ahem. Then I shall now release my mana."


    A change in mana. Opening up.


    Yong-Ho could feel the shift in mana in Catalina before him. This was what it felt like when a spirit of the dungeon released its power. It was as if he could physically see it. Catalina''s mana. Her soul.


    He could feel her mana, her spirit''s color, and her attributes.


    "Haaa, ha..."


    Catalina stood up straight after catching her breath. Above her long ears, two yellow horns sprouted out, each roughly the size of the span of an adult hand.


    Just as he had expected, they weren''t that big. It had more of a resemblance to an elephant''s ivory tusks rather than deer antlers.


    Perhaps, it was because she had just released her mana, but Catalina seemed to have a different aura around her than usual. She now felt more like a sharp blade.


    After examining her horns, Yong-Ho stood up from his throne and bluntly asked her.


    "Hey, could I touch them?"


    "Y-yes, master."


    Catalina accepted while blushing, causing the atmosphere of the room to take a strange turn.


    She tilted her head forwards slightly, while nervously clenching her fists. She lightly bit her lips, and the way her eyes darted around the room indicated her anxiety.


    After feeling the change in mood, Yong-Ho swallowed his dry saliva. He slowly extended his hand, and gently touched one of Catalina''s horns.


    As soon as he touched her horn, Catalina flinched, causing her shoulders to tremble slightly.


    Her horns felt cold and sturdy, accompanied with a soft texture. It was clearly true that the horns were regarded as a mana organ, as every time he moved his finger he vividly felt Catalina''s mana reacting. Perhaps that was why Catalina seemed to be continually flinching.


    ''I should probably stop.''


    Yong-Ho felt like he could get addicted to this feeling. The stimulus was too much for a man, such as him, who had attended an all-male high school.


    Yong-Ho quickly pulled back his hand and stepped back from Catalina. Catalina breathed a small sigh of relief. He felt like a tyrannical boss, who would subjugate his employees to his various whims.


    It was then.


    "You''re welcome to touch my horn as well."


    Eligor spoke while sticking his head out with eagerness. Unlike Catalina''s, Eligor''s horns were light gray and located on his forehead, resembling more of a rhino''s horn.


    Thinking back to Catalina''s response when he was touching her horns, Yong-Ho swiftly stepped past him without a second thought. He instead looked down at the two Goblins, who had been ignored for a while and spoke to them.


    "Anyway, you two now have horns."


    "Master?"


    "Shall I give you both a name?"


    Yong-Ho had once again ignored Eligor''s question and inquired further. The Spirit of the Dungeon replied.


    [Would you like to register names for the new dungeon spirits?]


    Yong-Ho responded by nodding and then pondered for a while.


    If what Eligor had said was true, then eventually this dungeon would be filled with dozens of spirits. However, these were the first two, so he wanted to give them special names.


    ''Ah, I don''t know. I''ll just give them any name.''


    A name had to be both easy to remember and unique. Furthermore, the Goblins weren''t exactly intelligent, so they needed names that were easy to memorize.


    "Right, you''re Jon, and you''re Ron."


    At Yong-Ho''s declaration, the Goblins blinked and then broke out with ecstatic smiles.


    "Jon, Jon."


    "Ron, Ron."


    The strength type was Jon, while the stamina type was named Ron.


    The two continued to repeat their names several times and then bowed down to Yong-Ho.


    "Master. Thank you. Thank you. Happy, Happy."


    [Spirits are content. The employee''s satisfaction level has increased.]


    A smile was also drawn on Yong-Ho''s face. This time, Catalina asked.


    "Excuse me, Master."


    "Huh?"


    "Can the power of evolution be used on anyone?"


    Of course, it was probable to Yong-Ho that this question was going to be asked, so he had already prepared an answer.


    However, Eligor was different, he stared ferociously at Catalina, causing her to flinch with widened eyes. After recognizing the sort of question she had just asked, Catalina quickly knelt down in front of Yong-Ho. She bowed her head towards him.


    "I apologize Master for such an invasive question. Please forgive me."


    Her long ears started to tremble slightly. Yong-Ho felt embarrassed at her remorseful behavior, but soon understood the nature of the situation.


    The power of the demon king was the most powerful weapon in their arsenal. And Catalina had just asked one of her master''s greatest secrets.


    ''It seems like the previous owner was a bit of a despot.''


    After deeply sighing, Yong-Ho knelt down and helped Catalina stand up. She still couldn''t meet his gaze, so he softly spoke to her.


    "You know, you two are part of my family. Unlike the other spirits, both of you are special. So, it''s okay to ask questions like that."


    ''The satisfaction level didn''t increase?''


    He had expected to be notified of an increase in the level of satisfaction, just like before, but the Spirit of the Dungeon didn''t seem to say anything. However, Yong-Ho was still satisfied, as both Eligor and Catalina looked touched.


    He continued to talk, with a smile on his face.


    "Of course, the power of evolution can be used on you two as well. Both of you can become stronger."


    "Oh, so that''s why you asked that question before."


    Eligor spoke quietly as he seemed to realize something. He seemed to remember Yong-Ho asking a question about whether the strength or stamina type was better.


    "Catalina, would you like to evolve?"


    Yong-Ho''s sudden question caused Catalina''s face to turn a bright beetroot red, though only for a short time. Quickly turning around to take a look at the Goblins, Catalina hesitated and then timidly replied.


    "Uh, I''m not sure I want to look like that... "


    As a woman, she still wanted to maintain her appearance. Yong-Ho jokingly moved his hands, and even though she had tightly shut her eyes, she didn''t back down. Yong-Ho laughed cheerfully, and then lightly flicked her forehead.


    "I can''t do it right now anyway. I''ll let you know when you meet the correct conditions. And... evolution doesn''t just mean that you''ll gain big muscles."


    As soon as she felt Yong-Ho flick her head, she opened her eyes and nodded. Her two long ears were, of course, drooping.


    ''I''ll become addicted if I''m not careful.''


    Was teasing her always this fun?


    Yong-Ho turned his attention from Catalina to Eligor. As if he was waiting for that moment, Eligor spoke. He looked like he was prepared to say something.


    "Master, there''s something I must tell you."


    After seeing Eligor''s face, Yong-Ho adopted a serious expression and slightly nodded his head, indicating Eligor to speak.


    "There are still some emergency funds available. They aren''t the assets of the Mammon family... but rather the assets that I''ve collected in case of emergencies."


    As soon as he finished talking, Eligor took a small pouch out from a pocket next to his chest. Catalina gasped in surprise, with widely opened eyes.


    "It''s only a little bit of money. But, you''ll be able to purchase another one-star spirit with it. If it''s the lowest ranking spirits like goblins, you might be able to purchase three... no maybe even four of them."


    Eligor held out the pouch. Yong-Ho wasn''t sure how to receive it, so Eligor firmly placed it into Yong-Ho''s hands and bowed his head.


    "Forgive me for showing you disrespect. This foolish old spirit was hiding this money in preparation for the worst outcome. However, I was convinced just now of the true power of master. Master is the only one who can restore the House of Mammon again to its former glory."


    As per usual, Eligor had tears filling his eyes. Catalina''s eyes were also turning a slight shade of red.


    "Please. Master. Please spend this money. The dungeon needs more spirits."


    He now understood why Eligor had given him this money.


    Yong-Ho lightly bit his lips. To be honest, he found these kinds of melodramatic situations to be quite awkward. But he understood how Eligor felt.


    What thoughts did Catalina and Eligor have when they first met?


    Were they dreaming of restoring the House of Mammon?


    That''s probably unlikely. What they probably wanted was to just give their dying dungeon some last support.


    However, Eligor now truly dreamed of restoring the might of the House of Mammon.


    Honestly, he did feel a bit pressured by Eligor.


    Moreover, Eligor had hidden the money to plan for the worst outcome and even though it was his own money, the very act of hiding something would have usually been considered quite disrespectful. However, that didn''t mean that Yong-Ho was annoyed at Eligor.


    Yong-Ho eventually put on a smile towards him.


    "Thank you, I shall accept this money, Eligor."


    Yong-Ho sat on the throne, with the plan of once again visiting the Demon Market.


    ***


    "Well, this is an unexpected visit."

 11 The Power of Evolution 4

    "Well, this is an unexpected visit."


    As soon as he had entered the white space, Sitri greeted him with a surprised expression. Unlike last time, she was now wearing a red dress, though it still had the same degree of exposure.


    She was clearly acting surprised, so Yong-Ho responded by acting relaxed.


    "I thought you said you weren''t exclusively in charge of this place?"


    Sitri''s eyes widened, as she put on a charming smile. In front of that smile, anybody scheming against her would have had their thoughts melt away.


    Yong-Ho tried to remain relaxed, but it was quite difficult. For Yong-Ho, who was weak against women, Sitri was a mighty existence.


    However, it didn''t mean that he wore a stupid expression plastered on his face. His earlobes just turned a slight red, and he coughed a little.


    Sitri smiled again. Suddenly, a white desk appeared behind her, which she gently leaned her hips against and then spoke.


    "Influential people aren''t always busy. And actually, I had a feeling you might come today."


    "Isn''t that contradicting, what you said earlier?"


    Sitri was incredibly beautiful, and she knew it. As a result, she just responded to Yong-Ho''s comment with another smile. The white table behind her suddenly transformed into a chair, which Sitri then sat down on, and crossed her legs. She stared at Yong-Ho.


    "You''ve used the power of evolution."


    Yong-Ho was inexperienced in these sorts of situations. Her question caused him to flinch, and he wasn''t able to hide the visible signs of his nervousness.


    However, Sitri was quite satisfied with his reaction. Yong-Ho had just recently ascended to the throne. The fact that he didn''t cause a commotion and was able to restrain his emotions was enough.


    "You don''t have to be wary of me. No one but I, knows that my beloved customer has become the king of the House of Mammon and that he has the power of evolution."


    Yong-Ho wanted to ask if his power would be easily noticed if he used it, but he decided not to. He instead asked something else.


    "Do you know anybody else who has the power of evolution, besides me?"


    Sitri did not immediately answer. She folded her legs in a different position, briefly lowered her eyes and then rested her chin on the back of her hand. After in thought for a moment, she spoke.


    "It happened a long time ago. However, the power of the person that I knew back then, and your own power are not exactly the same. Since a Demon King''s power is an aspect of their very soul."


    Yong-Ho didn''t further ask any more questions. Sitri was kind and beautiful, and although she seemed to hold Yong-Ho in great favor, she wasn''t completely on his side. The only people that Yong-Ho fully trusted were his servants Catalina and Eligor.


    "I would like to provide you with a small gift as a token of apology for my rudeness. Is that okay?"


    "Sure."


    He wanted to answer more naturally but realized that his voice seemed a bit stiff.


    Sitri took out three small leather pouches from between her cleavage and placed them on the table. It was almost as if she had a pocket dimension in there, as last time she had done something similar.


    "Among the Seven Deadly Sins, Greed is deeply related to the acquisition of wealth. In the terminology of your world, ''you have the Midas touch''."


    It made sense since he was the Demon of Greed. Sitri gently placed her long, slender fingers on top of the leather pouches. Which naturally caught Yong-Ho''s attention.


    "One of these pouches holds a coupon that allows you to purchase a rank two spirit. If you find it with your first go, it shall be yours. And if I were to give you a hint... don''t think. Feel. Grab the bag that you feel that you want.


    Sitri concluded her explanation with a smile. Yong-Ho looked at the pouches, and instinctively reached out and grabbed the middle pouch.


    Yong-Ho was surprised by how swiftly he had reacted. Rather than thinking about moving his hand, it was as if it had reacted on its own.


    Sitri opened the pouch in front of him. Inside was a green gem, about the size of a thumbnail.


    "Well done, you''ve chosen correctly."


    She confirmed this by opening the other pouches and revealing their contents. They were both empty.


    Luck with the acquisition of wealth.


    It was definitely useful. It was a good ability. But, Yong-Ho couldn''t help but feel a bit disappointed.


    Did the power of Greed, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, just have the ability of luck?


    Sitri noticed his expression. She waved her slender index finger in front of Yong-Ho''s gaze.


    "This isn''t the only power that Greed has. This is just a side effect of its nature. So don''t be disappointed."


    What she said was certainly helpful, but it was a bit disconcerting that she was able to read him so easily.


    Yong-Ho reached out and grabbed the green gem, which Sitri had placed on the desk, and then spoke.


    "Thank you for your help on both matters."


    He was referring to both the information on the power of Greed and the coupon that she had given him.


    Sitri was pleased that Yong-Ho had thanked her for both matters. This time, she pulled a large book out of thin air and placed it on the table. It was extremely large and thick, similar to the old English dictionaries that he used to use.


    "Unlike the lowest level grade spirits that you bought last time, we offer a separate catalog for spirits that are rank one and above. And there are two types of categories within this catalog. The Free Labor Market and the Slave Market."


    Ever since entering the demon world, that was the darkest thing he heard so far, yet completely expected in this sort of world.


    Sitri explained further.


    "Spirits that are registered in the Free Labor Market, are typically seeking masters to serve. Even if a demon king was willing to employ a spirit, the spirit may not be willing to serve them, so no deal is made. As the working spirits in the Free Labor Market also have the freedom to choose their master."


    "And the Slave Market doesn''t?"


    "Exactly. The spirits are literally ''slaves''. The spirits in the Slave Market typically have low intelligence, lack of self-awareness or were sold for some other reason. Of course, there is a lack of diversity and ability with the spirits in the Slave Market compared to the spirits in the Free Labor Market. But, in the Slave Market, you won''t need to negotiate with the spirits, and the prices are much cheaper.


    Yong-Ho looked down at the green gem he had in his hand.


    "Is this coupon also valid for spirits from the Slave Market?"


    "You''re very smart, my beloved customer."


    It wasn''t difficult to figure these things out. It would be difficult to hire spirits with the dungeon in its current condition. Furthermore, recruiting spirits from the Free Labor Market would start rumors that the House of Mammon had a new owner.


    Sitri turned the book around on the desk so that Yong-Ho could read it more clearly. This was the first time he had seen letters from this world, but at just a glance, he could easily understand their meaning.


    [Rank 2 Spirit Catalogue - Slave Market - ]


    "Have fun shopping, my beloved customer."


    Sitri, who finished talking with a smile, took a step back and disappeared just like before.


    A few seconds later.


    ''She''s tiring to deal with. I miss the simple-minded Catalina. I do miss her.''


    Yong-Ho yawned due to his tiredness and then sat back down on the chair.


    ''Good.''


    Regardless, the spirit was free, and with the hope that he would get lucky with his selection, he could save a lot of money. No, even if he didn''t get lucky, he was still getting more than he had originally bargained for.


    Yong-Ho opened the catalog.


    ***


    He never expected that he would have received a rank two spirit for free.


    However, Yong-Ho didn''t enter the virtual branch just to start shopping impulsively.


    He was originally going to purchase a rank one spirit.


    Naturally, he had a plan.


    First, he would purchase a spirit suited for combat.


    Second. He would purchase a spirit that would strengthen the dungeon''s overall military strength.


    Currently, Catalina was the only spirit who was suited for fighting. Of course, if a battle really occurred, Yong-Ho, as well as the two Goblins, would also fight, but using the workers to defend the dungeon would only be as a last resort.


    Therefore, Yong-Ho had first analyzed Catalina''s strengths and weaknesses.


    As a Half Succubus and Half Dark Elf, Catalina was able to use daggers, throwing knives and bows as her main weapons. In essence, she was classified as an attacker that was capable of both melee and long-ranged attacks, and she was akin to the rogue class from fantasy MMORPGs.


    The new spirit that he was going to purchase, would thus act in a defensive position for the dungeon and synchronize with Catalina. So, he needed to purchase a spirit that would harmonize with Catalina''s strengths and weaknesses and be able to create synergistic strategies with her.


    What type of spirit would an attacker need in a defensive position?


    ''The answer, of course, is a tanker.''


    Anyway, the spirit will be working as the dungeon''s gatekeeper so mobility isn''t that important. What he needed was a spirit with a large defensive build, with the ability to undergo evolution.


    ''Let''s check out everything anyway.''


    It didn''t cost him any money to browse. If he saw any spirits that had potential, he could keep them in mind to purchase later if it suited his dungeon development strategy.


    His heart was pounding in his chest. He would also feel a similar thrill when purchasing units for his army in games.


    "Wow."


    From just glancing at the section for rank two spirits, he could instantly see how different their names and appearances were.


    A Hellhound that spewed fire breath.


    A Bugbear with a huge build and great strength.


    And a Huge Slime that produced a strong acid.


    He couldn''t analyze them with his Power of Evolution because he had to save mana, but just looking at the various spirits within the catalog was quite enjoyable.


    Furthermore, the spirits in the catalog weren''t just simply pictures printed on paper. Whenever Yong-Ho would turn the page, a spirit would appear on a huge screen in the air.


    Yong-Ho was able to examine the spirits as if he were looking at holograms.


    ''There are a few that satisfy my criteria.''


    It didn''t take him too long to go through the entire catalog, even though he took his time to thoroughly examine each one. Under the rank two spirits, they were a total of 15 different kinds. Just as Sitri had explained, most of them either lacked intelligence or self-awareness.


    ''Hmmm, it''s a shame they don''t have an elf.''


    Yong-Ho, who was by himself in the white room, coughed a little and then waved his finger, causing three spirits that he had bookmarked beforehand, to appear before him on the large screen.


    He then activated the Power of Evolution.

 12 The Power of Evolution 5

    [No 03.]


    [Race: Skeleton Warrior (-)]


    [Specialty: Defense]


    [Bone Toughness | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Physique | ¡ï (1)]


    [Agility | ¡î (0.5)]


    [No 09.]


    [Race: Clay Golem (-)]


    [Specialty: Striking]


    [Strength | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Physique | ¡ï (1)]


    [No 15.]


    [Race: Treant (M)]


    [Specialty: Vine binding]


    [Vine binding | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Physique | ¡ï (1)]


    [Agility | ¡î (0.5)]


    Unlike with the Goblins, there wasn''t a variety of spirits to choose from for each species, so he only really had one of the three choices.


    Naturally, all three spirits had their advantages and disadvantages.


    The Skeleton Warrior had a height of around 2 meters and didn''t require any food since it was an undead monster. Furthermore, since it''s body was made of bones, then other than its bones getting broken, it wouldn''t really get injured.


    Its main weapons, that of a typical tanker, was a sword and shield. While it''s armor consisted of a helmet and body armor.


    The problem, however, was that it required a lot of mana to maintain. Thus, the Skeleton Warrior was too much for the Mammon Dungeon to handle, as the dungeon primarily relied on just Yong-Ho to replenish its mana.


    The Clay Golem, just as its name implied, was made out of clay. Similar to the Skeleton Warrior, it required no food, but compared to the Skeleton Warrior, it consumed less mana.


    The Clay Golem was about 2.5 meters in height. Its shoulders were also quite wide, which was ideal for blocking enemies.


    Its downside was that its movements were quite slow, but that wasn''t much of an issue since its primary role would just be defense. Its role would just be to sit in the middle of a narrow passageway and endure the enemy''s attacks.


    The Clay Golem didn''t use any weapons and looked more akin to a clay doll made by a child rather than a combat spirit.


    Finally, the last spirit was the Treant.


    The Treant was a tree monster that had a face in the center of its large body and had branches for arms and legs.


    It was the largest of the three. It had branches extending out of its head as well, so it was difficult to perceive its exact height, but it was definitely somewhere over three meters. Its body was also quite thick, where a grown man would be incapable of fully embracing it.


    Since it could plant itself into the ground like an ordinary tree, it also didn''t require to be provided any food. All it required was the right amount of nutrients and water, and since it was a dungeon spirit, it didn''t require much sunlight.


    ''Mobility is an issue though.''


    ''Clay Golem or Treant?''


    From their stats alone, they would be equivalent to just an ordinary spirit, so he had to make his choice solely based on their individual characteristics. He had to consider whether he wanted a strength type, that could be used in a variety of different fields, or a specialist, that excelled in one particular field.


    Yong-Ho alternated his gaze between both spirits. He examined the evolutionary route that each had and imagined their potential synergy with Catalina.


    A few seconds later.


    Yong-Ho had finally decided.


    ***


    After stirring for a bit, Yong-Ho woke up and opened his eyes. He shook his head to get rid of his daze. Standing a couple of steps away, he saw Catalina and Eligor who were fidgeting anxiously.


    "Haaa... Haaa..."


    He had no strength left in his body. He had felt like he had repeatedly ran a hundred-meter sprint.


    "Master, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"


    Catalina carefully asked, while wiping the sweat from Yong-Ho''s forehead with a handkerchief. Eligor also spoke with an anxious expression.


    "You consumed too much mana. And you''ve been in the virtual branch for too long."


    Yong-Ho took a deep breath, instead of answering. After Catalina wiped off his sweat, he took a step back and spoke. His throat felt quite dry.


    "H-how long was I in there?"


    "You were in there for about two hours."


    Eligor responded immediately. Yong-Ho closed his eyes again and sat down on his throne.


    The coolness of the stone throne felt very comfortable.


    ''I used too much mana.''


    Staying in the virtual branch for two hours wasn''t that much of an issue. The problem was that he had been using the power of evolution to examine the spirits, just after he had evolved the two Goblins.


    ''I''ve still got a long way to go.''


    Yong-Ho had contemplated his own evolutionary route, but it seemed that he had to grow his mana first.


    After taking a few more breaths, he opened his eyes again. The two Goblins, Jon and Ron, Catalina and Eligor were all staring at him. He looked at each one of their faces in turn and then smiled.


    Even though they were worried about Yong-Ho''s condition, they desperately wanted to ask what kind of spirits he had purchased. However, since Yong-Ho hadn''t fully recovered, they had held themselves back.


    Yong-Ho smiled and spoke, "A Treant, I bought a Treant."


    Catalina and Eligor were stunned. Catalina blinked her large eyes, and Eligor asked with a perplexed expression.


    "Master, but isn''t the Treant a rank two spirit, not rank one¡­?"


    "Did you forget who I am? I''m the demon king who inherited the power of greed."


    Yong-Ho continued to explain his encounter with Sitri.


    There was no need to keep it a secret, and he felt like he needed to share the information with his closest subordinates, Catalina and Eligor.


    Sitri''s favor of him was definitely a huge boon, but Yong-Ho couldn''t completely trust her. He couldn''t let his guard down around her, even if it meant that he would gain something from her.


    "Eligor, I''ve only spent half of the money you deposited into the Dungeon Market. So I bought an additional two Goblins to speed up the dungeon''s development. Since I bought a lot, they also gave me a free Skeleton as a bonus."


    As Yong-Ho spoke with a smile, Eligor looked as if he had become deeply moved. He could foresee what Eligor was about to do next, so he quickly intercepted. He stood up from the throne and further spoke.


    "I eagerly await our new companions. Shall we eat in celebration?"


    Even though he had spoken with confidence, his body reacted more honestly. Before he had finished talking, his legs started to shake and he almost collapsed. Catalina quickly rushed to support him. Yong-Ho could see her worried expression. He smiled without realizing it.


    "You''re definitely more comfortable to be with."


    He could read her thoughts from just looking at her expression. Although they were equally beautiful, Catalina had a much healthier mindset than Sitri.


    "Master?"


    "It''s nothing, you''re just cute."


    Three days ago, he had found it difficult to stand with her face to face.


    Yong-Ho shook his head, and then leaned a bit more on Catalina, who had become as stiff as a tree. He smiled and spoke to Eligor and the Goblins behind him.


    "Anyway, let''s eat. Let''s eat and then get some rest."


    There was no need to overdo it all the time. Eligor, Catalina and even the Goblins all began to do their set tasks.

 13 The Heart of the Dungeon

    Laws certainly existed within the Demon World. However, one could not expect the Demon World to have the relatively peaceful enforcement of a civilized lawful nation.


    No, even in advanced countries, ruthless violence often replaced pacifistic enforcement.


    Survival of the fittest.


    The right of the strong.


    In the Demon World, the fist was mightier than the law.


    It didn''t matter to low-rank spirits like goblins. They were content with just living at the bottom of the pyramid.


    However, it was a different story for a demon king and his servants.


    They had to become strong to survive. It was a necessity, not a choice.


    ***


    "Whew... Ha..."


    Yong-Ho breathed heavily while sweating. His body had strengthened considerably after awakening as a demon, however, he wasn''t the equivalent of a superhero.


    The room that he was in was located in front of the throne room.


    Yong-Ho leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. He had learnt a technique from Catalina, that he was now using, which involved circulating mana around his body.


    A demon king''s body was essentially just a huge chunk of mana. Just by circulating the mana within his body he was able to somewhat restore his fatigue.


    ''Aren''t they tired?''


    Yong-Ho opened his eyes again and looked straight ahead with a bitter smile. A confrontation was in full swing between his guard, and combat instructor, Catalina, and rank two-spirit Treant, who had emerged as the core of the dungeon''s defense.


    "You''ll never beat me if you continue like that."


    Catalina teased in a casual manner. Her opponent, the Treant, had planted itself in the center of the room before them.


    Catalina''s provocation seemed to carry more of an impact given the contrast with her usual clumsy demeanor.


    Her attacks were both fast and precise. Yong-Ho was honestly not confident if he had the ability to dodge her attacks. Moreover, she had to contend with not just one, but four vines.


    However, Catalina maintained her smile. Rather than backing away from the vines and keep her distance, she rushed towards them. The ease at which she skilfully dodged the vines looked as if she were a feather being carried along with a gentle breeze.


    As the distance between them lessened, the Treant struggled to continue its attack. Then after leaving the ground Catalina suddenly disappeared. At least that''s what it seemed like in the eyes of Yong-Ho and the Treant.


    Then a single breath later.


    Catalina reappeared. She appeared behind the Treant and gently tapped the Treant''s body with the sheathed dagger in her hand.


    "That makes it 10 wins and 0 losses to me."


    If the Treant either grabbed or touched Catalina with its vines then it won.


    Whereas Catalina won if she touched the main body of the Treant whilst being able to dodge all the vines.


    Catalina span around with a smile plastered on her face while the Treant shook its branches with fury. She then politely curtsied to Yong-Ho, who was watching from the corner. She acted as if she were a magician that had just finished their performance


    Although Catalina was quite clumsy, that was just confined to her personality and not her abilities.


    The House of Mammon was still considered a family despite its downfall. Catalina was the guard of the family and had the skills to match it.


    ''But, why I am in a bad mood?''


    No, to be exact it wasn''t a bad mood. Rather it seemed to be that he strongly sympathized with the Treant.


    Even though Catalina had retained her calm demeanor, her ears continued to flutter excitedly as if she were eagerly awaiting for Yong-Ho to compliment her. However, Yong-Ho instead looked at the Treant, who was sagging its branches in defeat and made a pledge to himself.


    ''I must... No, I will evolve your vines. Cheer up, Treant. Next time, you''ll catch her.''


    However, before that Yong-Ho had to evolve himself first.


    It had now been six days since he had become a demon king.


    Yong-Ho had been learning the basics of combat from Catalina for the past three days. It wasn''t easy to learn since he had never fought before in his previous life, but that didn''t mean that he shouldn''t put in the necessary effort.


    "Have you gotten used to the training?"


    After he finished wiping away his sweat with the provided water and walked out the room, Eligor greeted Yong-Ho with a smile. Eligor had brought with him a change of ordinary clothes for Yong-Ho, that he had bought from the dungeon market, that was specially made for human-like demons. Though the clothes were just a bland gray in color, with no additional designs, Yong-Ho accepted them graciously and promptly changed into them.


    "Somewhat. Moving my new body around is kind of enjoyable."


    "I was concerned about how Catalina was going to train you... but it''s a relief that you''re so capable. This is indeed a blessing from Mammon.


    It seemed that Eligor had the same thoughts as Yong-Ho, in that they didn''t have much faith in Catalina''s abilities outside her skill in combat. Yong-Ho smiled bitterly and followed Eligor to the throne room to see how the Goblins were getting on with their work.


    There were currently a total of four goblins in the dungeon.


    Jon was the one who specialized in strength, while Ron specialized in stamina.


    The two additional goblins that he had recently purchased specialized in either agility and intelligence, although he hadn''t yet evolved them to save mana.


    He didn''t yet know which evolution pathway was the most effective, so he decided to do some more testing.


    "The first place we need is, of course, a warehouse for resources."


    The first task that Yong-Ho had set for the Goblins was to build a resource warehouse. Although it was called a warehouse, in reality, it was just another room, which after activation, would be the place where they would store all their various resources.


    Eligor started to explain while pointing to various uncut stone and timber.


    "In a way, the dungeon itself is just another spirit. It''s incapable of being improved through the reliance of just mana alone. Many additional materials are required to improve its facilities, such as wood, stone, metal and other similar materials. The dungeon market does sell these materials, but it would be better if we could obtain them from nearby."


    They needed to save as much as possible.


    Yong-Ho asked after looking at the materials again.


    "What do you think we should build after the warehouse."


    "It''s up to you to make the decision, but personally I would recommend a prison."


    "A prison?!"


    A prison was one of the last things he had expected Eligor to recommend, so he may have replied a little loudly. Eligor calmly elucidated.


    "Yes, I wouldn''t be exaggerating by saying that there isn''t a dungeon in existence that doesn''t have a prison."


    Certainly, the games that he had played with dungeons had prisons in them as well. Indeed, it seemed rather strange to even consider a dungeon without a prison, almost self-contradictory in fact.


    "No, but still. Do we really need a place to look up prisoners?"


    He wondered if he would really be able to catch a prisoner at the moment, and on top of that, he already had a lot of people to take care of.


    Eligor laughed brightly.


    "Oh oh... so you''re not planning to leave any prisoners alive. You are indeed a worthy demon king, master. This old spirit has been touched."


    Yong-Ho frowned instead of further contemplating what Eligor had just said. Eligor continued.


    "A prison''s role isn''t just about locking up your enemies. It''s also used for punishing spirits who have misbehaved. You need both the carrot and stick to control those feeble spirits like the goblins.


    Yong-Ho briefly thought about how Catalina and the goblins would start to cry if they were locked up in a prison, and then nodded in agreement. He still wasn''t sure if it was an absolute necessity, but Eligor knew far more about dungeons and the demon world than him so it was right to trust his judgment.


    "Okay, then let''s begin the construction. Also, collect all the data on the types of pitfalls and dungeon facilities that can be created with our current available resources. I''ll check it when I come back."


    Eligor briefly wondered what he meant by ''come back'', but only for a moment. He soon asked back with a bright expression.


    "Are you going to start today?"


    There''s nothing wrong with starting early. I''ve already told Catalina to get ready. Since we''re just starting it probably won''t be that dangerous."


    Most of the facilities within Mammon''s dungeon were inactive. The activated parts didn''t even combine up to more than 10%, and considering that the entirety of the dungeon was underground, the current dungeon was literally just the tip of the iceberg.


    That was why exploring the dungeon was a priority. If he were to acquire the hidden inheritances of the House of Mammon.


    "It''s a bit odd that I have to risk my life to explore my own dungeon.''


    None of the previous owners had been able to completely revive the dungeon because it was so large.


    Dungeon exploration was indeed dangerous. There was a lot of hidden inheritance with Mammon''s dungeon, but at the same time unknown traps existed as well.


    High risk, high return.


    Yong-Ho had made the decision to restore the House of Mammon to its full power.


    ''Of course, I''m not planning to overdo it from the start.''


    First, he was planning on reactivating the areas that the previous owners had discovered to grow his mana pool, and gain experience to evolve. After he got stronger, he could then explore further.


    "If that''s the case, then there is a place that you must visit first. It''s now been six days since the dungeon has been running again, so I''m sure it''s regained its form."


    Yong-Ho tilted his head with a curious expression on his face.


    "Regained its form? What are you talking about?"


    Eligor laughed softly. Yong-Ho had been informed about it from the first day he had ascended the throne of the Mammon family.


    "It''s the core of the Mammon dungeon. I''m talking about the Heart of the Dungeon."

 14 The Heart of the Dungeon 2

    In the demon king''s room, behind the throne, there''s a door. When he pushed the curtain to the side, a small, but sturdy door appeared.


    "As I''ve explained before, the dungeon isn''t simply a building, but a living being that you can call a spirit. Like the name suggests, the Heart of the Dungeon is the heart of all living things."


    "It provides mana instead of blood?"


    When Yong-Ho added to his explanation, Eligor smiled and answered.


    "That''s correct."


    The room that the Heart of the Dungeon was located wasn''t different from the other rooms. It was a square room that was dark and hard.


    One thing that was different was that in the middle of the room, on top of a shabby altar, there was a large marble.


    It was a large, green marble that was a bit bigger than a human''s head. As the owner that''s connected to the dungeon''s spirit, Yong-Ho realized something as soon as he looked at the marble.


    "I knew it."


    That was the Heart of the Dungeon.


    "Hello, master."


    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke as if they were waiting for him. Since this was the Heart of the Dungeon, he expected the spirit to appear as a hologram, but he only heard their voice.


    Yong-Ho suppressed his disappointment and asked the spirit.


    "Is that marble your main body?"


    "Yes, sir. It''s small now, but it will become larger soon."


    Yong-Ho walked closer to the marble. Inside the emerald-colored marble, there was a flame that was dancing inside it.


    Eligor, who was quietly watching him from behind, spoke.


    "There are many different ways to grow the dungeon, but in the end, it can be condensed into one sentence. Providing mana."


    Yong-Ho turned around and Eligor continued his explanation.


    "All living things within the demon world have different levels of mana. It even applies to the low-level spirits that don''t have horns. And the more horns that a spirit has, the more mana they have. We call that lump of mana extract."


    Yong-Ho was able to sense a lot of things from Eligor. He was able to sense the emotions Eligor displayed on his face, his spirit and the flow of his mana.


    The mana that flowed all throughout his body started from the center of his chest and ended there as well.


    "When a demon family dies, the lump of mana will naturally disperse like water or wind. However, if it hasn''t been that long since the family died, that mana can be recalled."


    "And you pour that mana into the Heart of the Dungeon?"


    Eligor smiled.


    "That''s correct. You have a good understanding."


    He had a basic idea. If this were a game, it would be like investing into the Heart of the Dungeon with the experience that you gain by killing a monster.


    "There is one simple, but extreme method."


    When Eligor spoke, Yong-Ho understood."


    "That''s correct. That''s the biggest reason why ''dungeon hunting'' or ''dungeon wars'' occur."


    Eligor emphasized several times about how the dungeon was a spirit. If mana can be gathered from a demon family, then it''s only right for demons to be able to extract mana from the Heart of the Dungeon.


    "There is a massive amount of mana that can be extracted from it. The bigger and older the dungeon is, the more massive the dungeon''s mana is."


    What he was saying was common sense. But, Yong-Ho felt out of place by what he just said.


    He asked Eligor.


    "Can the mana only be extracted while the owner is still alive?"


    Yong-Ho was getting ahead of himself, but Eligor understood. He spoke with a bright smile on his face.


    "You''re very smart. That isn''t the case. If the owner dies, then the Spirit of the Dungeon will die as well, however, the Heart of the Dungeon itself will not die."


    "That sounds a bit odd."


    It''s been over a year since the previous owner of the dungeon committed suicide.


    The mana can be extracted from the Heart of the Dungeon even if the owner is dead.


    If what he said were true, then there was one question.


    How was the House of Mammon kept safe all this time?


    "The reason why the dungeon was safe during the past year is fairly simple.


    Eligor approached Yong-Ho. He politely pointed at the Heart of the Dungeon.


    "There''s a protective film around it and it protects the Heart of the Dungeon''s mana. It''ll require a lot of mana to break the barrier with strength. However, once the owner dies and the Heart of the Dungeon goes into the resting stage, the barrier will become weaker and weaker."


    "Then, until the barrier weakens, the other owners, no, the weaker demons, are waiting for the right opportunity?"


    "That''s right. Right now, this dungeon is...I''m sorry. Even though we''ve fallen, the dungeon''s history is well-known within the demon world. Since the barrier becomes stronger depending on the dungeon''s history, the weaker demons won''t think about getting near it."


    He somewhat understood. Also, Eligor and Catalina wouldn''t just stand by and watch the other demons take the mana.


    But, he still had questions.


    "Then, what about the other demons?"


    A frown appeared on Eligor''s face.


    "Even though the barrier is strong, it''s been awhile since the dungeon fell, so there isn''t much mana to extract."


    "To them, it''s weak."


    To the weaker demons, it was a prize worth stealing, but the barrier was too strong.


    To the strong owners, there wasn''t much they could take, so it wasn''t worth the effort.


    Yong-Ho understood the current situation. He asked about what should be done from now on.


    "How long does it usually take for that barrier to weaken?"


    "It''s different depending on the dungeon, but usually, it drops to about half after a year.


    "If the weaker spirits were really waiting¡­"


    Eligor didn''t answer, but he knew what Yong-Ho was thinking just from his expression. If the spirits fought against each other to get the mana, then this was the best time for them to attack the Heart of the Dungeon.


    "We need to strengthen the defense as soon as possible."


    No matter how he thought of it, being the son of a chicken shop was better than being the owner of the House of Mammon.


    But, he already accepted it. Instead of complaining, Yong-Ho checked the things he had to do.


    "Strengthen all three traps so that they''ll work properly. And like I''ve requested before, give me a report of all facilities and traps.


    "Yes, master."


    Eligor answered with respect. After taking a deep breath, Yong-Ho walked around the room that the Heart of the Dungeon was located in.


    Enemies would eventually enter this place.


    Complaining about a future that won''t change is something that a dummy would do. The only thing the owner of the dungeon can do is to do their best.


    "Great. Shall we go look around?"


    Yong-Ho spoke energetically and walked out of the room.


    It was time to explore the House of Mammon''s dungeon.


    \u0026


    Yong-Ho crossed his arms. He looked down while standing in a slightly crooked position and then slowly looked up again. After inspecting the figure before him, he asked.


    "Um, what''s with that outfit?"


    It was his guard, Catalina.


    She wasn''t wearing her usual suit. She was wearing a black, leather pair of pants that hugged her soft skin and she wore a pair of boots that enveloped her firm calves.


    She wore a piece of black, leather top that reminded him of a swimsuit, but since the top was pretty short, it revealed a part of her waist and pelvis. She wore a pair of black arm warmers, which came up right before her bare shoulders and a small catapult was installed on her left arm, which she could use with one hand.


    It was fine up until here. She looked like one of those sexy, female robbers that appear in games.


    The issue was the black hood that she wore on her head.


    Usually, hoods would sit on top of shoulders or is connected on the back like a cape, but it only covered her neck, head and face.


    .


    Catalina carefully answered Yong-Ho. He couldn''t tell since it was covered by the hood, but it seemed like her ears were drooping.


    "Um...this is my combat gear."


    "I see. It suits you."


    She looked pretty in it and since agility was important to Catalina, it was an appropriate outfit.


    ''The hood matches with the thief class.''


    After acknowledging it, Yong-Ho waved his finger and created a window of light in the air. After becoming close with the Spirit of the Dungeon, it was a skill he was able to use at will.


    The window of light displayed the dungeon''s map.


    "First, I''m thinking about going through the areas that the previous owners didn''t activate."


    Yong-Ho pointed at the black areas while talking. Catalina spoke carefully.


    "But, sir. Won''t that be too dangerous?"


    He knew what Catalina was worried about. But, Yong-Ho had made up his mind.


    "The areas that the previous owners activated are safer. But, those areas have already been looked at by the previous owners. There won''t be much left, right?"


    It was reasonable, so all Catalina could do was nod. Yong-Ho looked at her and asked.


    "But, what do you mean by dangerous?"


    It didn''t seem like the traps were what she was worried about.


    Catalina hesitated for a bit, but when she made up her mind, she straightened her posture and took a deep breath. She looked straight at Yong-Ho and spoke.


    "The House of Mammon''s dungeon is wide and deep. Not one of the previous owners were able to completely activate every part of the dungeon. The previous owner and the owner before that weren''t able to go near the lower level."


    "Wait, there''s a lower level? The map that the Spirit of the Dungeon showed didn''t display that."


    With a shocked expression, Yong-Ho zoomed in on the map. No matter where he looked, there wasn''t a lower level.


    Catalina glanced at Yong-Ho and spoke.


    "Um, with all due respect sir, you aren''t able to control all over the dungeon with your current power, so that''s why you can''t see it. It''s because the Spirit of the Dungeon relies on your strength."


    "You''re saying that I''m unable to look at the entire map yet."


    Instead of answering, Catalina displayed an awkward smile and Yong-Ho nodded. He asked another question.


    "How many lower levels are there?"


    "I apologize, but I don''t exactly know how many levels there are."


    "It''s not your fault. There''s no need to be sorry. Just tell me everything that you know."


    If she were this careful every time, it would tire out the other person. Thankfully, instead of being intimidated, she answered right away.


    "This is something I''ve heard from the previous guard, so I''m not sure how accurate it is, but there are at least five lower levels. The previous guard assumed that the lower you go, it becomes a narrower inverted triangle."


    "Hm."


    The first floor was so big that it could fit 100 rooms. But, if there were lower levels too, then this dungeon was extremely big.


    "Catalina, you''re not saying it''s dangerous just because of the traps, right?"


    "Yes, sir. It''s not because of the traps."


    Catalina stopped talking. It seemed like she had something important to say because she closed her eyes momentarily and breathed in. Yong-Ho became nervous just looking at her.


    As soon as she gulped, Catalina spoke.


    "Mammon''s Spirits lie somewhere within this dungeon."

 15 The Heart of the Dungeon 3

    "The Demon King Mammon''s? One of the Seven Deadly Sins...so my ancestor''s?"


    "That''s right. They are the spirits that followed King Mammon himself."


    Catalina''s expression was serious, but her voice was filled with tension.


    Yong-Ho frowned. After swallowing his dry saliva, he asked again, "So are they like you and Eligor that they belong to the dungeon?"


    "That''s¡­"


    That didn''t seem to be the case. Which was probably why she referred to them as Mammon''s Spirits instead of spirits of the House of Mammon.


    "Did they go crazy because they''ve been stuck here for such a long time?"


    Perhaps they had reached the point where they didn''t even recognize their owner. Since they had been trapped somewhere alone in this dark dungeon for so long, it was entirely possible for them to become that way.


    But, that didn''t seem to be the case either.


    Catalina bit her lips and then lightly licked them. It seemed quite difficult for her to say since she took a moment first to collect her thoughts before she continued.


    "Although that does sometimes happen, there is however a bigger problem. You see¡­"


    Yong-Ho let out a deep sigh. It wasn''t because he became frustrated with her. In fact, while she was hesitating, Yong-Ho started to contemplate the issue and then confirmed his suspicions after seeing her expression.


    "Mammon''s spirits don''t acknowledge his heirs."


    Catalina couldn''t say anything and instead affirmed through her expression.


    A few moments later, she spoke again.


    "With all due respect sir, but there was an owner that was even killed by one of Mammon''s spirits. It was because they weren''t able to pass the test presented by them."


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands. And then he let out a deep sigh.


    He now understood why the previous owners couldn''t completely activate the entire dungeon.


    It was because of Mammon''s Spirits.


    Mammon was one of the Seven Deadly Sins and controlled a quarter of the demon world in this lifetime and those were the spirits that he himself had gathered.


    "But, how are they still alive? Do they gain eternal life because they''re high-ranked demons?"


    He thought it was a strange question to ask. If high-ranked demons gained eternal life, then there was no reason for Mammon to die.


    Catalina answered, "It''s true that high-ranked demons do have a long life, but their life is not eternal. Most of Mammon''s spirits are currently sealed. They''ll fall asleep and wake up when someone is near. There are also spirits where their bodies are dead but their souls remain in the dungeon. The demon king, Mammon, was very possessive."


    Did that mean he kept the souls of his underlings even after they had died?


    "Okay, fine. Let''s look at this positively. If I pass their test, that means I''ll be able to recruit them as my followers. Right?"


    "Yes, that''s right. If it''s you, master, I''m sure you''ll pass the test. I believe in you."


    Catalina spoke, with a glowing expression. She looked really cute, but at the same time, he felt that it was burdensome.


    Just like Eligor, Catalina sincerely trusted and followed Yong-Ho. He was too afraid to actually try it, but if he told them to die for him, he was sure that they would actually do it.


    They were wasting too much time just standing around and talking.


    Yong-Ho moved from the throne to the right wall of the room and activated one of the dormant rooms.


    He spoke to Catalina while moving, "I actually expected there to be¡­ stuff like treasure rooms. If the size of the dungeon really is that huge, shouldn''t there be other important things like that in here, right? Do you know anything?"


    "I heard from the previous guard that there is an arena."


    "An arena?"


    Yong-Ho suddenly stopped walking since it was so unexpected. Catalina stopped walking as well and then started to explain.


    "The place was actually discovered by the third owner after Mammon. He visited the place in secret, so there''s no information about its location, but I''m sure that it does exist."


    Yong-Ho started walking again. He thought for a moment and then asked, "What kind of place is it?"


    "It''s a place managed by one of Mammon''s old spirits. Those that enter will be tested on their level of power, and each time they pass the test they''ll be awarded with one item out of the many that Mammon has gathered over his lifetime. I heard that every time you enter, the difficulty level increases, but the rewards also become better."


    It sounded reasonable. After crossing through an empty room, Yong-Ho activated another room.


    "The test probably requires me to fight, right?"


    "Probably...I think so. The third owner didn''t leave many records, but I know that it is called the arena."


    The current owner of Mammon''s dungeon would be tested through combat and would then receive an award from one of Mammon''s spirits.


    ''It''s an actual arena.''


    It was similar to the type of arenas that he had seen in RPGs. It was too difficult to truly understand Mammon''s thoughts, but what exactly was going on in his mind when he decided to actually build an arena in his own dungeon?


    To train the younger generation? To train spirits?


    "Wait."


    Yong-Ho suddenly stopped walking while crossing the fourth activated room. Catalina was taken aback in surprise, as she hadn''t expected to suddenly stop like that.


    "Master?"


    Instead of answering, Yong-Ho looked at the left wall. It was quite ordinary. But, he felt something weird emanating from it.


    It felt out of place.


    It was the same peculiar feeling that he had experienced recently. And just like then, his hands and feet began to move on their own.


    Out of the Seven Deadly Sins, he had the power of Greed. It was a power that he inherited from Mammon.


    He suddenly walked towards the wall as if he was possessed by something. He touched it and then figured out the identity of his strange feeling.


    The flow of mana.


    It was different compared to other places.


    Yong-Ho instinctively released his mana through the palm of his hand.


    Suddenly, something unexpected occurred. The wall started to lightly shake and with a loud rattling noise, a door that would barely fit a large person appeared. It was a secret door.


    Yong-Ho was certain that he would be able to obtain something precious if he went inside.


    That''s what his instincts were screaming out to him.


    "Shall we take a look?"


    After Yong-Ho spoke, Catalina nodded her head nervously. She approached him and spoke.


    "Then, I''ll go in first."


    It was a decision that she made as his guard who was responsible for the safety of her family. But, Yong-Ho shook his head.


    "Sorry. But, I feel like I should trust my instincts. I''ll take the lead so follow right behind me and watch my back. Is there anything that we can use as a light?"


    Catalina felt briefly conflicted but eventually agreed with his decision. She then took out a small stick from her leather pouch and injected it with mana. It was a type of flashlight used in the demon world.


    "Here. It will become brighter if you inject it with mana."


    "This is quite convenient."


    Yong-Ho smiled and grabbed the flashlight and then turned around towards the secret door. He shone the flashlight inside and then took a step inside


    One step. Two steps. And on the third step.


    The floor suddenly disappeared.


    Yong-Ho didn''t have the ability to control gravity. So he suddenly fell and typical of someone that was falling, he instinctively started to yell.


    "Master!"


    Catalina also screamed. Yong-Ho wasn''t able to look up to see her, so he used the flashlight to light the rapidly approaching ground, but he still couldn''t see the floor. Within the narrow gap, all he could see were the walls, rocks, skeletons, and various bugs.


    "Master!"


    He heard Catalina''s voice just above his head. Yong-Ho instinctively tilted his head back and saw Catalina reaching out to him.


    She grabbed Yong-Ho.


    Moments later. They both crashed to the ground.


    ***


    His entire body was racked with pain.


    He must have been unconscious for a moment because he was suddenly feeling dizzy. Or perhaps he had been unconscious for a considerable amount of time.


    Yong-Ho started to cough. He tried his best to control his breathing. He couldn''t see anything. It was too dark.


    ''Catalina.''


    He couldn''t think clearly. He started to yell for Catalina.


    "Catalina!"


    It hurt. It was hard to even move the muscles in his body to move to scream out her name. However, Yong-Ho couldn''t afford to let the pain overcome him. He focused his mind.


    "Ahhh."


    Yong-Ho focused on the strange groans. The sound was close.


    "Catalina?"


    "Ma...ster."


    Yong-Ho immediately recognized where the voice was coming from. It was below him.


    Yong-Ho was startled and quickly got up. Because of Yong-Ho''s quick movement, Catalina ended up letting out another groan.


    "Ack."


    Because he quickly stood up, Yong-Ho let out another groan. His whole body was racked with pain. It didn''t seem like anything was broken, but it felt like his entire body was covered with bruises.


    As soon as he managed to stand up, he tried to look at Catalina, but he still couldn''t see anything. The room was too dark.


    "Are you okay? Can you stand?"


    He tried his best to speak. Thankfully, she managed to utter a reply.


    "Master."


    "Catalina."


    Yong-Ho sat down on the ground. Once he managed to calm himself down, he looked around and noticed the flashlight sitting not too far from him. Seeing that it was still shining brightly, he probably wasn''t out for that long.


    ''A little bit later.''


    He wanted to go and grab it, but his body refused to listen to him. While Yong-Ho was catching his breath, he heard a rustling sound in front of him. It was the sound of Catalina standing up.


    "Thank you, master. You saved me. I''ll never forget your kindness for as long as I live."


    Yong-Ho, who was listening inattentively, unconsciously tilted his head to the side. He responded in an incredulous tone.


    "Huh?"


    "You...don''t remember? Just as we were about to hit the ground, you held me in your arms."


    Catalina answered carefully and Yong-Ho became even more confused. It sounded like that''s what he did. Most of all, Catalina sounded like she was telling the truth.


    "Wait. Then why were you beneath me?"


    "W-we rolled after we crashed into the ground?"


    Yong-Ho smiled at Catalina''s assumption.


    ''No wonder my entire body was aching.''


    Unfortunately, because it had happened so suddenly, he couldn''t remember any of Catalina''s soft touch. After a short pause, Yong-Ho stood up with a groan and picked up the flashlight. He turned the flashlight towards Catalina to check that she was safe and then raised it towards the ceiling.


    "Did we fall from up there?"


    It was too difficult to check the edge with the flashlight. It was hard to tell exactly how far they had fallen, but he felt that they must have fallen at least over 10 meters.


    Catalina started to speak.


    "I tried to slow down the speed of our fall, but...I don''t think it worked that well. I''m sorry."


    The reason why Yong-Ho was still alive, despite falling over 10 meters, wasn''t just because his body was sturdy. The real reason, in fact, was that Catalina had grabbed him during the fall and used all sorts of methods to slow down their speed.


    "No, I''m alive thanks to you. Thank-you. You did really well."


    Yong-Ho expressed his gratitude and complimented her, he then waved his finger in the air. Although he wanted to properly acknowledge her actions, it wasn''t the best time to have a long discussion about it.


    As expected, he couldn''t connect to the Spirit of the Dungeon.


    "Is it because we''re underneath the main level?"


    Just what floor were they on? Since the ceiling of the first floor was quite high up, if he calculated it using that, maybe they were on the fifth, or perhaps the sixth floor?


    "Eligor will surely come to help us."


    Catalina spoke in a positive tone. Yong-Ho nodded his head in agreement, and then after letting out another groan, he stood up. Once again he began to have a peculiar feeling.


    "At this point, I can''t tell if this feeling is a blessing or a curse."


    "Master?"


    Instead of answering, he began to concentrate on the feeling.


    It was the reason why he was able to find this secret passageway. The peculiar feeling had led him here.


    It still continued. Never ceasing. It stimulated his instincts.


    He quickly lit up his surroundings with the flashlight. It was a small, narrow room. Unlike the rooms on the first floor, there were various decorations on the walls.


    And in one particular direction.


    Something stimulated Yong-Ho''s ''Greed''.


    Yong-Ho used the flashlight. Catalina stood up after gulping and looked in the same direction.


    At the end of the room, there was a small altar with something stuck on top of it.


    Yong-Ho spoke while frowning.


    "A lance?"

 16 The Heart of the Dungeon 4

    It was a very luxurious altar. It was so dark that it was difficult to clearly distinguish except for the various different patterns of flames that were carved on its surface.


    In the center of that altar, there was a lance.


    The lance was a dark red, topped with a golden head.


    Yong-Ho started walking towards it as if he was bewitched. The sudden movement caused Catalina to yell out in surprise.


    "Master!"


    "I got you."


    Yong-Ho grabbed the lance without hesitation. And immediately pulled it out of the altar.


    Catalina held her breath. If arrows started to shoot out of the walls, she was planning on throwing her body to protect him. If fire suddenly enveloped Yong-Ho, she planned to sacrifice herself to shield him. If nothing worked out, she was ready to die with him.


    However, nothing happened. After pulling out the lance, Yong-Ho suddenly realized what he had done, but fortunately, he didn''t throw the lance away.


    And then there was silence.


    Yong-Ho kept looking back and forth between the lance and the altar because nothing was happening, and then looked at Catalina with a subtle expression.


    Catalina suddenly yelled out.


    "Mammon''s Spirit!"


    At Catalina''s sudden shout, Yong-Ho almost dropped the lance. While Catalina caught her breath, Yong-Ho started to inspect the lance.


    "Spirit¡­ really? It''s a lance."


    "Oh, no. The head and shaft of the lance are giving off a scarlet color...I''m sure this is Aamon, the Red Lotus Demon Lance."


    Catalina moved closer to Yong-Ho. With a tense expression, she observed the red lance while continuing to talk.


    "The Red Lotus Demon Spear was the weapon that Mammon used. The lance itself is part of his demon family...a very high-ranked demon."


    Catalina looked serious. Yong-Ho looked at the lance again.


    "So, this lance is part of the demon family?"


    "Yes. And¡­"


    "And?"


    "There''s a legend."


    Catalina paused for the moment. She locked her eyes onto Aamon, held in Yong-Ho''s hand, and then continued to talk, "If anyone other than Mammon touches Aamon, they''ll experience the wrath of hell...Master!"


    It happened before Catalina had even finished talking. A flame released from the tip of the spear head enveloped Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho couldn''t even scream. His entire body was quickly enveloped in flames. He felt like the flames not only enveloped himself but the entire world around him.


    He violently struggled. He fell to the ground and started to roll around. A few seconds later. Yong-Ho realized something.


    It wasn''t hot. Although the flames completely covered him, it didn''t hurt.


    Yong-Ho stopped struggling and examined himself. Inside the flames, Yong-Ho''s arms and legs were completely intact without a scratch on them.


    Yong-Ho quickly scanned his surroundings. But he couldn''t find her. His body froze up due to the pressure.


    Right behind him. There was something watching him.


    It was a large eye. A large eye covered in flames. The eye was located in the center of the flames and was looking down at Yong-Ho.


    "Why are you not being burned?"


    The voice of an adult male reverberated In his head. The voice felt deep and overpowering, with a pressure that felt as if it could oppress the entire world.


    The eye approached Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho still couldn''t move. After loudly exhaling, he stared straight into the eye. The eye observed him. Yong-Ho felt like the eye was inspecting every inch of his body.


    A large lump of mana.


    Yong-Ho sensed it. The large eye was Aamon, the Red Lotus Demon Lance. Perhaps this entire space was built by him.


    Aamon carefully observed Yong-Ho. And then laughed loudly. It was impossible for an eye to laugh, but that''s what Yong-Ho felt. The sound of a man''s laughter filled his head.


    "Really? Is that so? You harbor the power of one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Finally, finally, there''s someone that has inherited the power of Greed!"


    Aamon appeared overjoyed. However, at the same time, he displayed a completely opposite emotion.


    "But you''re still just a child. It seems that I''ve run out of patience due to being asleep for so long."


    The sound of the man''s laughter died down. The red eye moved closer to Yong-Ho and filled his entire vision.


    Yong-Ho breathed out. He tried to speak as he breathed out. Aamon laughed again. It was quite a different laugh from the previous one. It was far from ridicule.


    "I''ll adjust to your level for now, child."


    The eye once again changed into a flame and enveloped Yong-Ho. His whole world was set ablaze.


    "Master!"


    "Ack!"


    Yong-Ho coughed. At the same time, he opened his eyes and saw Catalina approaching him. He instinctively pulled himself back. He was still covered in flames. The flames of the Red Lotus bloomed out of his body.


    "Master!"


    Catalina yelled again. Yong-Ho extended his hand out and stopped her. He then gradually caught his breath. The flames started to slowly die out. The flame that rose out of his body had all disappeared.


    "Ha...ha...ha¡­"


    Beads of sweat were rolling down his back. Yong-Ho turned his attention elsewhere after confirming that the apprehensive Catalina was standing still in the same spot. He looked down at the lance that was still in his right hand.


    ''It changed.''


    The scarlet-colored lance had changed into a golden color. The lance had also shortened in length.


    Yong-Ho''s eyes turned emerald in green color as he inspected the lance with the Power of Evolution.


    [Name : Aamon]


    [Race : ???]


    [Specialty : Fire / ???]


    [Development Rate : 0/100]


    [??? | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (6)]


    [??? | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (6)]


    [??? | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (5.5)]


    There were so many question marks that he couldn''t really gather much information but there was one thing he was certain of.


    The spirit, Aamon, appeared in the form of a lance. Mammon, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, who had once controlled a quarter of the demon world, greatly favored this lance.


    "It shrank. It must have matched my current level of power?"


    While using the power of evolution, Yong-Ho quietly mumbled to himself. A bitter smile unknowingly appeared on his face. He was filled with a variety of different emotions, but he couldn''t express them.


    "Mas...ter?"


    After hearing Catalina quietly call out his name, Yong-Ho looked back at her. She was now beyond the level of just being nervous and was on the brink of breaking down in tears. After staring at her for a moment, Yong-Ho spoke.


    "You can come here now. And¡­ just like you had said, I think it is Aamon. Although, I think he''s asleep right now."


    After Yong-Ho gave her permission, Catalina was about to run to his side, but suddenly froze after hearing his last comment. She stared at Aamon with both shocked and excited expression.


    "Amazing! You''re absolutely amazing Master!"


    Catalina lavished him with an excessive amount of praise, but he had an idea why she was like that. Yong-Ho chuckled to himself and acted like he was inspecting the quality of the weapon.


    Even though it had become shorter, one of Mammon''s Spirits had actually trusted himself to Yong-Ho. If Yong-Ho became stronger, then it was possible for Aamon to regain his original power. That was probably the reason why Aamon had trusted himself to Yong-Ho in the first place.


    ''Then, was that peculiar feeling because of this lance?''


    It was one of the skills of the power of Greed.


    It was hard to say that it was as simple as just having luck in obtaining wealth. It might be a bit of a leap, but it appeared to Yong-Ho that Aamon was actually calling out to him.


    ''Anyways.''


    Now that he had Aamon in his hands, it was now time to find a way out of this room.


    Yong-Ho looked at Catalina again. A frown unknowingly appeared on his forehead.


    "Oh, master. As expected of our master. To be able to wield Aamon. Oh my. You actually overcame the wrath of hell."


    It felt like he was watching Eligor, not Catalina. She was acting as if she was drunk and on the brim of crying her eyes out.


    "Catalina."


    "You''re really amazing. Praise master. Praise the House of Mammon. Our master is the greatest."


    It seemed as if she was really moved by his actions. Yong-Ho called out her name again.


    "Catalina!"


    As he called out her name louder, Catalina raised her head up in surprise. Yong-Ho gave her an order.


    "Calm down."


    His sudden order caused Catalina to go into an even greater frenzy, but she somehow succeeded in displaying a calm expression. Her eyes asked inquiringly if this was enough and Yong-Ho nodded in satisfaction. Yong-Ho spoke while examining Aamon, who was about one meter in length.


    "Great. Now, let''s think of a way to get out of here."


    As soon as Yong-Ho finished talking.


    The ground, walls and the ceiling started to shake. Yong-Ho quickly lowered his body and his eyes met with Catalina''s. The shaking continued. Debris started to fall from the ceiling.


    "Do you think it''s because you pulled out Aamon?"


    Catalina asked worriedly and Yong-Ho started to look around. The shaking was getting more and more violent. It felt like the room was soon going to fall apart.


    Yong-Ho quickly placed Aamon back on top of the altar, but that didn''t seem to do anything. It actually started to get worse.


    Yong-Ho shone the flashlight around the room. He noticed something that looked like an entrance, but it was completely sealed.


    There wasn''t any time to think. Yong-Ho grabbed Catalina''s wrist and ran towards the area where they fell. Using the flashlight, he looked at the hole that Catalina and him fell through. The hole was roughly two to three meters in width.


    Larger pieces of debris started to fall from the ceiling. It seemed like walls and ground were going to collapse at any moment.


    How would they escape? Will the method that he thought of work?


    He pulled Catalina closer with his arm and started to yell to her when she became closer.


    "Catalina! Do you trust me?"


    "I trust you!"


    Catalina answered right away. Despite the dangerous situation, Catalina didn''t doubt him for a second.


    Yong-Ho smiled. With a nod of his head, he placed Aamon down on the ground. He then placed both of his hands on top of Catalina''s thighs and used his power.


    Catalina flinched for a moment. Green flames bloomed out of Yong-Ho''s eyes.


    The Power of Evolution.


    Yong-Ho''s injected his mana into Catalina''s body.


    ***


    As soon as the ceiling collapsed, the walls and ground also collapsed with it. At that moment, Catalina kicked off the ground. She was so quick, that it reminded him of a falcon lifting off.


    Yong-Ho, who was attached to Catalina''s back, had exhausted all of his mana. After making a makeshift rope out of Yong-Ho''s top, they had used it to tie each other together.


    Catalina hits the wall while firmly holding onto Yong-Ho''s legs. She then jumped diagonally towards the opposing wall and then took another leap.


    Evolution of the agility specialization.


    Since she had constantly sparred with the Treant, her evolution rate had reached its limit, which made it possible for him to use the power of evolution.


    It was a gamble. It seemed almost impossible for Catalina to carry Yong-Ho while running up a wall dozens of meters high.


    But Yong-Ho still placed his bet on Catalina.


    Catalina didn''t stop. She moved like a soaring falcon gliding through the air. It was unthinkable to her before that she would be able to move like this before her evolution.


    Gravity didn''t stop her. She continued to run. But, moments later.


    Catalina suddenly let out a groan. She felt like her legs and ankle were going to break any second. However, she clenched her teeth and endured it and continued on running. She jumped again. This time, however, she didn''t land on the opposite wall. She lacked the strength. There wasn''t much left. She just needs to go a little further.


    "Ahhhh!"


    Yong-Ho suddenly intervened. He used whatever remaining strength he had left and pierced Aamon into the wall with all of his might.


    It was for just a moment. But, despite the fact that Yong-Ho''s body had become stronger the past few days, piercing Aamon deep into the wall while exhausted was incredibly difficult for him. But, it was enough.


    Catalina moved once again. She utilized Yong-Ho''s effort and firmly placed her feet on the wall. With her remaining energy, she leaped off the wall with all her might.


    The relationship between the owner of a dungeon and his spirits wasn''t as simple as just of a master and servant. Yong-Ho pulled Aamon out right on time as if he read Catalina''s mind.


    "Ahhhh!"


    Catalina screamed. She twisted her body in midair and using her remaining energy, she hit the opposite wall and pushed her body into the air.


    Yong-Ho and Catalina both rolled on the ground and after bumping into the entrance of the secret passageway, they stopped suddenly. Yong-Ho was on top of Catalina again.


    "Ha, ha."


    "Ha, ha¡­"


    Both of them didn''t say a word as they tried to catch their breaths. Both of them suddenly erupted into laughter.


    They had survived. They had escaped safely!


    "Catalina."


    Yong-Ho called out to Catalina and instead of groaning, she answered in a low voice.


    Both of them were completely exhausted. They just wanted to rest.


    But, they couldn''t. When Yong-Ho had suddenly arrived on the first level, the Spirit of the Dungeon and Yong-Ho re-connected. The dungeon spirit was in a state of panic because she couldn''t reach Yong-Ho, so she just yelled loudly.


    "The dungeon is under attack!"


    Yong-Ho''s eyes widened. They both quickly stood up.

 17 Dungeon Defense

    There was no time for him to catch his breath.


    Yong-Ho and Catalina both ran while panting and with sweat rolling down their faces. They ran through the empty room and opened the door, but this room was empty too.


    However, Yong-Ho had already examined the inside of the dungeon with the help of the dungeon spirit and instead of panicking, he opened the next door.


    "Master!"


    It was the room facing the warehouse and the prison that was in the process of being built.


    They found Eligor and the rest of the spirits in a room next to the last trap room.


    Instead of answering Eligor, Yong-Ho quickly examined all the spirits and the condition of the room.


    The Goblins were stacking heavy objects in front of the latched door while the Treant was standing in front of the same door extending out its vines. Whereas the Skeleton was just standing in the corner with a blank face...well, it didn''t really have any expression since all it had was a skull.


    "Where were you? You''re covered in sweat¡­"


    Eligor didn''t finish his sentence when he noticed that Catalina was covered in sweat as well.


    As Eligor squinted his eyes in suspicion, Yong-Ho suddenly waved his hand and spoke.


    "Whatever you''re imagining, you''re wrong. Anyways, listen up. Beyond that door, there are eight Kobolds and an unknown demon wielding an extremely large hammer. A lot more had originally invaded our dungeon, but it seems like the traps took a few of them out. Does anybody have any further information?"


    He had obtained all this information with the aid of the Spirit of the Dungeon. Suddenly, the latched door started to violently shake. It seemed like the door would soon break.


    Eligor instinctively looked at the door and then quickly answered Yong-Ho.


    "I''m pretty sure it''s a nearby wandering demon family. If it''s an owner that already has a dungeon, they wouldn''t send a group this small to attack the dungeon, even if they believe that the House of Mammon has completely fallen."


    It was likely to be one of those weaker spirits that Eligor had mentioned earlier. If so, they probably thought that Eligor and Catalina were the only ones left in the dungeon.


    However, they had now already passed through three rooms with working traps. Yong-Ho closed his eyes. He breathed in and spoke.


    "Regardless of who they are, it''s still possible that they might think this is an ownerless dungeon"


    It sounded more like he was assuring it to himself.


    The door violently shook again. The Goblins were holding bamboo spears while they vigilantly watched the door.


    Eligor spoke again.


    "But, sir. What is that you''re holding in your hand¡­"


    "It''s Aamon! The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon!"


    Catalina shouted after being quiet for so long. Eligor suddenly got excited after hearing that it was Aamon.


    It seemed like it was a famous weapon. When Yong-Ho''s expression confirmed it, Eligor literally collapsed with joy. He looked like he would charge through the door if Yong-Ho just let him be, so Yong-Ho quickly spoke again.


    "It is indeed Aamon, but I can''t use him properly right now. It''s basically the same thing as not having him at all."


    Even if he could properly use it, he barely had any mana left. The door shook again. The latch looked like it would almost break.


    "The enemy doesn''t know about the dungeon''s current fighting strength. So they''ll probably be quite careless. We''ll use that to our advantage."


    Yong-Ho quickly spoke with an urgent tone. Eligor then nervously asked.


    "Do you have a plan?"


    Yong-Ho nodded his head. He answered while observing the soon to be broken door in front of him.


    "We create some chaos and then slice off their heads."


    After finishing his sentence, Yong-Ho looked towards Catalina with a grin.


    ***


    He swallowed his dry saliva and tried to stay calm, but it was hard.


    He heard of this happening several times.


    Those who attacked other dungeons. The other demon families that he would be facing from now on.


    But this was his first time.


    Behind the door, were spirits that were going to try and kill him. It wasn''t just a game where you were given another chance if you died.


    One side will die. While the other needed to kill in order to live.


    Bang!


    With a loud bang, the latch suddenly broke. The door exploded open into various pieces.


    Enemy kobolds swiftly rushed in through the opening. They were monsters that were slightly larger than the Goblins.


    Each of them held either a crude knife or spear in their hands.


    Once Yong-Ho saw them. He yelled as they began to rush through the open door.


    "Pull!"


    The Goblins, Jon and Ron, reacted.


    The two Goblins stood on either side of the door and as they pulled the rope in their hands, the kobolds that had rushed in suddenly all collapsed in a heap. However, this was just the beginning. The rope wasn''t the only thing that the kobolds had missed in their frenzy.


    "Roaaaaaaaaar!"


    In front of the door. The Treant, who was standing in the center of the room, let out a deep roar and waved its vines. It grabbed the bodies or legs of the kobolds and threw them to the other side of the door.


    The Goblins didn''t just stay still and watch either. They ran up to the remaining kobolds on the ground and pierced them with their bamboo spears while shrieking.


    Only a few seconds after the door was opened. They had the advantage. While the kobolds either fell and or flew out of the room, Yong-Ho looked straight ahead. Something was standing behind the kobolds.


    It was a giant man wearing a green cape.


    He had a dark rugged face adorned with an angry expression.


    The Treant grabbed another kobold and threw it. Through the room that was activated in the "background," he saw Catalina''s movement. Yong-Ho suddenly caught sight of Catalina in the ''background'' of the room, she had managed to bypass the kobolds.


    Suddenly the giant stomped on the ground.


    Instead of taking a step back, it charged forwards. He pushed through the Kobolds and headed straight towards Yong-Ho.


    Because of the sudden unexpected situation, Eligor shouted out. Catalina threw herself amongst the kobolds in order to catch up with the charging giant.


    Yong-Ho saw the giant dashing towards him. He was holding a large war hammer and started to wave it around. One of the Treant''s vines got caught in the attack and it ended up getting sliced off. The giant didn''t slow down.


    The distance between Yong-Ho and the giant was quickly getting shorter.


    The giant was continually charging through. He lowered his head and passed the Treant. The giant dodged another vine, leaped up and aimed his hammer towards Yong-Ho''s head.


    Bang!


    The hammer struck the ground with a vertical motion. There was a tremendous amount of energy behind it. Yong-Ho swiftly dodged the attack. It was a miracle that he didn''t freeze up from his place.


    "Master!"


    Catalina yelled. The Treant twisted around its sluggish body, while Eligor started to run towards his direction.


    The giant grabbed his hammer again and glared at Yong-Ho.


    He was like a snake that was about to devour a frog. The giant had the same eyes as a predator trying to catch its prey.


    The giant took another step. He quickly closed the distance between Yong-Ho and waved his hammer around again.


    Yong-Ho felt like he was suffocating. It felt like he was going to die before the hammer even hit him.


    However, Yong-Ho took a step forward. Instead of backing down, he yelled and placed all of his strength into the hand that was holding Aamon.


    He didn''t think with this head. Instead, he followed his instincts. Instead of dodging the trajectory of the hammer, he threw his body towards it.


    It was incredibly reckless. Eligor yelled out and Catalina desperately kicked off the ground.


    At that moment, Yong-Ho and the giant exchanged eye contact.


    The giant smiled while Yong-Ho gritted his teeth.


    ''Pull!''


    It was just for a moment. Because of that, he was able to yell. However, he clearly thought about it and received an answer. The Skeleton that was next to Yong-Ho extended out his arms and grabbed the giant''s cape.


    Though it only managed to delay the giant''s movement by a second. But, that was enough.


    Yong-Ho''s left shoulder hit the giant''s abdomen. At the same time, he pierced Aamon through the giant''s stomach.


    "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"


    Yong-Ho roared and released his mana. He focused all of his mana on a single spot.


    He didn''t know how to use the weapon he had just obtained. However, Yong-Ho hoped that what he was doing was right. He just poured his mana into the lance. And Aamon responded to his ignorant request.


    Green flames suddenly burst forth. The lance started to drain the giant''s mana.


    The giant quickly tried to retrieve his mana, but it was of no use. The flames of Aamon burnt everything in his wake. Aamon had not only consumed the giant''s mana but even his insides and very soul.


    "Ahhhhhhhhh!"


    The giant started to scream as his insides were being burned alive. He violently moved his body and waved both of his arms in a desperate attempt to attack Yong-Ho. However, it wasn''t enough. The Skeleton just grabbed onto the giant''s arms. Yong-Ho yelled once again and twisted Aamon, who was pierced into the giant''s stomach. Aamon once again attacked with fire.


    "Uhhhhhhh¡­"


    The giant couldn''t endure it anymore and took a step back. The green flame had eaten all of his insides and was now burning away his skin.


    Yong-Ho twisted Aamon once again. This time it was to pull Aamon out from within the giant.


    Not a single drop of blood leaked out of his body, most likely because Aamon''s flames had burnt it all away.


    As Yong-Ho pulled Aamon out, he swung out his other arm. He knocked down the staggering giant, with a heavy breath. He then suddenly yelled out towards the front.


    "Catalina!"


    She answered through action. After the fight had begun, she hadn''t taken a single break. As she approached the giant, she swung her dagger and she sliced off the giant''s head in a single motion. She then pierced the dagger into his heart.


    Everything had happened within just a minute or two after the door had opened.


    Everyone in the room saw what Yong-Ho and Catalina had done.


    As the flames died down, Yong-Ho extended his left hand forward towards the giant, following his instincts.


    There was a concentration of mana above the dead giant''s chest. The Goblins and kobolds watched with a blank expression, while Catalina and Eligor watched Yong-Ho in awe.


    It was a lump of dark red mana.


    The spirit of a demon.


    It hovered above the giant''s chest. It floated slowly at first, but then suddenly flew at a fast rate and was sucked into Yong-Ho''s palm.


    Absorption of the Spirit. The desire of mana. This was the reason why the law of the jungle was so applicable in this world.


    Yong-Ho felt the mana fill his body. He felt his mana grow with tremendous speed.


    Furthermore, Yong-Ho wasn''t the only one that grew.


    [The dungeon''s daily output has increased from 30 to 50.]


    [The maximum mana storage has increased from 300 to 400.]


    If the owner became stronger, so did the dungeon.


    If the dungeon grew, so will the owner.


    He was exhausted. He also still had injuries that he had received from obtaining Aamon. However, he felt exhilarated. This was the first time he had felt this kind of thrill.


    It was only for a short moment. But, a few seconds was enough to enjoy this feeling.


    Finally, after absorbing all of the remaining mana, Yong-Ho started to breathe heavily. He slowly raised his head and looked straight ahead.


    He saw the group of kobolds with shocked expressions on their faces. There was also Catalina kneeling down on one knee and looking up at him with a bright smile. Whereas the Skeleton was just standing with the same typical blank look on his face.


    ''I promise that I''ll do everything within my power to evolve you into a Death Knight.''


    Yong-Ho made a promise to the Skeleton in his heart and then started to speak. He thought it sounded cheesy, but since he was so exhausted, he couldn''t think of any better way to put it.


    "Shall we continue?"


    The Kobolds were smarter than what Yong-Ho had originally thought. They all quickly threw down their weapons as if they had pre-planned it.

 18 Dungeon Defense 2

    "We were lucky."


    That was the belief that Yong-Ho held.


    It was the day after the first battle.


    Shortly after accepting the Kobolds'' surrender, Yong-Ho collapsed out of exhaustion, and only after a long rest was he able to wake up again. Perhaps it was all the rolling around he had done, but even just slightly raising his body, while lying down, caused his muscles to scream out in pain.


    They had incredible luck.


    Winning would have been near impossible if he hadn''t obtained Aamon right before the battle.


    Furthermore, if the Skeleton hadn''t intercepted in time, they also would''ve lost.


    ''I''m crazy.''


    Young-Ho thought about when he threw himself towards the hammer wielded by the giant.


    Did he always have such an aggressive side? Or perhaps it was a change caused by him awakening as a demon king?


    Regardless, they had won. They had survived.


    His mindset had widened considerably after experiencing the turmoil of yesterday''s events.


    First, he checked Aamon. It was still in the form of a red lance and was laying right beside him.


    Then he looked at Catalina and Eligor.


    "Master!"


    "You''ve awakened."


    He didn''t see them when he woke up, but they somehow knew and were now standing right before him. They both wore a similar expression.


    Almost like babies looking at their mother?


    ''Catalina looked cute, but Eligor looked a bit¡­''


    Yong-Ho chuckled at the thought, as the two of them reacted gleefully to him waking up. It seemed they interpreted it as him being in a better condition.


    Yong-Ho extended his hand out towards Catalina.


    "You did well yesterday. And I''m sorry, but could you please get me some water?"


    "Please wait a moment."


    Catalina quickly answered and went to grab a cup and a pot of water. Yong-Ho then turned his attention to Eligor.


    "How long was I out for?"


    "You''ve been in bed for a full day."


    "No wonder my lower back hurts."


    Yong-Ho stretched back his shoulders while answering Eligor dejectedly. Catalina, who had just come back, extended the cup of water towards Yong-Ho.


    "Here you go, master."


    "Thanks."


    He suddenly felt a lot better after drinking some water. After drinking the entire cup, he felt a bit lightheaded and briefly closed his eyes, before continuing to inquire with Eligor.


    "What happened after the battle?"


    "The remaining four Kobolds are locked up in the prison. While the corpse of the low-level demon has been stored in an empty room. Oh, we also collected their weapons."


    Yong-Ho''s eyes widened at one of Eligor''s answers.


    "Stored? The corpse?"


    Why did they store the corpse? Can corpses turn into a Zombie or a Skeleton in the demon world?


    ''That would mean free soldiers, so is it...a good thing?''


    "Even though you obtained the spirit, there''s still a good amount of mana left in the corpse. The dungeon currently doesn''t have the facility, but...later when the Mana Room has been created, you''ll be able to drain out the rest of the mana."


    Eligor wore a stern expression throughout his explanation. He wanted to take everything he could from the enemy.


    "Eh...okay."


    But, draining out mana from a corpse?


    Yong-Ho did feel quite reluctant about it, but he decided to keep that thought to himself. The dungeon wasn''t in a good enough condition to argue over such triviality and furthermore, extracting mana was probably a common sense in the demon world.


    Moreover, Eligor wasn''t done talking.


    "Also, it''s a pretty high-rank facility, but...later, when a Magic Facility has been created, you can reuse the corpse by turning it into either a Zombie or a Skeleton."


    So, it was true.


    Yong-Ho briefly examined the possibility of increasing his forces with the bodies of his enemies from a human''s ethical point of view, but quickly dismissed it.


    He couldn''t build the facility right now anyway. It was a matter he could think about later.


    "What about the weapons?"


    "The quality of the cape and hammer are in excellent condition. Magic was cast on the cape to help maintain the temperature and a simple strengthening spell was cast on the hammer, so it''s very sturdy."


    "Anything else?"


    "We collected all the money that they had. It may even be possible to purchase a Rank Two spirit."


    Eligor smiled a little insidiously.


    Yong-Ho mimicked his expression and continued to ask.


    "Any casualties?"


    "All the spirits are safe. It''s all thanks to you that the battle ended this cleanly."


    [The recent battle has greatly increased the spirits'' loyalty and respect.]


    As soon as Eligor finished talking, the Spirit of the Dungeon spoke up in a soft manner. Not only the spirits, but it seemed that even the Spirit of the Dungeon seemed to admire him more after that battle.


    ''Well, it''s kind of obvious from their expressions.''


    Yong-Ho looked up at Catalina, who had stopped trying to maintain a cool-headed persona and the ever blubbering Eligor. And after taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and started to circulate his mana.


    Perhaps it was because he had initially started out with such a small amount of mana, but his mana level had increased a significant amount. It felt like the mana circulating within him had almost doubled.


    ''This is the result of absorbing a spirit.''


    Yong-Ho, who was joyful about his increase in power, took another deep breath.


    ''It''s strange that I feel fine.''


    Even though they had killed someone, he didn''t feel guilty about it.


    ''It was so that I could live. They tried to kill me.''


    That''s what Yong-Ho told himself, to consciously calm his mind. As long as he didn''t kill without reason, it was fine. For now, he decided to leave it at that.


    After he finished circulating his mana, Yong-Ho opened his eyes. Catalina and Eligor were quietly staring at him. It seemed that they were trying to stay as quiet as possible since he was concentrating.


    Yong-Ho''s expression made them aware of what he was going to do next. Green flames blossomed out of his eyes.


    [Name: Chun Yong-Ho (M)]


    [Race: Half Human / Half Demon - Demon King]


    [Element: Fire / Darkness]


    [Evolution Rate: 50/100]


    [Strength - Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Stamina - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Mana - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Charm - Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Agility - Level 0 | ¡ï (1)]


    [Skill - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Seven Deadly Sins | Greed]


    Though it was only by a small amount, the number of stars in some of Yong-Ho''s evolutionary routes had increased. Furthermore, the Seven Deadly Sins category, which was empty before, now had the name Greed next to it.


    ''Is it because I absorbed that demon''s spirit?''


    He could now see things which weren''t visible before. The same applied to the "level" that was attached to each of the specializations.


    Then he examined Catalina.


    [Name: Catalina (F)]


    [Race: Half Succubus / Half Dark Elf]


    [Main Elements: Wind / Darkness | Secondary Elements: Lightning / Water / Earth]


    [Main Stats: Succubus - Charm / Mana | Dark Elf - Agility / Skills]


    [Evolution Rate: 25/100]


    [Succubus : Charm - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Dark Elf : Agility - Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]


    [Hybrid - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]


    [Succubus : Mana - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]


    [Dark Elf : Skills - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    She possessed more changes than Yong-Ho. The most noticeable change was the category of agility because it now had the words "Level 2" next to it.


    ''She''s only evolved once¡­ which probably means that it was level one before, right?''


    If that was the case, then it made sense why her skill level had only increased by one. Catalina was a combat specialist who excelled in the agile use of a dagger.


    ''The number of stars has changed too. Since her agility has been developed, has her other stats changed a bit as well?''


    Yong-Ho nodded his head since it was a reasonable change and then slightly raised his eyes. A bitter smile appeared on his face when he noticed two boxes of light that he''s never seen before appear.


    [Dark Elf]


    [Succubus]


    Catalina was a half Dark Elf and half Succubus, so she was given a choice on what race she wanted to evolve into.


    It wasn''t an easy decision. The ''race evolution'' could only be decided after the next evolution, but before that, he needed to acquire further information regarding the different advancements.


    After deactivating the Power of Evolution, Yong-Ho lightly nodded his head and looked towards Eligor.


    "You told me that if I get stronger, then the Heart of the Dungeon will get stronger too, right?"


    "Yes, that''s correct. Not only that, but the dungeon spirits like Catalina and me will also be affected by your growth."


    "I wonder."


    The relationship between the owner and the spirits of the dungeon couldn''t be explained by just a simple master and servant relationship. It was much more direct and intimate than that. If the owner was the head, then the spirits were the hands and feet that the owner commanded.


    "Did you find out anything from the Kobolds?"


    Eligor immediately answered as if he had been anticipating Yong-Ho to ask.


    "They''re known to be scared and cowardly, so as soon as their leader died, they started to talk, but you can''t just believe every word they''re saying. So that''s why since that we''re on the subject...how about we build a torture chamber after the prison?"


    "Torture chamber?"


    "Yes, it''s used to punish the spirits, but it''s also necessary when we need to interrogate any prisoners. If it''s built right next to the prison, it would be very effective. The prisoners would be able to watch the other prisoners getting tortured."


    Eligor looked at Yong-Ho with shining eyes as if he was waiting for him to compliment him.


    It was similar to when he talked about prisons, Eligor always seemed to look strangely lively when talking about the subject.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes for a moment. He imagined Catalina crying while being tortured by Eligor.


    ''No, this is too dangerous.''


    He changed the subject of the torture from Catalina to the Skeleton and felt calmer.


    Prison and torture chamber.


    They were horrible facilities, but the prison had already been built, and if they had to continue fighting, then a torture chamber would also become necessary.


    Yong-Ho pushed aside on making a decision and asked Catalina.


    "How strong was the group that invaded recently?"


    "I don''t mean to belittle your victory, but¡­"


    Catalina carefully chose her words. Though that basically gave him his answer.


    "So they weren''t that strong. That''s probably why they rushed in."


    He knew they were quite familiar with combat. If not, then they wouldn''t have had such a bloodthirsty expression.


    However, out of all the weaklings that targeted Mammon''s dungeon, they were the weakest.


    They waited for the protective shield to weaken and out of all the weaklings, they were the first to attack.


    "Will there be more groups of their strength attacking the dungeon?"


    A frown appeared on Yong-Ho''s face as he quietly mumbled. Even though he just woke up after passing out from the battle, he didn''t have a lot of time. He had to prepare on how to defend the dungeon from any future enemies.


    ''I have either one of two options.''


    One. Evolve the spirits.


    Two. Delay the evolution of the spirits and strengthen the dungeon facilities using that mana.


    Both choices had pros and cons.


    If they evolved the spirits, then the quality of the soldiers would increase. However, given the current condition of the dungeon, which could be overcome by the enemy simply charging in a straight line, they had to be extremely careful.


    Strengthening the dungeon''s facility was good from a long term perspective. Even though he could increase the power of the spirits right away, evolving the spirits by several levels at once was impossible.


    In the end, he had to do both.


    However, he had to pick the best option.


    Yong-Ho looked back and forth between Catalina and Eligor. After a short but deep consideration, he made the decision.

 19 The Dungeon Armory

    No one knew exactly when the Dungeon Market first appeared within the demon world.


    Some speculate that it was a thousand years ago while others say that it appeared way before then.


    However, those were baseless assumptions.


    Regardless of the history of the market, in the modern demon world, the Dungeon Market was a necessity to survive.


    The environment of the real Dungeon Market was vastly different from any of the virtual spaces.


    The sky seemed as if it was on fire while the color of the walls and ground were so pitch-black it was like they were made from hardened lava.


    The Pentagram Council.


    Five elites controlled the Dungeon Market.


    To put it more simply, they were the Board of Directors.


    Just as the name suggests, five chairs were positioned around the room, each at the corner of a pentagram drawn on the floor with lava. Naturally, the Board of Directors were seated in those chairs.


    "The King of Pride is gathering troops. A large battle may break out soon in the northeast."


    A large, red demon named Orobas pointed to the map, materialized in the center of the pentagram, and spoke with a low profound voice.


    He was one of the many demon princes within the demon world and was regarded to have the greatest physical strength out of the elites of the Dungeon Market.


    His pig''s head and large bulky body sharply contrasted with the neat tuxedo that he adorned. It looked odd, but at the same time, seemed to work well together.


    Orobas had six horns and managed the Dungeon Market located in the north. To his right, a man with a spider head spoke softly.


    "The King of Envy is also gathering soldiers. I think they may have found out that they''ve been targeted by the King of Pride. Within just this month, they''ve already purchased 20,000 Skeleton Warriors."


    He was known to be the intellectual of the group and had a body in the form of a spider. Even though his current form was more humanoid, there are rumors that his true form was a giant spider larger than a mountain.


    His name was Bifrons. He also managed the northern Dungeon Market along with Orobas.


    The King of Envy was purchasing a large quantity of Skeleton Warriors.


    Despite the sensitive information, the one that sat on the left side of Orobas started to chuckle.


    His name was Abraxas and he was known to have the greatest reserve of mana amongst the elites. He managed the Dungeon Market in the western part of the demon world.


    He had the head of a large rooster adorned with seven horns. Both of his legs were in the shape of large snakes, each with a different venom.


    He spoke with a hint of sarcasm.


    "That''s the King of Envy for you. Is quantity always better than quality?"


    Bifrons warned Abraxas of his hasty remarks. Orobas looked at the demon world map again and asked.


    "What about the other kings?"


    "The Queen of Wrath is curled up, which is unlike her. Whereas, the King of Lust is busy as usual because of the Witches'' Sabbath."


    The one that answered was Samael, the Queen of the Harpies, who sat on the right side of Bifrons and was known, amongst the elites, to have the greatest speed. She had luxurious golden hair that complemented her beautiful face but sharply contrasted with her black ebony wings.


    Orobas tilted his head.


    "And Gluttony?"


    "It doesn''t look like he''s just going to sit by and watch. I believe that he''s quietly increasing the number of high-ranked spirits in his ranks. A couple of days ago, I found out through an agent that the King of Gluttony may have purchased a Bone Dragon."


    The Demon Kings that possessed the Seven Deadly Sins.


    The six Demon Kings, that controlled the demon world, were busily preparing under the surface.


    Abraxas shrugged his shoulders.


    "The only king that doesn''t possess one of the deadly sins...we shouldn''t have to worry about the King of Violence, right? It seems like he''s still resting."


    Out of the six kings that controlled the demon world, the King of Violence was the only one that didn''t possess the power of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    Orobas touched his chin.


    "Then, is the Queen of Sloth the last one we should watch out for?"


    "She''s always been lazy."


    Samael smiled softly as if it was a joke.


    Orobas was satisfied with Samael''s answer. He leaned his large body against the chair and spoke softly.


    "The power of the six kings are similar in strength. Thus, the balance of power in the world is harmonious. Even though the King of Pride is trying to break that balance, he won''t be able to do anything too unexpected. No matter how much power he has, he can''t possibly take on the other five kings by himself. Which is a good thing. Unless someone comes along that''s strong enough to defeat one of the kings, this wonderful balance will surely continue."


    The Dungeon Market didn''t desire just one king. The conflict between the kings is what caused the Dungeon Market to be created in the first place.


    Bifrons and Abraxas nodded in agreement. The other directors smiled as if they felt the same.


    However, there was one that had a different sort of smile.


    "Miss Sitri?"


    Samael called out quietly and looked at the last, and yet most powerful, director.


    The red-headed and beautiful Sitri.


    She answered calmly while lightly touching her chin. Her eyes were fixated on the map.


    "No, it''s nothing. I just find this all rather fun."


    Her vague answer made Samael tilt his head in confusion. He looked at the map as well and tried to figure out her intentions.


    Sitri was looking at the southern part of the demon world, which was known to have no major power.


    It was the land of the King of Greed, who once controlled a quarter of the demon world and was known as the greatest demon to have ever lived in recent times.


    ***


    [Wild dungeon monsters have appeared!]


    [Two Crazy Ants and a Slime!]


    The King of Greed, Yong-Ho, frowned when he heard the Spirit of the Dungeon''s passionate voice.


    Just as stated, three monsters suddenly appeared before him.


    Two red ants, the size of large dogs, and a spherical slime, that reminded him of tree sap, were in front of him.


    Encountering monsters was quite common in the demon world. He welcomed the fight since it would give him the chance to increase his evolution rate. However, there was something that bothered him.


    ''Why are there monsters in my dungeon?!''


    If anybody else was to hear him say that, they would have looked at him strangely, as if it was obvious.


    The monsters in front of him weren''t dungeon spirits.


    They were ownerless monsters. The Spirit of the Dungeon had recently shared some common knowledge with Yong-Ho, which according to her, the monsters were nothing more than ants and cockroaches that he would see back at home.


    In short, they were just simple beings that liked to freeload in people''s dungeons.


    However, few such monsters existed in ordinary well kept dungeons, since if they did appear they were usually taken care of right away.


    ''The worst ones are the ants.''


    It''s not that Yong-Ho especially disliked ants. Actually, he regarded them better than cockroaches. However, the issue was the lifestyle of their kind.


    Like the ants in the human world, they lived in large colonies. So, there probably existed a large ant colony underneath the dungeon.


    "Master! Concentrate!"


    After hearing Catalina''s stern voice, Yong-Ho eliminated his distracting thoughts. While continuing to face forwards, he spoke as he channeled strength into the arm wielding Aamon.


    "I''ll take the Slime. Catalina. Skull. Take care of the ants."


    "Understood."


    "Skull, skull."


    Catalina and the Skeleton Soldier, Skull, answered respectively. They both charged forward towards the ants.


    Two days ago. In order to increase the dungeon''s defense, Yong-Ho decided to focus on improving the dungeon''s facilities rather than evolving the spirits.


    However, despite that, he decided to use the Power of Evolution to evolve just one spirit, the Skeleton Soldier, who he subsequently named Skull.


    The Skeleton was one of the lowest level spirits and didn''t even have any specialized evolution like the Goblins. However, as soon as he evolved him, his rank increased to Skeleton Soldier.


    Yong-Ho decided to equip Skull with the hammer from the dead giant.


    The Death Knight was considered the highest rank amongst the Skeletons and Yong-Ho planned on evolving him to that rank, so he wanted to give him a special name, though simplicity was best.


    Catalina took down one of the Crazy Ants with a single strike. However, instead of moving to attack the other ant, she waited and watched Skull fight it, so that Skull could increase his evolution rate through battle.


    ''The same applies to me.''


    Yong-Ho focused his attention on the Slime gliding across the ground.


    Aamon was known amongst demons for being able to burn the sky and evaporate the sea with a single swing.


    For Yong-Ho, however, performing such a task was a bit too much. However, he was still able to use a fraction of Aamon''s power.


    ''Just one strike!''


    Yong-Ho kicked off the ground. The slime must have noticed that Yong-Ho had targeted it because it suddenly shot acid at him. The highly concentrated acid traveled quickly through the air. If it touched him, the acid would melt away his skin and bones.


    However, Yong-Ho easily dodged the attack. He agilely leaned his body to the side, kicked off the ground, and shortened the distance between them.


    "Ha!"


    He simultaneously wielded Aamon and pierced through the Slime''s body. As soon as the sword pierced through its center, he released his mana.


    Flames exploded from inside its body. Green flame enveloped its entire body.


    Thanks to its powerful acid and mucus, the Slime was able to neutralize most physical attacks, but it couldn''t resist even a spark of Aamon''s flames.


    Yong-Ho pulled Aamon out, with a smile on his face, and stretched his back. Feeling satisfied, he exchanged a glance with Catalina and watched Skull fight the remaining Crazy Ant.


    Two days after the first attack.


    Yong-Ho was looking for the armory that belonged to the owner three generations ago.

 20 The Dungeon Armory 2

    There is a saying that a rich man never goes flat broke.


    The House of Mammon wasn''t just an ordinary ''rich'' family. In the days when Mammon was alive, he was the head of a huge and powerful family that controlled a quarter of the demon world. It wouldn''t be a stretch to describe them as a royal family.


    Because of that, it took a long time for the House of Mammon to truly collapse, and during that time, some of Mammon''s heirs became pretty famous.


    Kaiwan, the Devil of Distortion, the owner three generations ago, was one of those people.


    "They say that Kaiwan had a very adventurous personality. She had spent a lot of time exploring the dungeon and had yielded a great number of achievements. During her time as owner of the dungeon, she had reactivated over 80% of the first floor of the dungeon."


    Yong-Ho remembered back to a conversation that he had earlier with Catalina and asked.


    "Do you mean the owner that discovered the arena?"


    "Oh, I see that you''ve already been informed."


    "Catalina told me. She doesn''t know where it''s located though."


    Eligor nodded at the comment. He quickly looked around and quietly answered him.


    "Yes, Kaiwan did keep the location of the arena a secret. I believe that she did so to stop her spirits from entering and challenging the arena themselves."


    Even though this was a secretive discussion between Yong-Ho and of his closest aides, there wasn''t anyone here to eavesdrop on their conversation. So Yong-Ho decided to sit on the throne to talk more comfortably.


    "So then?"


    Eligor looked around once more. He approached Yong-Ho and spoke quietly.


    "She didn''t hide all her discoveries."


    The way Eligor smiled after talking made him look especially cunning. Ignoring Eligor''s peculiar expression, Yong-Ho became very interested.


    He quickly asked.


    "What kind of facilities are they?"


    "There''s a variety of them. But, the most important ones are probably the armory and the gold mine."


    "Gold mine?! There''s a gold mine in the dungeon?!"


    Yong-Ho unknowingly widened his eyes and raised his voice in surprise. Instead of looking around, Eligor responded with a bright smile.


    "Yes, indeed. It''s a little different from the gold mines of the human world, but it''s still very much a gold mine. If my assumptions are correct, there should still be a good amount of gold left."


    Yong-Ho wondered what wasn''t in this dungeon, but he had to try his best to calm down for now.


    Gold mine.


    A mine filled with gold.


    This was fantastic. If he found it, the dungeon''s condition would improve substantially.


    But at the same time, it was rather strange.


    "Why was it deactivated for the previous owners?"


    It was hard to believe that it was because of Mammon''s spirits. It was the gold mine that Kaiwan had found and activated.


    A frown appeared on Eligor''s face. He gave a similar answer to what Yong-Ho expected, but there was a slight difference.


    "It''s because of the dungeon monsters."


    Dungeon monster.


    The wild monsters of the demon world that dwell in dungeons.


    The demon world wasn''t like the human world. The demon world had a certain flexibility due to the high concentration of mana and because of that unexpected spatial twists could occur in dungeons, on the ground, or even in the skies.


    Furthermore, the mana that existed in the demon could evolve small bugs and animals into demons.


    That''s how dungeon monsters were born.


    It was either through monsters entering the dungeon through spatial twists or through the evolution of bugs and animals due to mana.


    They were like bugs and rats, of the human world, that appeared inside houses.


    Usually, ordinary owners could deal with these dungeon monsters very easily. If by any chance, the dungeon monsters couldn''t be taken care of, then they could request ''dungeon cleaners'' from the Dungeon Market to eradicate the vermin.


    However, the House of Mammon couldn''t do it either.


    There were two main reasons.


    First, was the distinct characteristics of Mammon''s dungeon.


    Ordinary dungeons didn''t have a lot of inactive spaces. New rooms were usually created in ordinary dungeons by first creating a space and then filling it with mana, thus activating the room. The room would thus have an accessible entrance and lighting created from mana.


    However, unlike ordinary dungeons, the House of Mammon''s dungeon boasted an immensely wide area. Furthermore, there were a huge number of empty rooms that didn''t have a mana supply, rendering them inactive.


    These inactive rooms, when compared to the human world, were like really deep caves or underground construction sites. For a variety of dungeon monsters, these areas were ideal living spaces. Thus, a huge number of dungeon monsters had naturally evolved and among them, some had grown extremely powerful.


    Second, the dungeon didn''t have enough money to hire a dungeon cleaner.


    So in the end, there was only one choice.


    The previous owners simply couldn''t handle the dungeon monsters, so they had to give up on the gold mine and the armory.


    "It''s like they got kicked out of the house because of the vermin¡­"


    Eligor bowed his head at Yong-Ho''s dispirited voice. His already red face turned an even brighter shade out of shame.


    "I''m not trying to make any excuses, but I heard that the dungeon monsters inhabiting the gold mine are quite strong. They are records that state that not only are they very strong but there''s a huge number of them as well."


    Yong-Ho nodded his head at Eligor''s words. It wasn''t Eligor''s fault that the dungeon monsters took away the gold mine. Eligor glanced at Yong-Ho and spoke again.


    "It may be too difficult to take back the gold mine for now. However, if the armory...if the armory could be obtained, it would increase the dungeon''s strength tremendously. And then someday, you''ll be able to retake the gold mine, it was the dream of the previous owners."


    Evolve the spirits and then arm them with the weapons retrieved from the armory.


    It certainly wasn''t a bad idea. During the last battle, after the Goblins finished setting up the traps, they grabbed the leftover bamboo spears and started to fight.


    ''I am curious about the gear that Kaiwan obtained in the arena.''


    Yong-Ho made up his mind. He stood up right away with a recurring thought in his mind: ''strike while the iron is hot''.


    "Go get Catalina. We''ll begin the search right away."


    Eligor''s eyes shined with light.


    The day after the discussion.


    Yong-Ho opened his mouth after thinking back and sighed deeply.


    It took ten mana to reactivate a disabled room. Currently, Yong-Ho''s maximum mana level was 180, and since the dungeon''s daily mana output was 50, he could activate a maximum of 23 rooms if he consumed all the available mana.


    Of course, Yong-Ho couldn''t do that. His mana was needed not only for the dungeon facilities but he needed to have a reserve in case of another attack.


    As a result, the number of rooms that he could safely activate in a day wasn''t that high and given the number of monsters he had to fight along the way, the progress of the search had slowed down considerably.


    ''At least my evolution rate is increasing quickly.''


    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution and examined himself. His evolution rate had increased from 50 to 80.


    With a bit more experience, he would be able to evolve.


    Since he now had a lot of spirits to study, he was able to further his understanding of the mechanisms of his power.


    The evolution rate was equivalent to the experience points in a game.


    The stronger the spirit was, the harder it was to fill the evolution rate and if a spirit was weak, the evolution rate could be filled up from even the smallest task.


    Yong-Ho looked at Skull, who was currently lying on the floor.


    [Name: Skull]


    [Race: Skeleton Soldier]


    [Main Elements: - ]


    [Evolution Rate: 40/100]


    [Bone Strength - Level 0 | ¡ï (1)]


    [Physique - Level 0 | ¡ï (1)]


    [Mentality - Level 0 | ¡ï (1)]


    ''The available evolution routes are [Skeleton Warrior] and [Skeleton Archer].''


    After deactivating the Power of Evolution, Yong-Ho sat down and looked at Catalina, who was currently resting beside him. After noticing Yong-Ho''s gaze, she quickly took out her map and laid it on the ground.


    "I''m terribly sorry, but the records of the previous owner aren''t perfect. However, I''m sure that it''s somewhere around this area. If it''s you, I''m confident that you''ll find it."


    At first, she sounded like a child afraid of being scolded, but as she talked more, her eyes started to sparkle.


    It seemed like she believed in Yong-Ho''s ''Midas touch'', which was one of his powers.


    "So you''re using me, huh?"


    When Yong-Ho made the comment with a click of his tongue, Catalina looked like she was at a loss for words. He expected such a reaction, which caused him to chuckle and lightly pinch her cheek. He then stood up from the ground.


    "Since we''ve rested, let''s head out. If it''s not forward, then it must be to the left."


    Yong-Ho mumbled to himself and looked around the room. He closed his eyes and extended his hands out in different directions.


    ''Clear your mind and follow your instincts.''


    He was stimulating his power.


    More specifically, Yong-Ho was able to satisfy his ''greed.''


    Yong-Ho suddenly opened his eyes and looked to the left.


    "That way."


    He immediately started to walk.


    ***


    While Yong-Ho was exploring the dungeon with Catalina and Skull.


    The butler Eligor, who was one of Yong-Ho''s key aides and led the Goblins to carry out construction work.


    As Eligor had explained to Yong-Ho many times, dungeons in the demon world weren''t just geographical features, but large spirits.


    Therefore, the various facilities within the dungeon were known as its internal organs.


    Mana was used to activate the rooms and then by further using the dungeon''s available mana and ingredients, better facilities could be created.


    These facilities made this way were able to move their location within the dungeon.


    After the first battle, Yong-Ho chose to focus on strengthening the dungeon''s facilities rather than evolving the spirits.


    The distance between the dungeon entrance and his throne room had increased. Several rooms had also been secured to enable a variety of facilities to be created. Whereas, for the facilities that had already been installed, he changed their location to further increase their defense.


    Eligor had widened the distance between the "central corridor", known as the dungeon''s spine, and the prison by a fair margin. This was in order to create his long cherished new torture chamber.


    In fact, he really wanted to expand the size of the prison even more.


    In the dungeon, the role of the prison wasn''t just to lock enemy spirits away and torture them.


    A high-quality prison invested with a large amount of mana and ingredients could forcefully drain mana from the prisoners.


    The prison can thus serve as an additional auxiliary facility for the generation of mana. It could also be used as a form of a breeding ground to retrain dungeon monsters and turn them into spirits.


    Such a prison was considered the jewel of a dungeon. It was an incredibly versatile facility.


    ''The torture chamber is also a jewel.''


    Eligor created the torturing tools with a joyful expression. Since the available materials were quite poor, he couldn''t make any stylish tools like the Iron Maiden, but the art of torture could be implemented with just a simple chair and knife.


    Eligor decided to be satisfied with what he had for now.


    "Butler, butler. You feels good. Feels good?"


    Jon was carrying the materials that were going to be used for the torture room and saw Eligor''s joyful expression. Eligor answered with a warm smile.


    "Haha. How could I not be in a good mood? The dungeon is improving everyday."


    As soon as he finished talking, Eligor recalled Yong-Ho''s actions during their first fight.


    "Hoo hoo. His bedroom must be made as quickly as possible so that we''re prepared for the future successor."


    "Successor? Bedroom? What connection?"


    Jon tilted his head and asked with a confused expression, but Eligor ignored him. He kept this peculiar daydream to himself and instead looked at the imprisoned Kobolds.


    "You guys shouldn''t worry so much. You''ll be tortured as soon as the torture chamber is complete. After I confirm your honesty through torture, I''ll allow you to serve the House of Mammon."


    He then raised a plank of wood with nails pierced all around it. The Kobolds quickly raised their voices.


    "Woof, woof!"


    "Woof, woof!"


    "Bark, bark!"


    Though they were saying that they would swear allegiance right now, Eligor wasn''t able to understand them. No, it was possible that he could from their desperate looks, but he chose to ignore that.


    "Hahaha. Okay, okay. You''ll just have to wait a bit longer."


    Eligor had a warm expression as he placed the plank of wood down again. He looked ahead with a calm expression.


    "I hope Master returns soon."


    If it''s Yong-Ho, he''ll definitely be able to find the armory.


    Just thinking about him made Eligor smile with glee and this time he picked up a very sharp knife. The imprisoned Kobolds'' cry was music to his ears, as he focused on his work again.

 21 The Dungeon Armory 3

    Yong-Ho moved to the left.


    Every time he reached the end of the room, he activated a new room and then moved forward.


    The power of ''Midas touch'' was greed''s secondary skill and it was a skill that was difficult to describe.


    Just a feeling.


    The ability to choose instinctively.


    That was why he wasn''t able to explain fully to Catalina and Skull why they were walking forward. He just felt that he would obtain something if he continued to walk this path.


    However, several hours later, Catalina and even Yong-Ho himself started to get worried.


    Was this the right path?


    No, even if he could obtain something by walking down this road, was that something like the armory?


    It wasn''t a completely fruitless search. While they explored, they encountered a Crazy Ant and were able to increase their evolution rates as well and gain some mana. If they considered it as gaining experience, then it was quite useful for combat training.


    However, the purpose of this exploration was to find Kaiwan''s armory. In games, completing the side quests and not the main quest was usually pointless, so he had to constantly remind himself not to forget about his main goal.


    "Um...master?"


    Catalina carefully spoke up. Yong-Ho, roughly knew why she called out to him, so he put on a calm expression and turned around.


    Yong-Ho was the head of the House of Mammon and was currently the leader of the search party. If Yong-Ho looked anxious, then Catalina and Skull, though he wasn''t sure if Skull even knew what being anxious felt like, would feel anxious too.


    "I have a strong feeling it''s this way. Let''s go a bit further."


    "Yes, Master."


    As a loyal spirit, Catalina answered right away. Skull wore his usual blank expression and followed behind Yong-Ho and Catalina.


    Yong-Ho thought back to the time when he obtained Aamon. It was an incredible fortune to be able to find Aamon. It was quite the jackpot.


    However, it wasn''t an easy trial. If Catalina hadn''t slowed down the speed of their fall, they would have surely lost their lives.


    It was possible this time too.


    One of Mammon''s spirits could appear or they could encounter an unknown trap.


    But, he had no choice.


    He had to go this way.


    There was something there that would satisfy his greed.


    ''One room. Let''s just go through one more room.''


    If they don''t find anything, then Yong-Ho was planning to end the search for today. He would try again after they recovered their mana and stamina.


    With his mind set, Yong-Ho commanded the Spirit of the Dungeon to activate the next room. He carefully opened the door.


    [Be careful. Something feels off.]


    Activated rooms were usually lit with light created by mana. However, even though the Spirit of the Dungeon had activated it, the room was still in darkness. It wasn''t complete darkness, but the light didn''t even reach a quarter of the room.


    "Catalina."


    Yong-Ho spoke and instantly Catalina reacted. She took out her flashlight from her belt and handed it to Yong-Ho.


    "Master, I''ll take the lead."


    "No, stay behind me. I''ll take the lead."


    It was the same as when he had obtained Aamon. He had a strong instinctive feeling. Yong-Ho was certain that there was something here that had triggered his greed.


    [I''m sorry. I''m unable to detect the entire room. It''s too far from the Heart of the Dungeon and some sort of power is interrupting me.]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke with his inner voice. Yong-Ho gulped nervously and used the flashlight to light up the room. It just looked like an empty room since he couldn''t see anything.


    "The room seems extremely large. It''s as big as your throne room, Master."


    Catalina spoke up quietly as soon as they reached halfway across the room. However, Yong-Ho couldn''t reply. He had a strong feeling. Right in front of him. Something was lingering in the darkness.


    Yong-Ho instinctively raised his flashlight. Once the flashlight joined with the dim light that was already in the room, he was suddenly able to see much more clearly.


    "Underground¡­ entrance?"


    He had a feeling that the huge door in front of them would lead them underground.


    At that moment, Yong-Ho sensed it. Greed started to strongly react to it and not because it was the armory.


    ''Gold mine!''


    That was the only possible solution. The Greed within Yong-Ho''s soul started to strongly express its desire.


    However, that wasn''t the only thing.


    "Master!"


    Catalina''s long ears flinched as she quietly called out. Yong-Ho was able to feel it now too.


    He could hear something rustling in all directions. On top of that, something was falling from the ceiling.


    "Skulllll?!"


    Even the slow-witted Skull was able to sense the danger. Catalina immediately pulled out her dagger and stood behind Yong-Ho with her back facing his. She looked around with the eyes of a dark elf, piercing through the darkness.


    Yong-Ho''s grip on Aamon tightened. He knew there was an immense danger the moment he had heard the rustling sound. Though it didn''t make sense that he couldn''t hear anything earlier.


    Furthermore, there was something dangerous falling from the ceiling.


    Yong-Ho didn''t hesitate. He pointed Aamon towards the ceiling.


    "Light it up!"


    As soon as he shouted, a green flame was released from the tip of Aamon''s blade. The green flame burned down one of the Slimes that covered the ceiling. The Spirit of the Dungeon responded to Yong-Ho''s yell by releasing all of the stored mana through Yong-Ho, driving out the darkness from the room.


    "Kyah!"


    "Kyahhh!"


    Strange sounds filled the room. Even, Skull was stunned by his surroundings.


    A horde of Crazy Ants were covering the walls. The way they wriggled around each other while crying out made an abhorrent display. And at the entrance of the mine. Monsters that he had never seen before poked out their heads. A group of Soldier Ants, who were at least three to four times larger than Crazy Ants appeared.


    "Retreat!"


    Yong-Ho hastily shouted and swung Aamon around once more. He released the flames in front of him and then quickly turned around and ran.


    The gold mine.


    It certainly existed, just like Eligor had mentioned. However, a swarm of Crazy Ants had built a nest there. The dungeon monsters that had driven out the owners from the previous generation were still very much alive and well.


    "Skull, skull!"


    Skull started to swing around his hammer. Most of the Crazy Ants that were on the walls stayed put, but that didn''t reassure them. They had even covered their only available exit.


    "Ahhh!"


    Catalina who was running alongside Yong-Ho suddenly let out a scream. A few Slimes, which were dripping fluids from the ceiling, suddenly dropped down and enveloped Catalina.


    Since it was such a sudden attack, even the agile Catalina couldn''t dodge it. The Soldier Ants then penetrated through the fire. As if they had received some sort of command, the Crazy Ants then also began to move around more.


    "Skull, skull!"


    Skull threw his body against the door. At the same time, Yong-Ho turned around. He tightened his grip on Aamon and saw the Slimes that covered Catalina.


    He didn''t have time to think. It just occurred to him as soon as he saw them.


    Slimes'' bodies were made up of strong acid. They even melted weapons, so Catalina didn''t have the time to endure it while they enveloped her body.


    What could he do?


    At that moment. In-between an opening.


    Yong-Ho and Catalina made eye contact. Catalina spoke. She spoke with her eyes since she wasn''t able to speak.


    ''Run away!''


    Leave her. That was the best choice. This was her role as guard anyway.


    Not only Catalina but Yong-Ho had thought of that option as well. It felt like someone was ordering him.


    That moment disappeared. He felt the Soldier Ants approaching. He sensed the other Slimes beginning to fall to the ground.


    In that moment, Yong-Ho made his choice. He didn''t think anymore. He pierced Aamon into the Slimes that covered Catalina.


    In the face of Aamon''s flames that burned not only their body but their mana and soul as well, the Slimes wouldn''t stand a chance.


    However, the same would happen to Catalina.


    A green flame blossomed out of the tip of Aamon''s blade. It started to spread and envelop the Slimes. During this, Catalina tightly closed her eyes.


    Yong-Ho yearned for it.


    He didn''t abandon his greed. He commanded Aamon.


    They were his.


    Everything about them belonged to Yong-Ho!


    Aamon''s fire was greed''s fire.


    The fire of desire that devoured the body and the soul.


    He burned the Slimes. Yong-Ho then inserted his hand into Aamon''s strong fire and grabbed Catalina, who wasn''t affected by Aamon''s fire.


    "Go!"


    Yong-Ho commanded. After being dragged out of the fire, Catalina faithfully listened to his command. Instead of thinking, she followed his orders and kicked off the ground. She threw her body towards the door that Skull had left open.


    "One more time!"


    Yong-Ho squeezed out his remaining mana. He waved Aamon with all his might and set his surroundings ablaze with a wave of fire.


    "Kyahhhh!"


    Surprised by the sudden wave of fire, the Soldier Ants started to scream. Yong-Ho didn''t bother to look back and started to run. He threw himself through the door and at the same time, commanded the Spirit of the Dungeon.


    [Deactivating the room!]


    It didn''t stop there, however. Catalina quickly helped Yong-Ho stand up. And Skull, who was running through the room, opened the next door.


    Yong-Ho ran through two rooms in a row. At the same time, the Spirit of the Dungeon deactivated each of them.


    And as soon as he had crossed the third room.


    Yong-Ho stopped and breathed heavily.


    His body was soaked with sweat. Catalina, who had almost died, collapsed heavily to the floor. She remembered how Aamon''s fire had completely covered her, causing her to wrap her arms around her shoulders and hug herself.


    Yong-ho closed his eyes. He started to think while catching his breath.


    The gold mine that Kaiwan found.


    It existed. Even now, there was gold remaining. Yong-Ho''s greed had reacted strongly, so he was sure of it.


    The issue was the colony of Crazy Ants that were blocking the way. Seeing the size of it, there was a high possibility that there was a Queen Ant inside the mine.


    "I should really find the armory."


    Yong-Ho spoke. Skull looked up after opening the door to the third room. Catalina also raised her head and looked at Yong-Ho.


    They had found the gold mine. Thanks to that, out of the two possible routes he found he was sure that the other connected to the armory. If they walk down the remaining route, they would most likely arrive there.


    They could then obtain gear from the armory. And then reclaim the gold mine with the stronger gear.


    ''However, before that.''


    Yong-Ho stood up straight. He gathered his remaining mana into his empty left hand. He then activated the Power of Evolution and examined himself.


    Chun Yong-Ho, The Demon of Evolution.


    Evolution Rate: 100/100.


    The evolution rate had completely filled after he had taken care of the Slimes that covered Catalina.


    Yong-Ho didn''t wait any longer. He placed his left hand on his chest.


    [Specialized Mana Development]


    He invoked the Power of Evolution. Vivid green colored mana burst out of Yong-Ho''s body.

 22 Armed

    The power broke through.


    The limit shattered. Explosive power surged forth in search of an exit.


    It was like a raging torrent. The sudden eruption of power inside him was unlike anything he had ever experienced.


    He screamed.


    No, it wasn''t a scream.


    It was something else.


    The cry of his soul. A swift flame that devoured all.


    He couldn''t tell how long it had been.


    But moments later.


    He opened his eyes. Green flames rose out and then naturally died down again.


    Yong-Ho didn''t stumble. He stood up straight and felt a great change within himself.


    His mana pool had increased in size.


    He could clearly feel it within him, even without circulating it.


    However, he didn''t actually have any mana left. His body was like an empty bowl since he had just used up all of his mana.


    However, because of that, he could clearly feel the change in his mana pool.


    "Catalina."


    Yong-Ho spoke up. Catalina was sitting on the floor in front of him and then quickly stood up as if she had suddenly regained her consciousness. She saw Yong-Ho and her confused face instantly turned into one filled with joy.


    "Ma, master. Your horn¡­"


    Yong-Ho raised his hand. Even without a mirror, he knew where they had grown.


    Horns collected the surrounding mana within the demon world and were like transmitters that helped him concentrate his mana.


    His two horns had grown out in the exact same spot as Catalina''s. Before, they looked like nothing more than small rocks, but now, they were both larger and thicker.


    Now they looked like actual horns.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon suddenly spoke as if she was waiting just for this moment.


    [The dungeon''s daily production volume has been increased from 50 to 80!]


    [Master''s mana pool has increased in size from 180 to 280! Furthermore, thanks to the horns, the mana recovery rate has increased by 100%!]


    Demons are entirely made up of mana.


    Both the body and soul of a demon was essentially just a lump of mana.


    He was now able to truly experience it. He couldn''t really sense his mana before since he was still just half-human and half-demon, but now, it felt like he had been reborn again.


    Yong-Ho smiled. He was exhausted from depleting up all his mana, but he somehow enjoyed the feeling of exhaustion.


    "Catalina, how are you feeling?"


    Yong-Ho asked in his usual tone which caused Catalina to relax her hunched up shoulders, as she breathed out a sigh of relief.


    Master had horns. His mana had definitely become stronger.


    But she was still nervous.


    Even though she only served him for a few days, she was worried that he wouldn''t be the master that she knew. Maybe he had changed somehow?


    "I-It''ll heal a bit if I use my saliva."


    Catalina answered nervously which caused Yong-ho to smile again. This, in turn, caused Catalina to blush, however instead of making fun of her for it, Yong-Ho spoke to her in a cheerful voice.


    "Let''s go back for now. We''ll have to reorganize."


    "Yes, Master."


    "Skull, skull."


    Skull chimed in as well after hearing Catalina''s quick response. Before he left, Yong-Ho looked back again. Beyond the inactive rooms, there was the gold mine that Kaiwan had found.


    ''I''ll get it back.''


    Yong-Ho turned around and started to walk back.


    ***


    "Master!"


    As soon as they returned to the throne room, Eligor hurriedly greeted them. He was quite shocked by the state of both Yong-Ho and Catalina, but when he noticed Yong-Ho''s horns, he started to flail even more.


    Yong-Ho first moved to the only furniture in the room, the throne. He then spoke as he sat down on the hard stone.


    "I found the gold mine. Whereas, the horns appeared because I activated the Power of Evolution on myself."


    Eligor didn''t completely understand at first. When Catalina brought in the kettle filled with water, his eyes suddenly widened and he asked with excitement.


    "The gold, gold mine, sir? The one that belonged to Kaiwan?!"


    "Correct. Just like you had pointed out, dungeon monsters had taken over that place. It was a giant ant colony. I think they may have made that place their nest."


    At Yong-Ho''s answer, Eligor''s expression suddenly turned serious. It was a reaction he expected.


    The Crazy Ant colony was located not too far from here. It was a major threat to them when it came to expanding the dungeon and maintaining it.


    Yong-Ho spoke calmly.


    "First, we''ll use the gear that''s in Kaiwan''s armory. We need to strengthen our military power in order to take back the gold mine."


    He didn''t plan to cower and just avoid it as the previous owners had done.


    He was going to reclaim it. He planned to take back what belonged to the House of Mammon. Yong-Ho was going to make the gold mine his.


    "I understand. But first, I think it would be best to take a break. I''ve created a new bedroom for you."


    "A bedroom?"


    He definitely wasn''t expecting that, so it was Yong-Ho who was the one that was surprised this time. Eligor answered with a calm expression.


    "It''s not much, but I''ve created a small room. I''ll make sure to fill it with a bed and other furniture soon."


    He was a demon king and also the owner of the dungeon, so he didn''t really want the other spirits to know that he slept on top of a carpet. A bedroom was a necessary facility to help him protect his dignity.


    "Then, I''ll take you to the bedroom."


    "Oh, okay."


    It felt like he was being tricked, but Yong-ho decided to follow. Honestly, he was so exhausted from depleting all his mana, that he desired to sleep quite badly.


    "Get some rest, Catalina. You too, Skull."


    "Yes, master."


    "Skulllll."


    Catalina answered immediately and Skull, who was already lying across the floor, answered as well.


    Yong-Ho and Eligor headed towards the bedroom.


    ***


    As soon as he had closed and opened his eyes, time had already passed.


    It was like a time warp. No, perhaps a time machine. He had felt the same thing when he was a student.


    His throat was hoarse, so he couldn''t really speak. However, his mind felt unexpectedly clear. Because of his horns, his mana level had completely refilled.


    ''How long was I asleep?''


    Yong-Ho sat up. The ceiling was low and the walls were narrower than before. He was now sitting on top of a pile of straw mats instead of the carpet.


    The unfinished bedroom had been hastily made by Eligor.


    After suddenly remembering what happened, Yong-Ho stood up. He then washed his face with a basin of water that Eligor placed there earlier. Afterward, he put on his cape and walked out of the room.


    ''It''s still the same.''


    It seemed like he hadn''t slept for that long. Inside the throne room, most of the spirits of the dungeon were gathered.


    The hard-working Goblins were lying side by side on top of the carpet that was near the entrance whereas Skull was on the ground as usual. Honestly, Skull could lie down basically anywhere within the dungeon and it wouldn''t seem strange. As usual, Catalina was lying on the ground, beside the throne, with her cape snuggly wrapped around her. She looked like a silkworm, which caused him to pity her for some reason.


    ''Their welfare really isn''t that good.''


    Yong-Ho felt responsible for them, so he quietly walked out of the room so they could continue to sleep. When he left the room, he went to get some water to soothe his dry throat and saw Eligor watering the Treant.


    "So, you''re a tree after all."


    "Oh, Master, you''re awake. You''re up early."


    "Yeah, since we found the route that leads to the armory, we need to hurry."


    "Ah, that''s very like you Master."


    Next to the smiling Eligor, Treant leaned forward and expressed its greeting to Yong-Ho. Now that he thought of it, he never did give the Treant a name.


    ''Should I just call it Ent?''


    Yong-Ho always believed in simplicity, but even he thought that Ent was a bit much.


    ''Let me think about it a bit more.''


    He wasn''t in a rush to name it. There was something else that required far more urgency.


    "Eligor, can we make a bedroom for the spirits as well? I think Catalina should be given her own room as well."


    Until yesterday, Yong-Ho had himself slept on top of the carpet, but that still didn''t make it acceptable. Even though it was a dungeon, shouldn''t he at least guarantee basic food and shelter for his spirits?


    As always, Eligor quickly responded to Yong-Ho''s command.


    "It''s possible. Thanks to you, the dungeon''s daily production volume has increased significantly. I''ll be able to create joint accommodation for the ordinary spirits."


    "I''ll leave it to you then."


    Yong-Ho stopped talking and started to think. He looked towards the passageway that led to the prison and asked Eligor.


    "How are things with the Kobolds?"


    "The torture chamber is still in progress¡­"


    Eligor answered with a face full of regret. Yong-Ho tilted his head.


    "Are none of them willing to work for us? During the day that they attacked, it didn''t seem like they were very loyal towards their previous owner."


    "All four of them seem like that, but we can''t trust them without torture¡­"


    Instead of answering, Yong-Ho observed Eligor for a moment. He scratched the back of his head and spoke.


    "There must be one that''s better suited than the others. After breakfast, pick one out for me before I leave."


    "Are you thinking about taking them with you?"


    "The more power, the better."


    Yong-Ho didn''t expect the Kobolds to be completely loyal. What he needed right now were soldiers that he could use. He didn''t intend to use them as a disposable weapon, but he might find some use for them. Regardless, Catalina and Skull were far more important than the Kobold.


    Eligor must have read Yong-Ho''s intention because he agreed to do it with a serious expression.


    And right after breakfast that morning.


    Along with Skull and Catalina, Yong-Ho was accompanied by Jon and a Kobold, both wielding bamboo spears, as they once again embarked on an exploration of the dungeon.


    Their target, once again, was the room located in the north of the dungeon.


    Kaiwan''s armory.

 23 Armed 2

    The road leading to the gold mine was very smooth sailing since they had already walked down it before.


    The only dungeon monsters they encountered on their route were two Slimes.


    "Good. From here on, we''ll be traveling in an unexplored area. Everyone keep your guard up."


    Jon, who was wielding the bamboo spear, became visibly nervous after hearing Yong-Ho''s words, as did the Kobold in front of him.


    Catalina closed the distance between her and Yong-Ho, whereas Skull just nonchalantly stretched out his shoulders.


    Yong-Ho continued to give orders.


    "Kobold, you will be the advance guard. Jon and Skull, you take care of the sides. While Catalina and I will be in the center and support."


    Skull and Jon moved to the left and right side respectively. The Kobold, however, flinched and expressed dissatisfaction when Yong-Ho ordered him to be the advance guard but when Yong-Ho and Catalina glared at him, he immediately walked towards the front of the group.


    After the group reorganized into formation, Yong-Ho continued his search by leading the group to the right-hand side of the door that led to the gold mine.


    While they walked through five rooms in a row, they didn''t encounter a single dungeon monster. Kobold and Jon seemed quite relieved, as they became a bit more laid-back.


    Yong-Ho opened the dungeon map in the air. He nodded silently.


    ''Are the Crazy Ants and the Slimes solely based in the gold mine?''


    If that was the case, then it was understandable why they hadn''t encountered any dungeon monsters yet.


    So, if they just keep walking, they would eventually reach the armory. Given the fact that they hadn''t encountered any dungeon monsters yet, then it was highly likely that the armory wouldn''t be occupied by a high number of monsters either.


    "Master?"


    Yong-Ho stopped and stared at the map, causing Catalina to call out to him with a gentle curiosity. Instead of answering, Yong-Ho looked forward. He answered with his eyes half-closed.


    "I''m certain. I can sense something emanating from this direction."


    Greed, which was still reacting to the gold mine, had to strongly covet a new prey.


    Forwards.


    It wasn''t that far.


    They walked through another room. Yong-Ho had a hunch. He raised his hand and stopped the party.


    "Wait for a moment. It might be the next room."


    The Kobold and Jon knew exactly what Yong-Ho meant. They both no longer maintained a relaxed composure and instead adopted a defensive stance.


    Catalina wordlessly glanced at Yong-Ho. Their eyes met for a brief second. Yong-Ho then tightened his grip on Aamon and walked towards the wall. After standing by the door for a moment, he commanded the Kobold to open the door.


    [The room has been activated!]


    As soon as the Kobold opened the door, the Spirit of the Dungeon provided mana to the inactive room. The lights drove the darkness away.


    Moments later.


    When Yong-Ho couldn''t detect any reaction from the room, he looked towards Catalina. Catalina pulled down her hood and pricked up her ears. She nodded with satisfaction, she couldn''t hear anything significant from inside.


    Yong-Ho waited for Catalina to pull up her hood again and then completely opened the door. He then entered the room alongside Skull and Jon.


    Unlike the other rooms, this room was quite large in size. The area was around three times larger and was especially long in length, with a large iron door at its end.


    "The armory''s door is precisely identical to its recorded description."


    Catalina spoke as she looked at the door adorned with an engraving of a wolf devouring the moon. The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke as well.


    [I can feel a strong energy beyond that door. Be careful, master.]


    Yong-Ho also felt it. He decided to concentrate on the surrounding flow of mana. Green flames blossomed out of his eyes as if he had activated the Power of Evolution.


    The demon world was created by mana. Every creature possessed it, from the smallest of creatures and to the mightiest of demons.


    Each being''s mana had different characteristics.


    The color and attribute.


    Through the Power of Evolution, Yong-Ho was able to read a spirit''s potential. The skill also revealed the color and the attributes of their mana.


    Therefore, Yong-Ho didn''t just feel the flow of the mana. It was possible for him to physically observe it.


    Beyond the iron door.


    Just like the Spirit of the Dungeon had mentioned. He could see a strong emanation of mana. The mana was stronger than the giant demon he had fought before.


    Heat. Flame. Vivid yellow.


    The mana rose up like a haze in-between the iron door. The mana created a whirlpool and quickly started to flow faster.


    Yong-Ho yelled.


    "To the side!"


    Kobold and Jon, who had been on high alert, quickly flung their bodies towards the right wall. While Yong-Ho grabbed Catalina by her waist and threw himself to the left, Catalina stretched out her hand and grabbed Skull, who had just been standing there with a blank expression.


    An empty space was created.


    Rumble!


    The heat wave moved at an extremely fast rate. With a loud bang, it crushed the iron door causing it to burn with yellow smoke.


    A pillar of flame.


    The Kobold and Jon shook in fear. Skull''s jaw dropped blankly, while Yong-Ho inspected the room beyond the damaged door. Catalina suddenly yelled.


    "Salamander!"


    Yong-Ho saw it as well. Something was burning in the darkness with the silhouette of a large lizard. Vivid yellow flames enveloped its entire body causing it to look more akin to a living flame than a dungeon monster.


    Yong-Ho quickly asked.


    "Is it a flame spirit or something? Does it not have an actual body?"


    In one of Yong-Ho''s favorite games, a salamander usually appeared as a flame spirit. Catalina hastily answered.


    "It''s not completely a spirit. It''s similar, but it''s more akin to a fire demon that survives by devouring mana!"


    After Catalina answered him, she quickly jumped off the ground. Yong-Ho also hurriedly stood up. The salamander had started to move.


    ''Just one enemy!''


    There weren''t many monsters like last time. Just one. The flame that burned the air seemed terrifying, but if fire was its only weapon, then there was a way they could defeat it. Yong-Ho tightened his grip on Aamon.


    "Roar!"


    The salamander roared and released fire from its mouth, as it walked out of the armory. The salamander''s length was around four meters long.


    With an opponent like that, there was nothing Jon and Kobold could possibly do. Yong-Ho exchanged a glance with Catalina again. They instantly understood the other''s intention, shared by the bond of spirit and master, and both started to run in opposite directions.


    "This way!"


    Catalina kicked off the ground and yelled as if she was provoking it. Similar to the incident when Yong-Ho was on her back, she agilely jumped from the ground to the wall, to the ceiling, and then back to the ground again.


    Catalina''s flashy movements caused the salamander to focus its attention on her. The salamander suddenly sprinted towards her and spat out a cone of fire. Just like a real lizard, its movement was extremely fast.


    Catalina didn''t scream. Even though she was usually quite clumsy, she was still the guard of the House of Mammon and the strongest soldier within the dungeon. Instead of shaking in fear, she focused on the Salamander''s movements. While maintaining her focus, she wielded her crossbow and fired shots at the salamander.


    However, despite her attack, the salamander didn''t slow down. The arrows hit the salamander''s body but weren''t enough to pierce through its thick skin.


    "Catalina!"


    Yong-Ho yelled. Catalina promptly kicked off the wall and widened the distance between her and the salamander. Her attention was now focused on Yong-Ho.


    "Master!"


    Catalina unknowingly yelled. She couldn''t control herself.


    Yong-Ho rushed towards the salamander. He resembled a charging lanceman, with green flames starting to emanate out of Aamon. Unrestrained, Aamon''s flames started to resemble a wild animal.


    "Roar!"


    The salamander suddenly turned its head towards Yong-Ho and spat out a ball of fire. Since he was so close, dodging was difficult. However, that wasn''t a problem. Yong-Ho had no intention of dodging it in the first place.


    "Roaaaaaar!"


    At the same time, the salamander roared. Aamon''s green flame charged straight through the flames of the salamander. Flame ate flame.


    It was a gamble, but he succeeded. The distance between Yong-Ho and the salamander immediately closed. Aamon pierced through the salamander''s side.


    "Roaar!"


    The salamander shrieked and violently struggled. Flames emanated not just from its mouth, but from its entire body. It was hot. It was a terrifying heat with the power to even melt steel. However, Yong-Ho didn''t back down. Aamon''s flames shielded Yong-Ho from the fire. He twisted Aamon and further pushed it into the salamander.


    ''Move!''


    It was tiring for him even with his strengthened body. Yong-Ho used all of his strength to further pierce the Salamander causing it to let out a painful scream and push him to the side.


    "Skullll!"


    Skull unexpectedly provided assistance.


    His large, sturdy hammer drew a beautiful line through the air and vertically smashed the head of the Salamander.


    The salamander was a fire demon. It was a tough being, however, due to the shock that it suddenly received, it couldn''t come back to its senses. On top of that, Skull didn''t stop there.


    "Skkkkkkulll!"


    Skull swung his hammer around with craze and continued to hit the salamander on the head. Yong-Ho, who was just trying to corner the salamander into a wall to prevent it from moving, and couldn''t help but just watch Skull with a blank face.


    "S-Skull is of more help than Catalina?!"


    Yong-Ho accidentally expressed his thoughts and caused Catalina to flinch. Suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to best Skull, she quickly kicked off the ground.


    However, there wasn''t much left for Catalina to do.


    The Salamander, who repeatedly had its head smashed by Skull''s hammer, was almost in a comatose state and was unable to even move its body, unable to use its flames.


    Catalina walked up next to Yong-Ho and unsheathed her dagger, however, she didn''t know where to use it.


    Skull then raised up his hammer and roared as if taunting Catalina.


    "Skkkkull! Skkkkull!"


    Yong-Ho watched them and couldn''t help but laugh. He had used up all of his mana at once to defeat the salamander, but thanks to Skull, they were able to win easier than expected.


    ''Shall we finish it?''


    Yong-Ho pulled out Aamon from the salamander''s side and looked at the defeated beast. Maybe it was because it was still stunned, but now that its flames looked really weak and it just looked like an ordinary lizard.


    Like the giant, he had to absorb the salamander''s spirit. However, in order to do so, he had to kill the salamander first.


    Yong-Ho''s eyes turned cold. His greed for the spirit overwhelmed any uncertainty about killing a living creature. He gulped without knowing.


    Absorbing spirit not only felt pleasurable but increased his mana as well.


    Yong-Ho raised Aamon. And right before he pierced it into the monster, Catalina grabbed his arm.


    "Pl-please wait, master."


    Catalina suddenly froze in place after speaking. Yong-Ho had a terrifying expression in his eyes after she interrupted him from killing and absorbing the spirit.


    However, that was only for a moment. Yong-Ho regained his consciousness and caught his breath. After shaking his head once, he spoke.


    "What is it, Catalina?"


    Yong-Ho had regained his composure. As a spirit that belonged to the dungeon, grabbing the owner''s arm and interrupting him was considered quite disrespectful.


    Catalina let out a sigh of relief and gulped. She spoke while pointing towards the salamander.


    "The salamander is a fire spirit. If you tame it properly, it''ll definitely become a Rank Three spirit. It''s already lost and I''m sure it realized that its flames are no match against yours, so I''m sure it would be possible for you to tame it."


    Yong-Ho didn''t quite understand everything Catalina was talking about, but he grasped the general concept.


    Now that he thought about it, Eligor did mention something about taming the dungeon monsters in the prison.


    Yong-Ho looked at the salamander again.


    The salamander was definitely a strong spirit. If Yong-Ho didn''t have Aamon, then there was no way he would be able to fight it. It wouldn''t have been odd if the previous owners had to give up on obtaining the armory because of it.


    And he would be able to have such a salamander as his subordinate.


    Yong-Ho sheathed Aamon. He did what Catalina had suggested.


    "Good job, Catalina. You managed to get the salamander''s attention during the battle. You''re definitely my guard."


    He petted her head while complimenting her, which caused her ears to start to flutter.


    "It''s nothing. I''m just doing my job as your guard."


    At the same time, she cutely glanced over at Skull.


    Trying not to laugh, Yong-Ho called over Jon and the Kobold, who were standing in the corner. Now, it was time for them to fulfill their actual goal.


    "Okay, let''s empty¡­ no, let''s check it out."


    Yong-Ho commanded the group and the spirits followed Catalina''s lead.

 24 Armed 3

    "Okay? Stand here and if you think that the salamander is going to wake up, whack it on its head to make it pass out again."


    Looking down at the fainted salamander, Yong-Ho explained his instructions to Skull. Skull nodded while lifting up its hammer in a readied position.


    ''I am a bit worried though.''


    He was more concerned about the salamander rather than Skull. He was concerned that it might be left with a permanent disability after being hit on the head so many times.


    ''I don''t think it''s going to wake up anytime soon, so hopefully, we''ll be finished before anything happens.''


    Plus, it was more disadvantageous to him to cause any additional injuries to the salamander. And Yong-Ho was the type of person to minimize the risk.


    "Okay, next...Kobold, you stay with Skull."


    The Kobold flinched and started to drool while he stared towards the armory.


    Kobolds were low-ranked spirits, along with the Goblins, and were known to be true to their nature. If there was an item in front of them, then there was a high possibility that they would steal it.


    At Yong-Ho''s command, the Kobold had a disappointed expression, but as soon as Catalina glared at him he whimpered and lowered his head.


    A few minutes after beating the salamander.


    Yong-Ho had organized everything and started to head towards the armory alongside Catalina and Jon.


    Beyond the half-crushed iron door, all he could see was darkness. Yong-Ho called out to the Spirit of the Dungeon before he entered.


    [Dungeon Facility: control of the armory will be regained. Activation requires almost all of the remaining mana, Master.]


    [There''s a high chance that you may feel symptoms of dizziness. Are you willing to proceed?]


    He knew she was worried, but he couldn''t back down now. His goal was right in front of him.


    "Of course."


    As soon as Yong-Ho approved, the Spirit of the Dungeon immediately proceeded. She first gathered all of Yong-Ho''s remaining mana and then activated the armory.


    ''Gah.''


    The Spirit of the Dungeon wasn''t lying. Yong-Ho''s legs suddenly became incredible which caused him to stumble for a second, but he soon regained his balance.


    "It''s fine. I''m just a little tired."


    Yong-Ho tried his best to concentrate, while Catalina looked at him with worried eyes. He observed the darkness within the armory.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke.


    [The armory is now under our control. Proceeding to turn on the lights.]


    Shortly after speaking, just like any other room, beads of lights started to appear on the ceiling.


    "Has the salamander been living here for decades?"


    As the darkness disappeared, Yong-Ho quietly mumbled to himself, and Catalina immediately answered.


    Yong-Ho nodded at her reasonable explanation. And seconds later. The darkness within the armory disappeared.


    The armory was bigger than what he expected. Both sides of the walls were filled with shelves which were in turn filled with weapons, such as swords and spears, and other assorted gear, such as armor. There seemed to be over a dozen items at a glance.


    A natural smile was drawn across Yong-Ho''s face.


    These were the weapons that the previous owners had collected, for the spirits that lived during those times.


    Among them, was a variety of good and bad weapons. Despite having exhausted his mana, the Greed in his soul began to strongly react.


    [ I''ve not detected any traps within the armory. However, there may be some cursed items. Please be careful when wearing them.]


    Yong-Ho nodded his head and began to walk forwards. As always, Greed led him forth.


    ''First of all, more importantly than a weapon, I need some form of defense.''


    Yong-Ho did his best to let Greed guide his mind.


    Whatever the Greed longed for the most. That was the item that he needed the most.


    Given that he already had Aamon, the weapons weren''t even worth looking at.


    Right now, Yong-Ho needed strong defensive equipment.


    His senses stretched out in all directions and then focused in on one area. Greed didn''t struggle against Yong-Ho''s will. Instead, it acknowledged it and led the way.


    Yong-Ho continued to walk forwards. He walked past a smoky mark on the ground, where the Salamander must have curled up and fallen asleep. Instead of looking at the weapons, such as the spears or the swords, on the shelves, he decided to walk straight ahead.


    He could feel the slight flow in mana. It was most likely the magical weapons within the armory emitting varying amounts of mana. However, Greed had no interest in them. It only focused on the item that would fill Yong-Ho''s desire.


    A well-made chain armor suddenly entered Yong-Ho''s vision. The armor was made up of numerous carefully woven small chains and despite having spent decades locked away in the armory, it looked almost brand new.


    However, this wasn''t what he desired. Yong-Ho passed by the chain armor. And finally, he stopped in front of a shelf located in the innermost part of the armory.


    The type of gear he was expecting wasn''t there. Rather, instead, there was a small, elegant wooden box sitting on the shelf.


    A symbol of a wolf consuming the moon had been engraved onto it.


    It was the symbol of the owner from three generations ago, Kaiwan. Yong-ho carefully opened the box.


    ''A ring?''


    A silver ring was stored inside the box surrounded by a red cloth. There was a small, round plate on top of the ring, in the area typically where a gem would be attached. On the plate was another engraving of Kaiwan''s symbol.


    It was a magic ring. Even though he hadn''t worn it yet, he could strongly feel its mana.


    But why?


    It felt familiar. It didn''t feel strange at it.


    Just like the Spirit of the Dungeon had warned him, wearing a magical item without proper examination was extremely dangerous. However, regardless of that, Yong-Ho picked up the ring. It wasn''t because he was blinded by Greed''s desire.


    This ring wouldn''t harm him.


    He somehow knew. He could feel it.


    The ring was fairly small in size and looked more fit for a woman''s finger, but as the ring approached his finger, the hole suddenly widened.


    Yong-Ho took a deep breath and pushed the ring onto his finger. He absorbed the mana possessed by the ring.


    Gray hair.


    It was a slightly different shade from Catalina''s, which was closer to white.


    A beautiful white, yet stern face of a woman appeared in his mind. However, it soon disappeared like smoke.


    The mana felt both strange, yet familiar.


    Yong-Ho understood. This was the mana of the owner from three generations ago. Her power, no, a part of her power was contained within this ring.


    The Queen of Distortion, Kaiwan.


    Although Yong-Ho didn''t have a direct connection with her, she too was a descendant of the King of Greed, Mammon. He was able to feel that from the lingering mana inside the ring.


    Yong-Ho injected a little of his mana into the ring. He brought out Kaiwan''s power.


    Light reflected from the ring on his left hand. The light formed a small tray sized distortion in front of him. The Power of Distortion had created the Shield of Distortion.


    The shield soon disappeared again. Yong-Ho didn''t have enough mana to maintain the power for long.


    ''It uses up a lot of mana.''


    But he couldn''t ignore its effects. He hadn''t tested it out yet, but Yong-Ho had an idea of how it worked. The Power of Distortion distorted space. Such a shield in combat would be incredibly powerful.


    ''While it is small, but still, I can understand why Greed would desire it.''


    In a way, it was exactly the kind of defense that Yong-Ho wanted. It wasn''t heavy and it was something he could activate at any time, as long as he injected it with mana. He could easily use it while fighting with Aamon.


    ''The owner from three generations ago.''


    He never imagined she would be such a beautiful woman.


    Yong-Ho smiled bitterly as he closed the box and turned around. Jon and Catalina were busy wandering around the armory while looking at the different equipment.


    Yong-Ho asked Catalina, after noticing her looking at the chain armor.


    "Catalina, are you able to analyze that item? Or check to see what kind of magic was cast on it."


    While Yong-Ho was able to check Kaiwan''s ring, it was still impossible for him to properly examine the other items. It was unlikely that all the magical items in the armory solely contained mana from the House of Mammon.


    Catalina answered right away as if she had thought ahead.


    "Eligor should be able to analyze the magical items. It may not be a perfect analysis, but he should be able to easily tell if it''s cursed or not."


    That was enough. Yong-Ho nodded happily.


    "Okay, first let''s gather all the items that have magic cast on them. We can come back later, but let''s try and take as much as we can just now."


    "Yes, Master."


    Catalina answered right away. Jon, who was standing nearby, nodded his head as well.

 25 Armed 4

    "We should''ve brought a cart or something."


    There were around forty-odd different items within Kaiwan''s Armory. Among them, was a total of seven magical items.


    One helmet, two armors, three swords, and one shield.


    He could carry them by himself if he wore them, but since he wasn''t able to equip them right now, he had no choice but to just carry them individually by hand.


    He handed the items out to Skull, Jon, and the Kobold though he decided to just give the Kobold a shield so he wouldn''t be able to hide it away. After handing them the items, Yong-Ho approached the salamander in the corner of the room.


    Its movements still looked extremely sluggish, as if it was still recovering from being hit on the head so many times.


    When it noticed that Yong-Ho was approaching it, it began to bare its teeth and growl, but that didn''t last for long. As soon Yong-Ho slightly raised Aamon, the salamander immediately backed down and when Skull raised his hammer, it even started to whimper.


    Judging from its appearance it seemed to recognize the fact that it couldn''t beat them, just like Catalina had said. Yong-Ho asked Catalina.


    "How do I register the dungeon monster as a dungeon spirit? Is it the same as registering ordinary spirits?"


    "It''s quite different, but what you personally have to do is fairly similar. You can leave the more complex tasks to the Spirit of the Dungeon. The important thing is that the dungeon monster needs to be willing to submit to you."


    The salamander seemed to have already submitted itself. So, Yong-Ho took a step closer towards the salamander and slightly raised his hand. He then placed his left hand above the salamander''s head and called the Spirit of the Dungeon.


    [Would you like to register the salamander as a dungeon spirit?]


    [More mana will be required than the typical dungeon spirit.]


    "Since Master has already consumed a lot of mana, would you like to use the remaining mana in the dungeon instead?]


    Just as Catalina had said, what Yong-Ho needed to do was similar. As soon as he confirmed with the Spirit of the Dungeon, a small, white magic circle was drawn between Yong-Ho''s palm and the salamander''s head.


    [Registration complete. The salamander is now a dungeon spirit.]


    As if to prove it, a complex looking white magic circle suddenly appeared on the salamander''s forehead.


    Perhaps because it was a dungeon monster, but it seemed to be treated differently by spirits hired from the Dungeon Market.


    The salamander had now been acquired. Yong-Ho felt great with the current situation but he suddenly became curious. He asked aloud.


    "Can I use the remaining mana in the dungeon?"


    If it was possible for him to inject his own mana into the dungeon, wouldn''t a reverse also be possible?


    [What''s the difference?]


    [During the absorption process, you would expect to lose around 30% of the mana.]


    It was a tolerable rate. Furthermore, Yong-Ho didn''t require that much mana anyway for what he was about to do.


    Following the guidance of the Spirit of the Dungeon, Yong-Ho absorbed a part of the remaining mana. It was amazing the way the mana flowed into his body from the ceiling and the floor.


    "Okay, let''s give it a try."


    Yong-Ho smiled as green flames blossomed from his eyes. The Power of Evolution started to analyze the salamander.


    [Race: Salamander (M)]


    [Class: Evil Spirit (Mid-Rank)]


    [Main Element: Fire]


    [Main Stats: Physique / Strength]


    [Evolution Rate: 0/100]


    Perhaps it was because Yong-Ho had become stronger, but now he was able to see the "Class" category. To test it, he looked at Catalina, who was standing next to him.


    [Name: Catalina (F)]


    [Race: Half Succubus / Half Dark Elf]


    [Class: Demon (Mid-Rank)]


    [Main Elements: Wind / Darkness | Secondary Elements : Thunder / Water / Earth]


    [Main Stats: Succubus - Charm / Mana | Dark Elf - Agility / Courage]


    [Evolution Rate : 70/100]


    Catalina, too, had another category show up.


    ''A mid-ranked demon.''


    Yong-Ho wanted to analyze Skull as well, but instead, he looked back at the salamander. He wasn''t able to absorb a lot of the dungeon''s mana.


    [Physique - Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï (2)] -\u003e [Development routes will be revealed upon advancement]


    [Agility - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)] -\u003e [Development routes will be revealed upon advancement]


    [Mana - Level 2 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Strength - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    As expected, they''ve already developed quite a lot.


    Moreover, the additional information regarding the evolutionary routes was quite useful.


    Yong-Ho slowly raised his finger into the air. When he touched the physique category, an interesting silhouette of the salamander''s development was revealed. It showed the already large salamander to have grown even larger. Although it was just an estimate, it must have grown at least 1.2 times.


    Yong-Ho then examined its agility. Since it had high evolutionary potential, he was excited to see the results.


    Once again, a silhouette was drawn in the air. Yong-Ho unknowingly yelled aloud.


    "Wings?!"


    Because of his sudden yell, all of the dungeon spirits, including the salamander, looked at Yong-Ho in surprise.


    Yong-Ho took a deep breath and looked at the silhouette again. When evolving through the agility route, the salamander would develop wings that resembled a bat''s. Other than that there wasn''t a huge difference, except that its body became slimmer.


    ''It also stated that further development routes would be revealed upon advancement in agility...''


    He couldn''t be completely sure as of right now. But, Yong-Ho could safely assume.


    It would be possible for him to develop the salamander into a flying monster. Ultimately, it may even resemble a dragon.


    A wide smile appeared on his face. It was a good thing he had listened to Catalina and accepted the salamander as a dungeon spirit rather than killing it.


    "Well done. Good job, Catalina!"


    Yong-Ho patted Catalina on the shoulder and lavished praise upon her. Catalina awkwardly smiled and expressed gratitude at the sudden compliment, but was still rather pleased since it was a compliment nonetheless.


    "Whew, great. Let''s go back."


    Yong-Ho stopped using the Power of Evolution and looked back at everyone and said.


    Just the thought of going back and getting Eligor to inspect the magical items made him feel good. He also planned to further evolve some of his spirits after he recovered some of his mana


    Yong-Ho took the lead, while Catalina and the rest followed behind. The salamander did the same.


    ***


    Somehow, not only Eligor but all of the spirits knew in advance of his return and were awaiting him in the throne room.


    Eligor, on behalf of all the spirits, respectively greeted Yong-Ho on his return.


    "You have returned, Master."


    "How did you know?"


    The Goblins usually slept in the corner of the throne room, so they could have been together there by chance, but that wasn''t the case for the Treant.


    This was the first time he had seen the Treant in this room.


    Eligor explained with a smile.


    "I was contacted by the Spirit of the Dungeon. As a spirit that belongs to this dungeon, I''m able to have simple conversations with her, but I''m unable to talk with her in detail like you do Master."


    Now that he thought about it when the dungeon was attacked a few days ago, Eligor had called all the spirits and locked the door.


    Yong-Ho slightly nodded his head and indicated to Catalina and the other spirits to place the magic items down in one location.


    "We only brought the magical items for now. We''ll go and bring the other equipment later."


    "Ohh¡­"


    Upon looking at the magical item, tears started to form in Eligor''s eyes. It was inevitable. It was the armory that the previous owners had given up on finding.


    "You have done a great job, Master."


    Eligor spoke while trying to restrain his emotions. Yong-Ho shrugged.


    "It wasn''t just me that worked. Everyone did well. Skull and¡­"


    Yong-Ho stopped talking for a moment and lightly rolled his eyes. He noticed Catalina pricking up her ears.


    "Catalina, especially, did a fantastic job."


    At Yong-Ho''s comment, Catalina slightly bowed her head in an attempt to subtly hide her sudden joyful expression. Skull, however, was widely expressing his glee by swinging his hammer around in the air.


    Both of them were the dungeon''s most reliable treasures.


    Eligor spoke while wiping away his tears.


    "I''ve prepared water for you to wash in and food for you as well. Please take some to rest."


    He was able to smell the food. Yong-Ho was desperate to take a rest, but he felt the urgent need to first inspect the magical items.


    "Does it take a long time to examine the magical items? Are there any items that are required other than mana?"


    "In some cases, strong magical items require special preparations to be made, but usually weaker items can be inspected right away. And¡­ since the items within the armory that belonged to the owner three generations ago. Even if there were cursed items, they would only activate when worn by someone outside of the House of Mammon."


    As if he prepared the answer in advance, Eligor answered Yong-Ho''s questions with ease. Yong-Ho tilted his head.


    "Huh? It''s possible to tell the difference?"


    "The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon are registered to the dungeon. It''s like a magical tattoo in order to differentiate them."


    In short, there was no real reason to be concerned about the curse.


    ''Come to think of it, there wasn''t a curse on the ring either.''


    Convinced, Yong-Ho nodded his head. If the items weren''t cursed, then they could just use each of the items to check their effects.


    However, it was then that Catalina quietly coughed, attracting Yong-Ho''s attention. She pointed to the passage behind them with her eyes.


    "Oh, come to think of it, introductions have been overdue."


    Yong-Ho spoke and Catalina immediately reacted.


    "I''ll go get them."


    As soon as he mentioned introductions, Eligor just stood there and blinked. It was the same for Ron and the other Goblins.


    Moments later, Eligor loudly exclaimed as Catalina passed through the opened door.


    "Salamander!"


    The Goblins were taken aback in fear after seeing the giant lizard covered in flames. Even the Treant was floundering in surprise.


    "You subjugated the monster guarding the armory?"


    Eligor struggled to talk while panting. Yong-Ho nodded.


    "Yeah. It was Catalina''s idea."


    However, it seemed that Eligor didn''t really hear anything after the word ''yeah''. After he admired the salamander for a few seconds, he looked up at Yong-Ho.


    "By Mammon! I can''t help but be amazed at your ability."


    Not only had he reclaimed the armory that the previous owners had to give up, but he had managed to subdue the salamander, who was the cause of their strife. It had only been around ten days since Yong-Ho had ascended the throne, so it was quite an outstanding achievement.


    .


    Instead of nonchalantly shrugging, he patted Eligor on the shoulder. He then headed, along with the other spirits, to the dinner earlier prepared by Eligor.


    Eligor had prepared a lot after hearing the news of Yong-Ho''s success at retaking the armory, but sadly, the food wasn''t all that special.


    Lacking clothing, food, and shelter, they were on the borderline between poverty and self-sufficiency.


    Their main source of food came from whatever Catalina had hunted down and the grain provided by the Dungeon Market from their advance payment. At first, it seemed like quite a generous amount, but since they now had a lot more mouths to feed, Yong-Ho felt that it was a bit lacking.


    After eating a pancake, Yong-Ho looked at Eligor.


    "Hey, Eligor."


    "Yes, Master?"


    "How do you earn money in the demon world?"


    In the human world, nobles would live off the taxes that they received from their territory.


    If the equivalent was true in the demon world, then for demon kings, dungeons would become their territory. However, he found it questionable whether it was possible to generate an income through this dungeon.


    Instead of giving an immediate answer, Eligor thought for a second and then spoke.


    "I''m not sure how it works in your human world¡­ but I believe that money earned here is quite similar."


    The demon world was a place where people lived within demon families. Even though the world was ruled by law of the jungle, society couldn''t be maintained simply through the act of killing...


    "There are several ways you can earn money through the dungeon."


    Eligor didn''t feel the need to lower his voice. Catalina was the only person that was interested in Yong-Ho''s current conversation. The Goblins and the Kobold were busy stuffing their faces with all the food in front of them, whereas Skull was just rolling around the floor as usual.


    "The main method is to trade various items that are produced within the dungeon."


    It was the most obvious answer. Eligor continued to talk.


    "We don''t have the facilities for the moment, but¡­ there are a variety of ways to produce items within the dungeon. There are dungeons that grow various medicinal and magical plants whereas there are dungeons that purely just trade mana. The previous owner raised a variety of magical plants."


    Yong-Ho could grow and sell various items within the dungeon, similar to how a farmer would grow and sell crops.


    However, there were methods other than just selling simple items.


    "In some cases, profits could be made by buying and selling spirits."


    "I don''t know about later, but that''s something I want to avoid for now."


    Yong-Ho immediately spoke up and Eligor admired him.


    "You''re most wise, Master."


    Yong-Ho had the Power of Evolution, which allowed him to evolve spirits.


    After purchasing low-ranked spirits like Skeletons and Goblins, he could evolve them and then later resell them to quickly generate money, even if they weren''t worth as much as mid-ranked spirits.


    However, then the world would know of Yong-Ho''s existence.


    Spirits that had evolved were too conspicuous. If those spirits were shown at the market, it would generate a lot of attention in the demon world.


    The House of Mammon was still too weak. Now was not the time to let the demon world know about Yong-Ho''s existence and that he had come from the human world.


    "Also¡­ I can''t say that it''s really a good method, but after repelling invaders, there are times when you can obtain good loot from them."


    "Just like the guy I took down last time?"


    The green cape that Yong-Ho was currently wearing had belonged to that guy. Eligor further expressed the pros and cons.


    "There are times when intruders are part of the same demon family, however, there are also times when invaders may be from the human world."


    "From the human world?"


    "Yes, and with all due respect, you''re technically regarded as from that world as well. Since, of course, you were born and raised there."


    Of course, Eligor was right. He continued his explanation.


    "Sometimes certain areas within the demon world ''connect'' to the human world. Even when a connection is created, usually nothing bad happens and it''s resolved peacefully, however¡­"


    "There are exceptions."


    "A dungeon owner may sometimes enter the human world and carry out an attack and vice versa. No matter which side wins, they''re often able to reap substantial gains. There have been a couple of demons in the past that grew at an extremely fast rate because of this."


    In short, that meant human soldiers had fought with demons of a dungeon.


    Yong-Ho briefly recalled the games that he had played in the past and a frown appeared on his face. He was now considered the boss monster that protected the dungeon.


    "That''s not something I would particularly like to do."


    "It doesn''t happen that often, so you don''t have to worry about it."


    After finishing the conversation with a warm smile, Eligor focused on his food again.


    Yong-Ho ate the rest of his pancakes and drank a cup of water. Even though he had achieved considerable gains today, he still had a long way to go.


    ''I must obtain that gold mine.''


    However, recapturing it wasn''t going to be easy. There were a lot of Crazy Ants and Slimes, and he was unsure of what other dangers might be lurking inside the mine, including the Queen Ant.


    ''But still.''


    It''s something he could take his time with. At first, Catalina and Eligor were the only spirits in the desolate dungeon, but now, they had made considerable progress.


    Come to think of it, it was a bizarre story.


    Just two weeks ago, Yong-Ho was the son of a chicken restaurant owner and was a freshman in computer science.


    ''But now, he was both a dungeon owner and a demon king.''


    In the end, it wasn''t a light situation. He could have lost his life from the invading demons who were targeting the heart of the dungeon.


    But Yong-Ho couldn''t deny it. For the moment, he was enjoying every day he had spent in the dungeon.


    Were these the feelings of Yong-Ho himself or was it the influence of Greed?


    Yong-Ho decided not to think too deeply into it. Either way, that was how he felt.


    To become stronger. To gain wealth. To move forward.


    Those were his goals, he also wanted to install the ''Space Door'' to get back to the human world.


    How far would he be able to go?


    What would he find along the way?


    Yong-Ho didn''t try to find the answer.


    He looked at the spirits. He possessed the same warm smile as Eligor.

 26 Elite

    Law of the Jungle.


    Survival of the Fittest.


    However, there wasn''t just one absolute power in the demon world.


    There were six demon kings that ruled across the lands.


    Typically, one owner ruled one dungeon.


    However, that wasn''t a rule. It was just the general case.


    There were demon kings that ruled several dungeons. Each of the owners of those dungeons were under their command.


    And for the six demon kings, who were regarded as the pinnacle power of the demon world, ruled over dozens of dungeons.


    The southeast side of the demon world.


    The King of Gluttony, who ruled over one of the seven territories.


    Commanded 43 owners and owned 60 dungeons.


    "Beautiful."


    The King of Gluttony spoke. He had a deep and rough voice.


    The king was of a massive size.


    He had a height that reached three meters tall, with shoulders that looked like castle walls, and two long thick arms that dragged across the floor. His arms were so huge that they looked more like pillars that supported his massive frame.


    His jaw was so well developed that it now resembled a trapezoid. Whereas his teeth that were shown whenever he spoke looked more like they belonged to a shark.


    The King of Gluttony slightly squinted his eyes. He raised his head, that was adorned with six horns and observed the spirit in front of him. The large, white fabric that covered his purple skin fluttered slightly in the breeze.


    In front of the king, a large monster politely bowed its head. The monster was so large that the room, which had a ceiling about twenty meters high, felt quite cramped


    The monster was a Bone Dragon.


    It was considered to be one of the highest-ranked undead spirits.


    The dragon''s body reached dozens of meters in length. And when it would spread out its wings and take flight, it was as if its body covered the entire sky.


    "I''m glad you like it."


    A brown-skinned Incubus stood in front of the king wearing a black suit and a warm smile upon his face. He was responsible for the transaction between the Dungeon Market and the King of Gluttony.


    The King of Gluttony spoke up again.


    "Its body seems strong. What kind of dragon was it again? Is it blue? Or red?"


    "It''s red. One of the many bloodlines of the King of Violence."


    "Oh, so it''s his descendant."


    "It''s the fourth generation. I don''t know about anything else, but when it comes to its body and physical strength, in particular, it''s safe to assume that it''s definitely the descendant of the King of Violence."


    The King of Violence, one of the six demon kings that ruled the demon world.


    He possessed one of the great Seven Miracles, the symbol of a king, and was known to be the strongest out of all of the dragons that existed within the demon world.


    "If that was the case, then he would have to take care of over dozens, maybe hundreds, of descendants. Furthermore, he''s currently resting so it can''t be helped."


    The same was true for the King of Gluttony, who too wasn''t that interested in his descendants. There was even a separate military force of just his direct descendants.


    The real reason why the King of Gluttony felt annoyed was simple. He hated the King of Violence. His existence made him feel uncomfortable.


    Demon Kings possessed not only one of the Seven Miracles but also represented the Seven Deadly Sins


    Only those that possessed both should be fit to reign over the demon world.


    Thus, shouldn''t it be a requirement to possess one of the Seven Deadly Sins in order to fight for dominance over the demon world?


    The King of Violence.


    He wasn''t part of the Seven Deadly Sins. He just had one of the Seven Miracles that the other kings had.


    The King of Gluttony frowned slightly to express their displeasure and gazed upon the dragon again. After thinking about the descendant of the King of Violence becoming his spirit, it made him feel a bit better.


    "What happened to the purchase of the Death Knight and the Elder Lich that we talked about before?"


    "Since you wanted the transaction to be done discreetly, it will take more time. Furthermore, since there aren''t that many high-ranked spirits, there are many who are quite sensitive to the information about their number."


    The six kings were currently standing against each other and information regarding transactions of high-ranked spirits were of utmost importance to them.


    The King of Gluttony stroked the giant gauntlet on his left hand, which provided the power of one of the miracles. He didn''t like the delay, but he needed time regardless to continue with his current plan.


    ''The south is empty.''


    It was the area that the great King of Greed, Mammon, once ruled over. Right now, it was just a bare empty land.


    But he had no intention of taking it. There were still dozens of dungeons there and even though they were weak, each of the dungeons still had owners.


    He couldn''t go there personally since he was a king. If he did, then the other kings would definitely rise up and confront him.


    But what if he had someone else dominate the empty southern land in his place? And what if that person then devoted themselves to himself, the King of Gluttony?


    Lots of different scenarios could potentially occur during the enactment of that plan.


    He needed to come up with different solutions to handle each one of those potential scenarios. All to surprise the other kings with his newfound power. The Bone Dragon in front of him was just the beginning of his plan.


    "I''ll wait."


    The king spoke softly and the Incubus politely offered his thanks in return.


    The dragon bowed its head.


    ***


    "That way!"


    "Aah!"


    "Aah!"


    Jon and Ron both roared in response after Yong-Ho shouted. Beside them were the two other goblins, Yon and Jun, who now specialized in agility and intellect. Instead of wielding bamboo spears, each of them now wielded a separate weapon and shield.


    Instead of fighting individually, each of the four Goblins were now together in formation.


    Ron held up his shield in the front since he was in charge of defense and specialized in stamina, whereas Jon wielded an axe to attack from the side since he specialized in strength. Yon, meanwhile, specialized in agility so he used a long lance to attack any openings from the enemies and lastly, Jun directed the other Goblins since she specialized in intelligence


    Together they formed a team that made use of each of their specialized skills.


    Yong-Ho named the goblins, Goblin Rangers, and gave them the group name, The Four Goblin Guardians. Yong-Ho was now quite satisfied by their fighting ability against the Crazy Ants and turned his attention elsewhere.


    Skull was now all equipped with a shield and armor and was mercilessly crushing the Crazy Ants before him. Yong-Ho recently evolved him from a Skeleton Soldier to a Skeleton Warrior as a reward for his fighting prowess. Before, he seemed to just randomly swing his hammer around, but now, it seemed like he planned every move.


    It had now been four days since they reclaimed Kaiwan''s armory.


    Yong-Ho now had a higher quantity of mana, thanks to his evolution and simply developing the dungeon''s facilities wasn''t enough for him.


    He had evolved the other Goblins, Catalina, and even Skull, who was now considered the dungeon''s ace.


    Reclaiming the mine with their current strength was currently impossible. That was why Yong-Ho instead focused on gaining experience.


    Instead of going directly into the mine, Yong-Ho hovered around it and hunted the nearby Crazy Ants and Slimes.


    ''This both decreases the number of enemies and allows us to gain experience. Two birds with one stone.''


    Training helped him gain experience and develop his skills, it wasn''t nearly as effective as actual combat.


    ''It would be nice if I could obtain another spirit.''


    Unfortunately, it was too difficult to obtain a spirit from either a Crazy Ant or a Slime. It was because both of the dungeon monsters, in the first place, didn''t have a lot of mana, but more importantly, there was too large of a gap between them and Yong-Ho.


    ''Even if they were part of the same family, if there was too large of a difference, you wouldn''t be able to obtain their spirit. In order to become stronger, you can only take the spirit of an opponent of similar strength or stronger.''


    Yong-Ho recalled Catalina''s explanation and turned his attention elsewhere. He saw Catalina fighting a group of Crazy Ants and Soldier Ants that recently appeared. Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution.


    [Name: Catalina (F)


    [Race: Half Succubus, Half Dark Elf]


    [Class: Spirit (Mid-Rank)]


    [Main Elements: Wind / Darkness | Secondary Elements : Lightning / Water / Earth]


    [Main Stats: Succubus - Charm / Mana | Dark Elf - Agility / Courage]


    [Evolution Rate: 99/100]


    [Succubus: Charm - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)] -\u003e [Development route opened]


    [Dark Elf: Agility - Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)] -\u003e [Development route opened]


    [Hybrid - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)] -\u003e [Development route will open once it has been evolved]


    [Succubus: Mana - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)] -\u003e [Development route opened]


    [Dark Elf: Skill - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)] -\u003e [Development route opened]


    [Succubus] / [Shadow Elf]


    Just from her information, it seemed that he should evolve her right now.


    Out of the five evolutionary routes, four of them were open for promotion.


    There were two main different evolutionary routes that Catalina could take.


    ''The routes related to the Succubus would evolve her into a Succubus while those related to the Dark Elf would evolve her into a Shadow Elf.''


    The Power of Evolution wasn''t in its most perfect form yet. Every time Yong-Ho became stronger, then his power would become stronger as well and a new category would be revealed.


    ''The level for the routes related to the Succubus are all zero. However, the development routes are still open¡­ which probably means that if selected she would evolve from being a half Succubus to a full Succubus.''


    In that sense, it was a bit vague to say that it was a simple development. Rather, it was more akin to her evolving into an entirely different being.


    Which route should he choose?


    That was Yong-Ho''s first major concern, however, now something else worried him. There was another category that made him more concerned.


    ''Hybrid.''


    The only evolutionary route that wasn''t yet open.


    What would happen if she evolved into a hybrid? What kind of development route would appear?


    Catalina was a mix between a Succubus and a Dark Elf. So instead of developing her into one of those races, wouldn''t it be better for her to keep both and use the advantages of each?


    ''The problem is that I''m not certain about anything.''


    He couldn''t just hastily evolve her, hoping for the best.


    Each evolution caused an increase in difficulty in filling the evolution rate, similar to how characters in games would require more experience points the more they leveled up. The number required still remained at 100, but it required a lot more experience to just fill one point.


    It was also hard for him to ignore the fact that depending on the evolutionary route he took the potential development of the accessible evolutionary routes would change as well.


    If it was a game character, he could refer to websites to get help or he could even first test it out and then get a new character.


    ''I should ask her about it.''


    Even though Catalina was a spirit that belonged to the dungeon, she had her own character. She wasn''t low in intelligence like the Goblin Rangers or had difficulty communicating like Skull, so it was best to go with whatever she wanted.


    "Great."


    After they defeated the Soldier Ants, then he would have a talk with her. It seemed like his evolution rate was going to reach a hundred as well.


    After making up his mind, Yong-Ho waved his finger in the air and created a window of light that contained a map of the dungeon. He examined the dungeon map which allowed him to easily grasp the current status of the dungeon.


    Catalina, Skull, and the Goblin Rangers were currently engaged with the Crazy Ants along with Yong-Ho.


    Whereas, the Treant and the Kobolds were training together in front of the throne room.


    Meanwhile, the Salamander was hunting together with Eligor outside the dungeon.


    The number of spirits now amounted to thirteen. The amount of food and mana required couldn''t be compared to when he had just first started with three members, including himself.


    ''As expected. It''s better to start off with just a few and then increase their power.''


    He couldn''t increase the number of spirits.


    He had to instead improve their power.


    It was better to create a small elite group and then target the gold mine!


    ''Hm, an elite squad.''


    Even though there weren''t enough spirits to call them a troop, it didn''t really matter. He felt that there was a certain romance and stylishness to the word, squad.


    ''It would be great if a similar level monster now appeared to help them gain experience.''


    They could both increase their evolution rate and acquire a spirit.


    Yong-Ho laughed because he even thought that it was quite a selfish request.


    However, in that moment.


    [An intruder has appeared in the dungeon!]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon called out and Yong-Ho rolled his eyes. He exchanged a quick gaze with Catalina, who was just catching her breath after defeating the remaining Soldier Ants.


    Yong-Ho and Catalina turned around at the same time. Skull and the Goblin Rangers did the same.


    All of them began to run towards the throne room.

 27 Elite 2

    "What''s the current situation?!"


    It had only been a few seconds since he had the news.


    Yong-Ho asked while still running. The Spirit of the Dungeon quickly answered.


    [There are currently five Orcs and one Imp!]


    [The enemy has broken through most of the traps. Three of the enemy Imps have been killed by the traps.]


    [The Treant and the Kobolds are preparing to face the enemy!]


    Yong-Ho clenched his teeth. There wasn''t enough time. It would be nigh impossible to join up with the others, no matter how quickly they ran.


    "Tell them to retreat to the throne room! Buy as much time as possible!"


    Even though he had already ran out of breath, he couldn''t stop. Even if it was just by a small amount, there was already some distance between him and the short-legged Goblins.


    [Inconceivable!]


    [The battle has already begun!]


    On one side were four Kobolds and the Treant.


    Whereas the enemy had five Orcs and one Imp.


    Yong-Ho could see the throne room at the end of the hall. Yong-Ho started to think. Instead of feeling regret that the battle had already begun, he quickly gathered all available information concerning the state of the battle before him.


    Five Orcs.


    One appeared to be the leader while the others looked like his subordinates.


    According to the video shown by Spirit of the Dungeon, they all seemed to be wearing similar gear.


    ''Partial armor that covers the shoulders, chest, and arms. While the leader is wearing a black helmet and armor.''


    Yong-Ho noted to himself that they all wore the same armor.


    That meant it was a uniform. The gear was provided. Which meant that they belonged to a larger group.


    Catalina, who had run ahead, opened the door in front of them. Yong-Ho continued to run. He could hear sounds of fighting beyond the door.


    ''They must be welding close-ranged weapons, such as axes or swords. There aren''t any long-distance weapons!''


    [Two Kobolds have been killed!]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon cried out. Catalina opened another door. The smell of blood suddenly filled Yong-Ho''s nose. A terrible sight entered his eyes.


    All he could see was red. It wasn''t just the corpses of the two Kobolds. An axe wielding Orc had suddenly attacked a Kobold and cut off its head. Blood spouted out and momentarily filled the air.


    "Aaaaaaahhhhhh!"


    The Treant roared aloud when a couple of its vines were suddenly cut off. The sounds of its anguished cry was filled with pain and bitterness.


    The enemy suddenly saw Yong-Ho and Catalina.


    "The owner?!"


    The leader shouted out. The Orcs that had slain the Kobolds all looked at Yong-Ho at once. One of them threw his axe at Yong-Ho.


    It was fast and precise. The hand axe flew towards Yong-Ho''s forehead. He saw it. He didn''t stop. He ran towards it and raised his left arm.


    The Power of Distortion, released from the tip of his fingers, distorted the space in front of him. The hand axe bounced off the invisible barrier. Yong-Ho grabbed Aamon. He quickly attacked the Orcs that were caught unexpectedly by the deflected axe.


    He didn''t yell out loud. He silently pierced Aamon through the abdomen of the closest Orc. After releasing its flames for a moment, he pulled it out. And continued his attack on the other Orcs.


    The Orc that had been stabbed in the stomach couldn''t even fight back. Furthermore, the other Orcs couldn''t attack Yong-Ho either. Catalina had quickly jumped in between them to aid Yong-Ho.


    With quick succession, Yong-Ho and Catalina had agilely switched places because now Catalina was rapidly using her crossbow. The first arrow pierced the cheek of one of the surprised Orcs while the second targeted the leader, however, the leader quickly raised his shield causing the arrow to bounce off.


    But it was enough. Catalina drew her sword without looking back. Like Yong-Ho, she continued her assault and immediately attacked the nearest Orc.


    "Skulllll!"


    The moment that Yong-Ho had pierced the abdomen of the Orc for the fifth time, Skull joined the fight. With a loud cry, Skull swung his hammer towards one of the Orc. But his movement was too large, which combined with his loud cry, caused him to miss. However, the Orc didn''t have any choice but to dodge the attack and through that, time and space were created.


    The Goblin Rangers suddenly arrived. Among the four Goblins, Jun was the only female and as the leader, she commanded them forth. The four Goblin Rangers formed up and immediately attacked one of the Orcs.


    A few seconds after the start of the battle.


    After the fifth and final stab, Yong-Ho pulled out Aamon and prepared his next move. He stepped back while his eyes fixated on the black armored leader. While the Orc that had been stabbed in the abdomen five times crumbled to the ground.


    Yong-Ho planned his next move.


    He already made up his mind. It was more like an instinct rather than an idea. He tightened his grip on Aamon and swung the sword in front of him. Suddenly, a wave of flames lit the atmosphere ablaze!


    Fwoosh!


    The Orcs weren''t the only ones in front of him. But Yong-Ho didn''t hesitate.


    The Orcs were caught unexpectedly by his sudden attack.


    Catalina accepted the flames. As a spirit of the dungeon, she trusted her master. Even as the flames engulfed her back, she glared at the enemy and cut off its head. The spilled blood mixed with Yong-Ho''s flames.


    "Skullllll!"


    Skull too wasn''t afraid of the fire. No, it was more like he simply wasn''t aware of the roaring fire behind him. He was too busy beating up the Orc with his hammer.


    The Goblins weren''t able to continue their attack, unlike Catalina and Skull. But, it didn''t matter. As they cowered in fear, so did the Orc. Yong-Ho''s flames faithfully played their role


    Was he trying to burn the enemy?


    No. He simply wasn''t strong enough to release fire with that level of power.


    Yong-Ho simply wanted to shock the enemy.


    And at the same time, to blind them!


    Yong-Ho ran towards the Orc that the Goblins were fighting with. After the wave of flame had disappeared, the Orc became stunned by Yong-Ho''s sudden appearance. Yong-Ho quickly attacked with Aamon by hitting its collarbone. The Orc fell backward and Yong-Ho quickly pushed his left hand into its mouth.


    He couldn''t ignore the strength of the Orc''s jaw. If it just closed their mouth, his hand could be cut off.


    However, Yong-Ho was faster. He quickly inserted his mana into Kaiwan''s ring, on his left hand.


    The Power of Distortion!


    Space suddenly distorted inside the Orc''s throat. The Orc''s neck exploded and Yong-Ho''s left arm was forcefully pushed back.


    Blood spouted out. It covered Yong-Ho''s face. However, it didn''t impede him. The moment he placed his left hand into the Orc''s mouth, he was already thinking about his next target.


    Yong-Ho and the leader looked at each other.


    "Roaaaaaaaar!"


    The leader''s roar shook the entire room. It wasn''t just a simple roar. It was loaded with strong mana.


    ''The Orcs'' battle cry!''


    Catalina recognized it. But, it was of no use. The leader''s cry had already invaded Catalina''s mind.


    The Goblins started to shriek. It was only for a moment, but Catalina felt her body become stiff. The remaining Kobold and the injured Treant started to shake in fear.


    Only Skull, an undead, was able to move freely despite the Orc''s battle cry.


    "Go!"


    The leader shouted. He commanded the Imp, the only one that hadn''t participated in the battle.


    The Imp turned around. With a ferocious smile, it kicked off the ground. Meanwhile, Skull hastily headed towards the leader.


    Yong-Ho started to quickly think. He connected all the available information.


    All the Orcs were dressed the same. And the leader made the remaining Imp run away.


    Did he acknowledge the fact that they had lost and was trying to save the remaining Imp?


    That didn''t make sense. They had been throwing the other Imps to check for traps.


    Then there was only one possible reason.


    "Catalina!"


    Yong-Ho shouted while his body was still recovering. The Imp must be stopped from informing others.


    The leader swung a large, square shield. After pushing Skull aside with it, he glared at Yong-Ho and Catalina.


    Catalina kicked off the ground. She ran after the Imp. Yong-Ho ran as well. He ran to stop the leader from going after Catalina.


    "Roaaaaaaaar!"


    "Ahhhhhhhh!"


    The leader and Yong-Ho both roared at the same time. Their gazes met.


    Flames shot up into the air. The large axe striked down like lightning.


    The Shield of Distortion wasn''t able to completely block the large axe. The power of the attack mercilessly broke Yong-Ho''s left arm. If he had endured it any longer, he could''ve really damaged his left arm.


    That then caused Yong-Ho''s attack to miss. Aamon stabbed the air and the flames simply burned the atmosphere in vain.


    "Skullllll!"


    Skull threw his hammer, saving Yong-Ho''s life. The leader stepped back and dodged the axe stopping him from performing his second attack, which allowed Yong-Ho to recover his positioning. This time, the Treant intercepted.


    "Roaaar!"


    The Treant raised up its roots. Instead of rooting itself to the ground, the roots instead stood up and shot towards the leader and Yong-Ho.


    They traveled extremely slowly. But were very intimidating alongside the Treant''s vines.


    The leader quickly widened his distance with the Treant when he noticed the vines heading towards him. However, that wasn''t something Yong-Ho would allow. The Treant''s vines were stretching out above him, but he charged forwards regardless. He wielded Aamon again.


    "Roar?!"


    The Treant quickly retracted its vines. The enemy leader raised his shield and tried to block Yong-Ho''s sudden attacks.


    Iron wall.


    Since he was now so close, the large, square shield wielded by the enemy leader looked like a large iron wall.


    But Yong-Ho didn''t care. Instead of stabbing the shield, he pointed Aamon to the ground. He had originally targeted the lower half of the leader''s body, so it didn''t seem amiss.


    The leader wore a confused expression, but it was only for a moment. Yong-Ho immediately answered.


    Fwoosh!


    Flames suddenly erupted from the end of Aamon''s tip and enveloped the lower half of the leader''s body. The attack consumed a lot of his mana, but Yong-Ho didn''t care. He clenched his teeth and stared at the leader.


    The flames didn''t envelope his entire body. However, his exposed green skin couldn''t endure the tremendous heat.


    "Gah!"


    The leader let out a painful groan and desperately swung around his axe and shield. It looked like an attempt to stop Yong-Ho from getting any closer.


    Yong-Ho stared at him with cold eyes. He gathered his remaining mana.


    "Ahhhh!"


    A sudden cry came from behind the leader. Jon had been released from the enemy leader''s war cry and used his axe to attack the leader''s back. Skull, meanwhile, had obtained one of the Orc''s axes from the ground and launched it towards the leader''s head.


    This time, the axe found its mark. It fiercely hit the leader''s armor and caused him to stagger. After coldly observing the situation, Yong-Ho raised his lance and stabbed forth. The lance pierced through the leader''s defenseless neck. As soon as he felt the lace pierce through, he poured out all of his mana.


    Yong-Ho released forth the flames of Greed. The fire entered through the leader''s neck and consumed all before it.


    The leader didn''t even have a chance to scream out in pain. He writhed around on the ground in sheer agony while emitting strange gurgling noises. And then, all of a sudden he just stopped. Aamon fell from Yong-Ho''s hand and stopped releasing its flames, however, the leader was already on his deathbed.


    Yong-Ho breathed out heavily. Instead of performing the final blow, he looked towards the direction that Catalina had run to.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon answered on behalf of Catalina.


    [Catalina had captured the Imp!]


    Yong-Ho felt relief wash over him.


    However, instead of sitting down on the ground to rest, he extended out his hand. It was to obtain the leader''s spirit.

 28 Elite 3

    As he absorbed the leader''s spirit a wave of an immense pleasure hit him, satisfying the Greed within. However, it wasn''t as powerful as before. Nor was there any satisfying aftertaste.


    The Orc leader''s physical body was stronger than the giant that had invaded before, however, he didn''t have a lot of mana. Not only did he lack mana but since Yong-Ho had already developed his own mana, it didn''t help much.


    However, that wasn''t the only reason for his dissatisfaction.


    The Kobolds had died. Out of the four, only one remained. He wasn''t sure if it was just a coincidence or perhaps fate, but it was the same one that had earlier attacked the armory with him.


    It''s only been a few days since he accepted them as allies.


    They weren''t as important to him as Catalina or Eligor.


    And he didn''t like them as much as Skull or Jon.


    Nevertheless, deep anger resonated within him.


    Yong-Ho could sense the source of this pain. The power of Greed was furious.


    They had harmed something that belonged to him.


    They had robbed him.


    They took away his possessions!


    Despite the pleasure of obtaining the spirit, Yong-Ho felt disappointed. He tightened his grip on Aamon and calmed his breath. He tried to control the anger emanating from Greed.


    Even now, time was quickly passing. If his assumptions were correct, the invading Orcs weren''t drifters like the giant was. There was a high possibility that they belonged to a dungeon.


    He had to find out. And he had to prepare.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes.


    He waited for Catalina and Eligor to return.


    ***


    Eligor and the salamander returned a couple of minutes after Catalina reappeared with the captured Imp.


    Eligor had concluded what had happened after examining the installed traps on his way back and was no longer surprised. He immediately took care of the situation in an orderly calm manner.


    Under Eligor''s command, the Goblins cleaned up the mess. Jun and Yon picked up the Orcs'' equipment while Jon and Ron moved the Orcs and Imps'' corpses into an empty room.


    Meanwhile, Skull moved the corpses of the Kobolds into a different empty room. It was a room specifically designed as a tomb for the dungeon''s fallen spirits.


    Eligor let the Treant rest. After commanding the salamander to guard the entrance, in case of another attack, he and Catalina visited Yong-Ho, who was waiting in the prison.


    About an hour after the battle.


    After managing to suppress his anger and agitation, Yong-Ho greeted Eligor with a calm expression. He wanted to take a rest after expending all his mana, but questioning the Imp took priority.


    Imps were small demons with green skin. They were smaller and weaker than a Goblin, but more agile and intelligent.


    "Begin."


    Yong-Ho commanded and Eligor immediately set to action. He opened the prison door and violently grabbed the Imp who was tied down by a rope.


    "I''ll talk! I''ll talk! I''ll tell you everything!"


    As soon as Eligor had grabbed it, the Imp started to shout frantically. However, Yong-Ho just stood still and stared while Eligor coldly examined the flailing Imp.


    The Imp couldn''t even look at them. It just closed its eyes and quickly spoke.


    "The master sent us! Master Foras! To capture the dungeon! Sir Terak said it would be easy to capture since there wasn''t an owner! They said it was for reconnaissance!"


    The name, Foras, caused Eligor''s expression to immediately change. However, he quickly covered up any change in emotion. He tightened his grip on the Imp''s neck and asked.


    "Who''s Terak?"


    "T-the dead Orc. The leader! The one that led the Orcs¡­ a-and he said that! That if there was a new owner, they would check and return right away! That they would notify Master Foras and form a proper army!"


    After quickly explaining, the Imp opened its eyes. It looked around anxiously and yelled again.


    "I''ve said everything! I told you everything! I''m not lying!"


    Yong-Ho thought so too. The Imp''s words had contained all the important information that he needed.


    The one that sent the Orcs.


    The reason why they did this. And the information regarding their future plans.


    Eligor asked again.


    "How many are there? Are there a lot of spirits like Terak?"


    "T-there is! There are dozens of Orcs! Over forty! There are three like Terak!"


    Eligor squinted his eyes. He tightened his grip again and interrogated the imp further.


    "And?"


    "A-and! I don''t know! I told you everything that I know! I''ve said everything!"


    Again, the Imp didn''t look like it was lying.


    Eligor looked back at Yong-Ho as if asking for his confirmation. Yong-Ho nodded his head. He remembered what Eligor had said when he returned to the dungeon.


    Elgior twisted the Imp''s neck. He agilely broke its neck, instantly killing it.


    "The imp had already been cast with spirit confirmation magic. It''s unlikely there was a tracking function, but¡­ it''s something we should be concerned about."


    Eligor spoke as he pointed to the small magic circle drawn on the Imp''s forehead. It was similar to the magic circle that had appeared on the salamander''s forehead.


    "Eligor, do you know about the owner, Foras?"


    "They''re one of the many owners in the southern part of the continent. They''re not that far from Mammon''s dungeon. Around a day or two travel away by horse."


    The Orcs probably traveled all the way here by foot. Although Yong-Ho couldn''t perform an exact calculation on the difference in travel speed between riding a horse and walking, he could make a rough assumption.


    "What''s the strength of their power?"


    "They''re one of the middle powers of the south, they aren''t the strongest, but they''re certainly not the weakest either. During the time when the previous owner was alive, we would sometimes make contact with them."


    It was an unexpected piece of information causing Yong-Ho to ask him further questions.


    "Were you close?"


    "No. We never actually fought against them, but¡­ they would often make us aware of their desire to obtain this dungeon and occasionally provoke us."


    "And now they''ve finally made their move."


    Yong-Ho spoke, but Eligor didn''t answer.


    The enemy had attacked.


    And, this time, they weren''t a wandering spirit that they could defeat with a single fight. They were the owner of a dungeon.


    Yong-Ho started to think. Instead of drowning in despair, he focused on the positive aspects of the situation.


    "It''s not the worst possible situation. We prevented them from obtaining any intel. If we consider the time it would take the Orcs to travel back after reconnaissance, then we still have at least a few days to spare."


    They were going to make their move regardless.


    However, there was a substantial difference in planning a move based on precise information rather than just mere assumptions.


    Since Catalina had captured the Imp, the enemy wasn''t able to receive any information. They didn''t know how powerful Mammon''s dungeon had become nor how their troops had been killed.


    The time needed for Foras''s troops to return. The time needed to wait to ensure certainty of their demise. The time needed to make a decision based on limited information.


    Yong-Ho reckoned that, compared to if the Orcs had successfully completed their mission, he should have an additional two days of time. For a total of around six to seven days. He could accomplish a lot during that time frame.


    He knew the enemy was coming.


    So how should he prepare?


    It was simple. The best defense would be to repel the enemy.


    How could he proceed?


    He had to finish designing his plans in the next couple of days.


    Yong-Ho started to calculate his choices. He decided to start with what he considered his highest priority.


    Yong-Ho looked at Catalina.


    ***


    If there was no battle, then everything could have progressed in a more tranquil manner.


    After leaving Eligor to dispose of the Imp, Yong-Ho entered the throne room with Catalina. Since there wasn''t a table for them to sit at and talk face to face, they instead sat on top of the carpet.


    Their conversation was short and concise.


    It was regarding Catalina''s current state.


    The potential routes for evolution.


    She had the choice to either choose between a Dark Elf and Succubus upon her advancement.


    Or, instead, the third possible route, the hybrid.


    Yong-Ho thoroughly explained each choice one by one with extreme care. Catalina paid close attention to every detail.


    She already experienced the Power of Evolution once before, so it was important for her to listen as closely as possible.


    "That''s all I can tell you. I''m sorry, but I can''t give you a lot of time. Think over it tonight and tell me your decision by tomorrow morning."


    It was too difficult to increase the number of their soldiers right now. So, the best possible option was to focus on strengthening their current troops.


    Yong-Ho didn''t know much about Catalina.


    Like how she became a spirit of the Mammon family or what kind of past she had.


    However, despite that, he trusted her.


    Catalina didn''t give an immediate answer. Instead of replying, she closed her eyes and after fixing her posture, she opened her eyes and spoke.


    "With all due respect."


    She paused for a moment. Her blue eyes gave away her nerves, but only for a moment.


    "I want to take the hybrid route."


    Was it because she didn''t want to give up either the Succubus or the Dark Elf blood?


    Or perhaps she wanted to keep the advantages of both sides?


    There could be many reasons. However, Yong-Ho decided not to question her decision and simply nodded his head in response.


    He had left the decision to Catalina, so all he had to do was follow her choice.


    Furthermore, the hybrid route had the same amount of evolutionary potential as the other two. Rather, it may, in fact, have more possibilities than the other routes.


    Since Catalina had already made her decision, then there was no need to waste any more time. Yong-Ho pulled Catalina up from her seat.


    "Catalina, close your eyes. Relax your body, just like before."


    Yong-Ho spoke as he stood facing her. Catalina closed her eyes as she relaxed her body.


    Yong-Ho commanded the Spirit of the Dungeon.


    "Transfer the remaining mana of the dungeon to me."


    [Understood, Master.]


    Yong-Ho''s body filled with the mana of the dungeon. He instinctively started to circulate the mana as it entered his body. He condensed it into a single portion and then split it into two again.


    Yong-Ho placed both his hands that were now enveloped in mana between Catalina''s waist and pelvis. He activated the Power of Evolution.


    Hybrid evolution.


    It was a greedy decision that didn''t give up either race.


    Yong-Ho''s mana broke through Catalina''s body.


    It brought out Catalina''s potential.

 29 Kaiwan

    He had used the Power of Evolution many times before. But this time, it was different than before. The time spent and the amount of mana required to fully trigger the evolution exceeded his expectations.


    It didn''t require a lot of mana when initially evolving a level zero ability to level one. Yong-Ho had asked the Spirit of the Dungeon to transfer the remaining mana to him in case of an emergency.


    However, nearly all his mana had been consumed in an instant.


    Not only had exhausted nearly all of his initial remaining mana but he even used up all the additional mana received from the Spirit of the Dungeon.


    However, the evolution was still not complete.


    Yong-Ho clenched his teeth and squeezed out any remaining mana he had left. If he hadn''t early absorbed the spirit from the leader of the Orcs, he probably would have failed to finish Catalina''s evolution.


    How long has it been?


    Catalina''s evolution into the hybrid route was now complete. Yong-Ho and Catalina both simultaneously collapsed to the floor. They leaned against each other and tried to catch their breath.


    Catalina''s body felt as hot as a burning fire. Yong-Ho tried his best to move despite his overwhelming exhaustion. The Spirit of the Dungeon started to speak, but he couldn''t understand what she was saying.


    He tried to move his upper body to stand up, but it was useless. Catalina had already lost consciousness as her body had fallen against his and given his exhaustion he had no strength to endure her weight, causing him to collapse as well.


    Catalina still felt hot to the touch. Yong-Ho could no longer maintain his state of consciousness. He used up too much of his mana and stamina.


    [El...gor¡­ com...!]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke again. Yong-Ho could only sparsely hear every other word and instead of answering, he fully concentrated his mind and examined Catalina.


    Right before his eyes, he noticed that Catalina''s horns were a little larger and magnificent than before.


    Regardless, it turned out well.


    Yong-Ho came to a conclusion. He closed his eyes and fainted.


    ***


    All demons were formed through mana.


    Their bones, skin, and blood all contained the essence of mana.


    Because of that, a demon could leave a part of themselves within remnants of their mana. They could leave a fragment of their consciousness or soul, they could even leave memories or a part of their power.


    It was true darkness. A complete and absolute darkness, devoid of light.


    Yong-Ho was walking through it. He didn''t possess any thoughts or feelings. He just kept on walking onwards. Moments later, he lifted his head.


    "I shall not fall."


    It wasn''t his voice. It rang in his head. Within this dark world, a dim light appeared. The light formed a figure of a small and somewhat savage young girl.


    It was a woman with grey hair. She had beautiful, but vicious eyes, which said that she wasn''t going to submit to reality. She swallowed any and all humiliation aimed at her and continued to struggle, gradually achieving more and more accomplishments.


    Inactive rooms within the dungeon were activated one by one. She didn''t stop trying to improve both the dungeon and herself.


    She thought of herself as a mighty sword piercing forwards. After experiencing humiliation, insults, and all sorts of ordeals, she knelt down. However, instead of weeping, she fought her way forwards.


    The House of Mammon should have collapsed. That was well within reason. But, she distorted that reason. Instead of collapsing, she led it to its resurrection.


    Then she found the gold mine.


    For the first time, she smiled brightly in front of her spirits.


    A house was full of ashes.


    Kaiwan, the Demon of Distortion.


    He stopped walking. The dim light that illuminated the darkness disappeared.


    Yong-Ho couldn''t clearly see the image, but he was able to understand its intent.


    Only she knew the arena''s location.


    From there she was unable to return, and the House of Mammon which had revived against all odds once again seemed that it was about to collapse.


    The light disappeared. Darkness once again filled the area.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes.


    ***


    He had a throbbing headache. It honestly felt like he had a night full of booze and was now in the midst of experiencing the resulting hangover.


    "Aah."


    Emotionlesssly, Yong-Ho voiced out his pain and blinked his eyes. He felt thirsty. He was currently in the ''cozy'' bedroom that Eligor had hurriedly made before. The ceiling was no different from the other rooms but the straw bed gave off a familiar scent.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes again. It wasn''t to sleep.


    He tried to remember, but it wasn''t easy. The only thing he could remember was the gray hair and vicious eyes.


    ''The owner from three generations ago.''


    Yong-Ho sat up. He inspected Kaiwan''s ring on his left hand.


    There was nothing else he could remember.


    "Water."


    Fortunately, there was a water jug beside his bed. After taking a few sips, Yong-Ho stood up.


    "How long have I been asleep?"


    [You''ve been asleep for 10 hours.]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon promptly answered. Instead of asking again, Yong-Ho waved his finger and displayed the current map of the dungeon in the air. Eligor was working with the Goblins and Catalina was in her bedroom, just like Yong-Ho. It seemed like she had still not woken up.


    [Catalina is in good condition. You don''t have to worry.]


    As if she read his mind, the Spirit of the Dungeon suddenly spoke to him. He thanked her for worrying about him and then ceased all communication. His body was now filled with mana, so he felt that it was certainly worth sleeping for ten hours.


    ''It increased.''


    His mana had become stronger. It wasn''t just because he obtained the Orc leader''s spirit.


    Catalina had become stronger. Which had affected Yong-Ho as well.


    If the owner grows stronger, the dungeon grows stronger


    As the dungeon grows, the owner grows...


    The spirits that served the owner belonged to the dungeon. Their body, mind, and soul were subservient to both the dungeon and the owner.


    They were, in a sense, a part of the dungeon''s very being.


    If the owner became stronger, the spirits of the dungeon became stronger.


    If the dungeon spirits became stronger, the owner became stronger.


    Although the impact wasn''t as great as the connection between the dungeon and its owner, it wasn''t small either.


    Yong-Ho swallowed dry saliva. He hadn''t yet checked the result of Catalina''s evolution.


    How much stronger had she become?


    What kind of route was available?


    Yong-Ho didn''t want to wait any longer. He immediately left his room. He walked through the throne room and headed towards Catalina''s bedroom.


    "Catalina, I''m coming in."


    Of course, she didn''t answer. Yong-Ho hesitated for a moment and opened the bedroom door. Similar to his room, Catalina''s bedroom was also quite small, and as soon as he opened the door, he saw Catalina wrapped up in her cloak on top of the straw bed.


    Instead of entering her room, he observed Catalina and activated the Power of Evolution.


    [Name: Catalina (F)]


    [Race: Hybrid (Succubus + Dark Elf)]


    [Class: Spirit (Mid-Rank)]


    [Attributes: Wind Level 1 / Darkness Level 1]


    [Main Stats : Charm / Mana / Agility / Courage]


    [Evolution Rate : 0/100]


    [Charm - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]


    [Agility - Level 3 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (4)]


    [Mana - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]


    [Courage - Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]


    [Attribute Enhancement - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]


    [Possible Evolutionary Routes]


    [Shadow Elf] / [Dark Succubus] / [Shadow Runner]


    Many things had changed.


    A number of the words that indicated that Catalina was a mixed-race between a Succubus and a Dark Elf had disappeared.


    Her attributes had become more concise and now indicated levels. While the word hybrid had disappeared from any of the possible evolutionary routes.


    ''A hybrid demon.''


    Catalina still had the opportunity to choose an evolutionary route between the Elf and Succubus.


    However, the current Catalina wasn''t an Elf or Succubus but a third race. The new route, Shadow Runner, appeared to be a completely different path.


    Yong-Ho quickly approached Catalina and unwrapped her cloak. She was still wearing the gear from before and there wasn''t any noticeable difference in her physique.


    ''Does¡­ her body look better?''


    Yong-Ho unknowingly briefly looked at a specific part of her body and quickly covered her up with the cloak again. He looked at her head. Her horns had definitely grown. They were slightly longer and thicker in size.


    ''The Succubus related stats have increased as well, even though they haven''t been specifically developed. It''s too early to come to a complete conclusion, but¡­ it seems like a good result.''


    Yong-Ho released a sigh of relief and collapsed to the floor.


    He looked at the peacefully sleeping Catalina and then carefully reached out his hand and patted her head. He stood up again and walked out of her room.


    "I''ve been waiting for you to wake up, Master."


    As soon as he walked out the room, Eligor suddenly spoke up causing Yong-Ho to almost scream out in surprise. However, he quickly regained composure and closed the bedroom door behind him. The Spirit of the Dungeon had probably notified Eligor that he was awake.


    His concern regarding Catalina''s evolution had now been resolved. It was time to solve other issues.


    "Eligor, gather the spirits. I must speak to them."


    He had to figure out a plan to prevent an attack by Foras, who was almost certainly going to attack them in a few days.


    Eligor thought that Yong-Ho would talk about strengthening the traps.


    But, Yong-Ho didn''t. He brought up something that Eligor didn''t expect.


    "Let''s recapture the gold mine as soon as possible."


    They couldn''t afford to defend the dungeon with their current assets.


    If that was the case, he had to make a gamble. Only through obtaining the wealth of the gold mine, could he find a way to defend the dungeon.


    Eligor looked at Yong-Ho with a blank expression. Yong-Ho ignored his gaze.


    "Understood, Master. I''ll gather the spirits."


    Eligor answered in a dignified manner and headed towards the throne room. Yong-Ho was alone once again and gazed upon Kaiwan''s ring.


    ''I don''t give up easily.''


    Yong-Ho sat on the throne. A seat that proved his position as the owner of the dungeon. He waited for the spirits to arrive.

 30 Kaiwan 2

    [Name: Chun Yong-Ho (M)]


    [Race: Half Human / Half Demon]


    [Class: Demon King]


    [Attributes: Fire Level 1 / Darkness Level 0]


    [Evolution Rate: 100/100]


    [Strength - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Stamina - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Mana - Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Charm - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Agility - Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Skill - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Seven Deadly Sins | Greed]


    Yong-Ho, who was currently sitting on the throne, examined himself with the Power of Evolution and thought in silence for a while.


    Catalina wasn''t the only one whose evolution rate was full. Yong-Ho was also in a situation where he could trigger his evolution.


    When he thought about it, it was obvious.


    Although it had been a short time since his first evolution, he had fought in many battles.


    He had first killed more than ten Crazy Ants and Slimes each. He had then defeated and captured the salamander that was controlling the armory. And, of course, finally, he had fought against the invading Orcs and even obtained their leader''s spirit, so it would be odd for his evolution rate not to be filled up.


    ''It has changed.''


    Yong-Ho examined the list of evolutionary routes. Strength and stamina, which he had never evolved before, were now at level one and his mana was now at level two, even though he had only evolved it once.


    He noticed that the stars, which represented the potential power of the evolutionary route, had now increased by a small amount.


    ''The rise in the level of strength and stamina is most likely due to my body becoming a lot stronger. Then, was the increase in mana level because I absorbed that Orc leader''s spirit?''


    Yong-Ho thought about the previous state of Catalina. Before her first evolution, agility and skill were the only stats that had a level.


    After awakening as a demon, Yong-Ho''s body had become stronger day by day. If his body continued to grow stronger at its current rate, then both his strength and stamina level would most likely continue to level up as well.


    ''The Power of Evolution is an artificial facilitator. It opens up evolutionary paths that can''t be developed through normal methods.''


    Even if Yong-Ho had not evolved Catalina''s agility, given that it was Catalina, her agility would have developed to its current level regardless.


    But, the evolution into a Hybrid race was different. The Power of Evolution had manifested both the Succubus''s blood and the Dark Elf blood in a different way than previously possible.


    It was the same reason that Jon and Ron each obtained a horn.


    Yong-Ho focused on himself again.


    Which category was he going to evolve?


    ''For now, I''ll put it all into mana.''


    Yong-Ho wasn''t currently in the situation where he could idly stand by and watch his spirits fight with his hands clasped behind his back. If a fight broke out, he would have to wield Aamon on the front line.


    If he chose to develop strength, stamina, or agility, then his close-combat skills would surely improve. However, it was far more urgent to increase his mana.


    Currently, Yong-Ho''s combat style was about delivering a single fatal blow.


    If that was the case, then he should strengthen that blow. Increasing his mana would double Aamon''s strength.


    He also required mana to evolve his spirits. Building new facilities within the dungeon and reorganizing existing passageways also consumed a lot of mana.


    So for now, he chose mana. Choosing to evolve the other routes was a luxury he couldn''t afford.


    Yong-Ho didn''t waste any time. As soon as he made the decision, he activated the Power of Evolution.


    Pleasure and pain both washed over him in equal portions. Yong-Ho roared in both pain and joy.


    To break the mold. To expand new territory.


    The vessel that held Yong-Ho''s mana changed. His spirit grew, allowing for a greater amount of mana to be embraced within.


    Yong-Ho lost track of time once again. It was the Spirit of the Dungeon that notified him when the evolutionary process had finally ended.


    [Your maximum amount of mana has increased substantially!]


    [The dungeon''s daily mana production output has increased from 80 to 120.]


    [Due to the growth of your horns, your mana recovery rate is 1.2 times faster than before.]


    It was just as the Spirit of the Dungeon had said. Yong-Ho closed his eyes as green flames began to rise out of them.


    His mana had been strengthened considerably. He felt that his mana was far stronger when compared to the time he absorbed the spirit of the Orc leader.


    Yong-Ho, opened his eyes while taking a deep breath. He then once again activated the Power of Evolution. He didn''t use it on himself this time, but on Aamon, who was currently laying on his lap.


    [Name: Aamon (?)]


    [Race: ???]


    [Class: ??? (???)]


    [Attribute: Fire - Level ??? / ??? - Level ???]


    [Evolution Rate: 5/100]


    [???| ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (6)]


    [???| ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (6)]


    [???| ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (5.5)]


    There were still a lot of question marks.


    ''You''ve become stronger compared to when I first received you.''


    Aamon had stayed quiet ever since Yong-Ho had first obtained him and as he gazed down upon it, he calmed the bitter feeling rising in his mind.


    If Aamon wanted to become stronger, then Yong-Ho could grant that. Yong-Ho, himself, wasn''t satisfied with its current condition.


    ''Still, having an evolution rate of five is a bit too low.''


    During that time, Yong-Ho had twice maxed out his evolution rate.


    However, all he could do was complain. On the other hand, it did mean that Aamon was an incredibly strong demon.


    After contemplating the capabilities of Aamon and himself, Yong-Ho deactivated the Power of Evolution. He slouched down on the throne and then looked up. He suddenly saw Catalina and Eligor.


    "Huh?"


    Yong-Ho unknowingly gave a blank reaction and quickly fixed his posture. All the spirits of the dungeon were now gathered around the throne.


    [It''s been an hour and ten minutes since you''ve sat on the throne, Master. The dungeon spirits have been waiting for around an hour.]


    It seemed like the trance state he was in during the evolution process was much longer than he had expected.


    Yong-Ho coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment. Then Eligor, who was standing in front of the throne, spoke with a passionate voice.


    "By Mammon, Master."


    His eyes welled up with tears and he looked like he was about to start weeping at any moment. Furthermore, the other dungeon spirits were also passionately admiring him.


    The Goblin Rangers'' eyes sparkled with envy and respect. The Kobold looked like he was about to bow down and praise him. While the Treant and the Salamander expressed their admiration through small gestures.


    It was quite a natural reaction since they had now physically seen how his mana had grown through the Power of Evolution.


    Yong-Ho coughed again, and looked around the room, he felt quite burdened by his dungeon spirits'' admiration. Though after seeing Skull''s blank expression, he felt a strange sense of calmness.


    Yong-Ho once again looked back at the spirits.


    Catalina was standing between Skull and Eligor and was looking at Yong-Ho with a flushed expression.


    As expected, her long ears fluttered like wings. And just a puppy, On top of that, her tail was wagging from side to side like a windshield wiper.


    ''Wait a minute.''


    "A tail?!"


    His thoughts suddenly burst out in a stream of sound. Catalina blinked in surprise as Yong-Ho quickly got up from his seat. After biting her lips several times, she finally managed to speak.


    "Wh-when I woke up, a tail appeared."


    A sharp trident shaped tail was one of the physical characteristics of a typical demon. Yong-Ho looked at the black, glossy tail and asked Eligor instead of Catalina.


    "Does a Succubus have a tail?"


    "They do. High-ranked ones have wings as well."


    At Eligor''s immediate answer, Yong-Ho looked at Catalina again. Catalina replied while quickly shaking her hand.


    "I don''t have wings. Just a tail."


    Hybrid Evolution.


    Before, Catalina was more of a Dark Elf than a Succubus. However, as a result of the hybrid evolution, the sleeping blood of the Succubus had awoken. Her new tail was evidence of that.


    "Are you okay? You don''t feel ill or anything strange?"


    Yong-Ho asked with a serious face. Catalina answered with a bright smile.


    "No, Master. Rather, I feel quite refreshed. I feel like I''ve been reborn. I think my mana has grown stronger as well."


    Given how energetically her ears and tail were moving around, it seemed like she was telling the truth.


    Yong-Ho breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked at the rest of the spirits.


    "I''m sorry for having kept you waiting so long. Then let''s get right to the point."


    Yong-Ho started to speak.


    It was about his future plans, including on how to recapture the gold mine.


    ***


    Yong-Ho spoke with his usual conciseness and then set about starting his next task.


    The evolution of the dungeon spirits.


    Since most of the spirits in the House of Mammon were of the lowest rank, they were able to quickly fill their evolution rate.


    Yong-Ho first evolved the Kobold into the agility specialization. Similar to when he evolved Yon, the Kobold''s arms and legs became longer, but he didn''t get a horn like the Goblins.


    The Kobold''s eyes widened in amazement due to the sudden new length of his arms and legs. Yong-Ho''s next target was Jon and Ron.


    Yong-Ho evolved Jon and Ron into Hobgoblins.


    After evolving into Hobgoblins, Jon and Ron now looked quite different from the typical Goblin. They had both grown by an additional head size and their muscles had become noticeably larger and more defined. Even their dim eyes now had a degree of sparkle in them.


    The evolution rate of the other spirits was still lacking. And among them, the most regrettable one was Eligor. He had no significant experience in actual combat, other than hunting, so his evolution rate was taking considerably longer to fill. Though it was a relief that he was able to fill it through miscellaneous tasks such as dungeon construction.


    After finishing the evolution of some of the spirits, Yong-Ho ordered Eligor to lead the spirits to the armory. It was to prepare for Yong-Ho''s next task.


    And about thirty minutes later. Eligor, who had returned with the others, looked at Yong-Ho with a concerned expression.


    "You''ve used the Power of Evolution continuously today. Will you be okay?"


    "Time is of an urgency."


    Yong-Ho smiled and looked at all the weapons that had been piled up on top of a magic circle connected to the Dungeon Market.


    They couldn''t use a majority of the weapons from the recapture of the armory, so although it was disappointing, they simply didn''t have a choice.


    They urgently needed more money.


    "Even if we fail to recapture the mine, we''ll at least have advanced the evolution rate of the dungeon spirits. Eligor, just in case, I want you to continue with dungeon construction as I instructed."


    Eligor displayed a warm smile after hearing Yong-Ho''s request.


    "It''s a good plan, Master."


    "One of the things the House of Mammon has is a lot of space. Might as well put it to good use."


    Yong-Ho smiled and Eligor nodded his head in response.


    Eligor didn''t have any intention of insulting the previous owners. However, he could say for sure.


    That they and Yong-Ho were different.


    Yong-Ho never lost his smile, even in situations that many would have given up. Instead of being frustrated and giving up, he found a way forwards.


    "I''ll be back. Start on the construction right away."


    "I shall obey your orders, Master."


    Eligor, along with the other spirits, showed their respect.


    Yong-Ho shut his eyes without delay.


    He once again connected to the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.

 31 Kaiwan 3

    As usual, a beautiful red-haired woman stood in the middle of the white space.


    Yong-Ho was worried that there may have been another employee standing there or a dealer that couldn''t talk. He breathed a sigh of relief.


    Right now, Yong-Ho needed someone he could negotiate with.


    Sitri, who was a core member of the Dungeon Market, bowed lightly with a bright smile. She softly spoke, while emanating her beauty, as if she was uttering a whisper.


    "It''s nice to see you again, valuable customer."


    "Nice to see you again too."


    Yong-Ho purposely answered in a leisurely manner and took a deep breath. Whether it was due to living with Catalina for so long or because the situation was urgent, but facing Sitri wasn''t as uncomfortable as before.


    Yong-Ho approached Sitri. After stopping a moderate distance away, he spoke jokingly.


    "At this point, I''m sure it''s safe to assume that you''re fully responsible for the House of Mammon, right?"


    "It just so happens that I have spare time whenever you visit. In your world, perhaps you would call this fate, right?"


    Sitri answered with ease this time as well. As expected, she was definitely dangerous. Even just the slightest gesture or word had the power to put one in a daze.


    Instead of continuing to joke, Yong-Ho looked straight into Sitri''s eyes. All he did was look into her eyes, yet it felt like he was being bewitched. Perhaps Sitri was a Succubus?


    Sitri smiled again.


    "Valuable customer. What kind of deal do you want to do today? Are you here to purchase another spirit? Or perhaps daily necessities like food? The Dungeon Market also provides equipment to install new traps."


    However, Yong-Ho wasn''t here for any of those. Yong-Ho took his time in answering.


    "I would like to sell something before purchasing."


    "Are you speaking of the items from the House of Mammon?"


    "Yes, they''re ordinary weapons."


    After answering, Yong-Ho waved his finger in the air. It was the same method he used while in the dungeon, which caused a window of light to appear in the air.


    Just like a shopping catalog, the window of light was divided into multiple parts, with each section indicating a different weapon.


    They were the weapons from the armory that were sitting on the magic circle in the throne room.


    "The weapons are of high quality. Let''s take a look."


    As Sitri extended her hand out towards the window, some of the listed weapons suddenly materialized. Sitri gently grabbed the axe by the handle that was partly jutting out of the window and pulled it out as if she was unsheathing a sword.


    It seemed that Sitri''s slender arm would find it difficult wielding such a large battle axe


    "Kaiwan."


    Sitri''s gaze rested on Kaiwan''s insignia of the wolf devouring the moon.


    Yong-Ho asked without thinking.


    "Did you know her?"


    Instead of answering right away, Sitri stayed quiet for a moment. After stretching out the axe by the edge of the handle, she spoke while looking afar, as if she was trying to remember something important.


    "She was a fierce and cute child. She didn''t like losing to anyone and acted like she was strong. However, she was quite a lonely child. In your world, I would compare her to¡­ right, she was like a wild cat."


    After she finished talking, a light smile appeared on her face. It was soft and gentle like usual, but there was a hint of sadness mixed within.


    A wild cat.


    A witch with grey hair and a vicious expression.


    Did Sitri work with the House of Mammon when Kaiwan was the owner three generations ago? Was she perhaps in charge of the House of Mammon during that time?


    He was curious, but he didn''t ask.


    Rather, Yong-Ho noted the words that Sitri used to describe Kaiwan.


    Fierce and cute.


    Kaiwan was the master of the Mammon family decades ago. That also meant that Sitri too had been alive for at least a few decades.


    Furthermore, Sitri described Kaiwan as a child.


    ''There are a number of high-ranked spirits that possess eternal youth.''


    Catalina''s words suddenly came to his mind. Then was Sitri really an elite figure in the demon world, like she had mentioned? Powerful enough to not age?


    Sitri looked at Yong-Ho again. A relaxed expression appeared on her face as if she had shed all her previous emotions.


    "These are all good weapons. However, they don''t possess any mana. And¡­ I''m not sure if you know, but the Dungeon Market is quite stingy when it comes to repurchased items. Yong-Ho, what are you planning on purchasing with the money you''ll earn by selling these?"


    Yong-Ho accepted Sitri''s words as ''negotiating'' rather than ''meddling''.


    Therefore, he decided to be honest with his answer.


    "I want something like a potion that can recover mana in a short period of time."


    Mana potions always appear in RPGs.


    Currently, Yong-Ho had the strongest firepower in the Mammon family. Aamon, however, consumed a large amount of mana. In order to go against tens, maybe hundreds of Crazy Ants, he had to increase the number of times he could effectively use Aamon.


    "You''re referring to a mana potion."


    Sitri lightly crossed her arms. As if he had suddenly gained her interest, she spoke while looking directly into his eyes.


    "Mana potions aren''t very useful to powerful demons. Since there''s a limit to how much mana the potion can restore. However, since you''re still growing, it might just be the perfect item for you."


    Yong-Ho had already confirmed the existence of mana potions and their limitations from Catalina and Eligor.


    What mattered right now was how many mana potions could be bought with the money he earned by selling weapons.


    Sitri took out a small glass bottle from between her cleavage, just like before. The glass bottle was around the size of a pinky finger and was filled with blue liquid.


    "I''m sure you already know, but¡­ mana potions are very expensive. Mana is the most important substance in existence to us demons. Even though it''s not very useful to high-ranked demons¡­ not all demons in the demon world are powerful. Every owner in the empty southern region would be anxious to obtain just one more mana potion. The demand is far higher than the supply."


    It wasn''t a good sign. Sitri continued to talk after slightly tilting her head.


    "This one bottle will be enough to recover all of your mana at once. And the reality is that you won''t be able to purchase even a single bottle with all of the twenty ordinary weapons that you brought to sell."


    While speaking, Sitri looked into his eyes. Yong-Ho returned her gaze.


    If she wanted him to emit that he lacked the money to afford it, then she had no reason to act so nobly about it. Just as Yong-Ho had earlier assumed, Sitri was leaving room for ''negotiation''.


    "However, this is just between you and me. I''ll be a bit flexible about it."


    That was the reaction that Yong-Ho was waiting for. However, the words that followed somewhat caught him off-guard.


    "So, please tell me."


    "Tell you?"


    "Yes, tell me why you need the mana potion. What the Mammon family is going through right now. If you''re honest with me, then I''ll give you three, no, four bottles of mana. That''s quite a fair deal, don''t you think?"


    Sitri wore a bright smile upon her face. Her beautiful smile seemed bright and transparent causing Yong-Ho to immediately think that she had no ulterior motives.


    However, because of that, Yong-Ho was quite wary of her.


    She was definitely showing kindness towards Yong-Ho and the House of Mammon. But, why? What was the reason behind her kindness? Why did she want to know what was happening in the House of Mammon?


    At first, he thought maybe she might be a ''supporter'' of the House of Mammon. It seemed quite possible given that she was acting about how she knew Kaiwan very well.


    But, nothing was certain. There was nothing more dangerous than hasty speculations and gratuitous expectations.


    Still, Yong-Ho had to continue taking advantage of the peculiar relationship that he had with Sitri.


    In the first place, his plan to recapture the gold mine and prepare for the sudden battle was partially based on Sitri''s goodwill.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He made up his mind. He concisely told Sitri what had happened in the recent days.


    He didn''t tell any lies. Sitri already knew that he was a half-human and half-demon anyway and that he possessed the power of Greed. It was only counterproductive to lie to her.


    After hearing Yong-Ho''s story, Sitri expressed her emotions in a simple tone.


    "Interesting."


    She smiled. She appeared to look at Yong-Ho with a hint of admiration. Yong-Ho could her true feelings emanate through her bright red eyes and knew that he had seen them once before.


    "In your situation, wouldn''t most think about giving up or running away?"


    But Yong-Ho did not. Instead of ordinarily focusing on defense, he had explained that this was the time to recapture the gold mine.


    Yong-Ho also had somewhat of a blank expression after hearing Sitri''s words. The reason was simple.


    Before hearing it from Sitri, he had never even thought about running away.


    Sitri read Yong-Ho''s dumbfounded expression. Her smile became brighter. Though it was quiet, even she, made a slight sound when she smiled.


    "It must be true. You''re definitely a greedy owner. That''s a compliment you know."


    Yong-Ho didn''t know how to respond. Fortunately, Sitri quickly dispelled any embarrassment he felt. She then took out three more bottles of mana potion from her cleavage.


    "Deals should always be kept honest. I''ll send someone today to collect the weapons from the House of Mammon and deliver the potions. I shall wish Chun Yong-Ho a good victory from afar."


    After she finished talking, Sitri extended her hand to Yong-Ho. It was a symbolic gesture that meant that the deal had been completed successfully.


    Yong-Ho took her hand. He lightly shook her hand, that felt so soft that he feared it would melt away, and briefly expressed his gratitude. Instead of saying any more unnecessary pleasantries, he immediately disconnected from the Virtual Space.


    Yong-Ho''s presence disappeared from the Virtual Space like a character logging out from an online game. Sitri was now the only one left in the white room.


    She quietly looked at the spot that Yong-Ho was previously standing in. Her eyes saw something else instead of the ground. She whispered in a quiet voice.


    "Aamon. Sometimes I feel like you''re lazier than I am¡­ did you find him? Or did he call out for you?"


    There was no answer. But Sitri was satisfied. With a calm face, she looked up at the white sky without a breath of wind.


    Sitri''s eyes once again saw something else instead of the sky.


    There was something beyond.


    A person that remained in Sitri''s memories.


    Sitri didn''t say the name. But like always, she closed her eyes and lied down on top of her white bed.

 32 Kaiwan 4

    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. Instead of the white room of the Dungeon Market''s Virtual Space, he saw walls and a ceiling made out of stone. It was the throne room.


    The deal went off without a hitch. In fact, it was an extremely successful deal.


    ''Actually, it''s not really a deal, it''s more like debt.''


    But, for now, it didn''t matter. It was more important right now to quickly obtain results.


    Yong-Ho smiled happily despite the unique fatigue that he would always feel after coming back from the Virtual Space. He quickly moved his finger in the air and created a window of light that displayed the map of the dungeon.


    [Eligor is currently installing traps with the Goblins.]


    [Catalina went hunting with the Kobold.]


    [The Salamander and the Treant are currently guarding the entrance.]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon listed the current situation with each of his spirits.


    Yong-Ho waved his finger again and deactivated the map. When it disappeared, he saw Skull rolling around on the floor as usual.


    [Catalina left without Skull so that he could protect you while you were accessing the Virtual Space.]


    ''I don''t think that''s how you protect me.''


    But seeing Skull roll around like a stone on the road was pretty fitting for him.


    "Skulllll."


    Skull must''ve noticed Yong-Ho looking at him because he suddenly stood up while making creaking noises.


    Skull''s armor and war hammer had strengthening magic on them and he had a round spiked shield that had resistances to fire and lightning. On his waist, he possessed a sword as a backup.


    And lastly, although it wasn''t a magical item, he now wore a sturdy helmet.


    In a sense, Skull was now more armed than anyone else in the Mammon family.


    Although he stood up from the floor, he didn''t approach Yong-Ho. He just stood there with a blank expression.


    ''All undead monsters have past lives. Since they were created from bodies of the dead.''


    Yong-Ho suddenly recalled Eligor''s words and observed Skull while touching his chin.


    What was Skull''s past life like?


    He was certain that he was a human, given his frame. He definitely wouldn''t have been a small monster like a Goblin or Kobold.


    ''Maybe he was a general or a renowned warrior in his past life.''


    Among the lower-ranked spirits, Skull had made significant contributions to the dungeon since Yong-Ho had bought him as a skeleton worker. He even saved Yong-Ho''s life by throwing a large axe, during their battle with the Orcs.


    After Yong-Ho evolved Skull into a Skeleton Warrior, he was now moving a lot more agilely in combat, so there was a real possibility that he may have learned martial arts in his past life.


    ''Nah.''


    Yong-Ho shook his head. It was quite a pleasant thought, but it wasn''t realistic.


    Undead monsters, even of the same kind, differed significantly depending on how their bodies were made.


    If Skull really was a famous general or a renowned warrior, then there was little chance he would be revived as just a ''worker'', unless of course, the one that revived him had significant brain damage.


    Creating a Death Knight, no, at least an undead soldier like a Skeleton Knight was far more profitable.


    Perhaps he was a nameless soldier. Or just an ordinary person.


    It was fine in any case. Regardless, he now considered Skull as one of the aces within the dungeon and unlike the other undead monsters, he was going to continue to grow.


    "You''re going to be with me until the end. Skull."


    Yong-Ho spoke with a smile. Skull turned his head and looked at him. However, instead of reacting, he just blankly stared.


    "Hmm."


    Embarrassed, Yong-Ho slightly coughed and straightened his posture. If it were other dungeon owners they may have yelled at him, saying that it was rude, but Yong-Ho wasn''t like that. Since that was just typical Skull.


    ''Come to think about it.''


    Yong-Ho suddenly raised his head up and looked at Skull.


    If they were going to be together until the end. And if he was going to keep evolving him.


    ''Wouldn''t it be better to make him an official dungeon spirit?''


    The owner and the spirits of the dungeon were connected as one.


    If the owner became stronger, so would the spirits and if the spirits grew, then so would the owner.


    In the case of Catalina, the effect was self-evident. The reason why Catalina was able to become this strong in a short period of time was not just because the Power of Evolution was so powerful, but because Yong-Ho himself had grown as much as her.


    Yong-Ho waved his finger in the air again and asked the Spirit of the Dungeon.


    "Is there some kind of restriction when it comes to increasing the number of permanent dungeon spirits?"


    [Official dungeon spirits are connected to the owner of the dungeon. Therefore, the stronger the owner, the more official spirits they can have under their command.]


    [According to the information provided by the Dungeon Market, owners in the southern region usually have three to five official spirits.]


    [Selecting an official dungeon spirit requires extreme caution. You''ll have to pay a great price to transform an official spirit back into a regular one.]


    "A great price?"


    [The most common case is that owners lose a part of their mana. And sometimes the mana lost can be greater than the mana they gained from the official spirit in the first place.]


    If owners lost a lot more than what they gained, then it was certainly a great price.


    Yong-Ho touched his chin and asked.


    "What happens if the owner or an official spirit dies? Will the death of one affect the other?"


    [There''s a high possibility that they would lose some of their mana. Furthermore, it could have a serious psychological impact as well.]


    [Dungeon spirits are like the limbs of the owner. No matter the strength of the personal relationship between them, they still can''t help but feel a sense of great loss from the other''s death.]


    Catalina and Eligor were spirits of the House of Mammon before Yong-Ho became the owner. That meant that they too must have felt a deep sense of loss from the death of the former owner.


    ''They said it''s roughly been about a year.''


    Yong-Ho briefly thought about Catalina and Eligor''s death. Even though it was just in his imagination, he didn''t think about it for long. It would be a terrible situation to be in.


    Yong-Ho drove off the unpleasant thought by shaking his head and then focused back on Skull. He asked the Spirit of the Dungeon.


    "Is it possible to make Skull an official dungeon spirit?"


    [Currently, you''re able to have four official spirits under your command. So, it''s possible to transform Skull into an official spirit of the dungeon. But¡­]


    "But?"


    [There are very few cases where owners have made undead monsters, on a Skeleton Warrior''s level, an official dungeon spirit.]


    He thought he knew the reason why.


    There was a limited number of spirits that owners could officially assign to their dungeon.


    Even without the Power of Evolution, most spirits were able to "grow." They could get stronger through training.


    However, that was impossible for Undead monsters. Their existence was ''fixed''.


    Which would be more efficient: spirits that couldn''t grow or spirits that could?


    Furthermore, a Skeleton Warrior wasn''t a high-ranking Undead. He felt that he was slightly tormenting himself by thinking it, but Skull was only just a bit better than a weak soldier.


    Out of all the owners within the demon world, it was probably quite difficult to find an owner that made a Skeleton Warrior an official spirit.


    But, that didn''t matter.


    Because Yong-Ho had the Power of Evolution.


    Even though Skull was just a Skeleton Warrior for now, Yong-Ho was sure that he would become a high-ranking spirit in the future.


    "Skuuuull."


    Skull, who had been staying quiet, suddenly spoke up. In response to Skull''s reaction, as if he had been reading Yong-Ho''s mind, Yong-Ho made his final decision. He spoke to the Spirit of the Dungeon.


    "Okay, please start the procedure for registering Skull as an official spirit."


    [We''ll have to use your remaining mana. Will that be okay?]


    [The courier from the Dungeon Market won''t be here until tomorrow.]


    Of course, it would be a disaster if an enemy invaded during this perilous time, but the chance of that happening was quite low.


    [Understood. I''ll begin the process of registering Skull as an official spirit of the dungeon now. Please close your eyes and relax your body.]


    Yong-Ho followed the Spirit of the Dungeon''s advice and sat down on the throne. He looked at Skull one last time before closing his eyes.


    "Skullllllll."


    He still had a blank expression, but he had a trustworthy voice.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes. Skull''s registration process had begun.


    ***


    A day passed.


    Before noon, the courier from the Dungeon Market visited the dungeon.


    Yong-Ho was waiting at the entrance alongside Catalina and Eligor. The courier handed Yong-Ho the weapons and the four bottles of mana potion.


    A letter was included inside the small box, along with the potions. It was a handwritten letter from Sitri.


    Dear Valuable Customer,


    The amount of mana that can be recovered is greater than the amount you, Chun Yong-Ho, currently possess...


    But, please don''t just drink half of a bottle.


    The entire bottle is ''quantized'', which basically means that if you only drink half of the bottle, it won''t work properly.


    Furthermore, I''ve also added a small additional effect to the potions. Though it''s a secret, I''m sure it''ll help you.


    Please think of it as a surprise gift.


    That explanation took longer than I expected.


    I wish you the best of luck, valuable customer.


    The House of Mammon and valuable customer''s faithful friend, Sitri.


    P.S. For your information, I''m not in charge of the House of Mammon.


    Yong-Ho felt like he could physically hear Sitri''s seductive voice just from her neat handwriting.


    Because of that, Yong-Ho tried his best to stay alert.


    ''Let''s not act foolishly.''


    He felt sorry for having these kinds of thoughts towards someone that showed him a lot of kindness, but he still felt that Sitri was a dangerous figure. She was extremely beautiful and charming. It was best to avoid falling for her.


    ''But still.''


    Her little ''P.S'' note at the end was cute, which caused him to smile a bit. He then spoke to Catalina, who was glancing at him while he was reading.


    "How''s your condition?"


    Surprised by Yong-Ho''s sudden question, Catalina was flustered for a moment, but she soon answered as the cold-hearted female soldier that he had thought she had given up on.


    "It''s the best."


    Her tail was wagging behind her, so it must have been true. Another answer came from elsewhere.


    "Skullllll."


    Skull, who had become stronger after becoming an official spirit, stood next to Catalina and jostled his head. Yong-Ho felt that his movements had become a bit smoother.


    At Skull''s intrusion, Catalina slightly bit her lips. Catalina was acting strangely sulky after finding out that Skull had become an official spirit, just like her.


    ''Is she jealous?''


    Now that he thought about it, Catalina now thought of Skull as her rival ever since they were at the armory.


    But it wasn''t anything for him to worry about, and rather, it was actually a good thing for Catalina since that rivalry could help motivate her to improve.


    Yong-Ho lastly looked at Eligor, who was currently standing next to the Goblin Rangers.


    "Eligor, I''ll let you take care of the rest."


    "I''ll wait for your return after your success."


    Yong-Ho decided that Eligor, the Goblin Rangers, and the Treant should not participate in retaking the gold mine. Taking them would certainly be helpful, but they had different tasks they needed to take care of.


    Yong-Ho spoke jokingly.


    "I''ll get to evolving once I come back."


    "I''ll look forward to it."


    Eligor answered excitedly. The Goblin Rangers and the Treant also expressed their respect towards Yong-Ho and cheered for his victory.


    It was still a little early.


    Yong-Ho started warming up. After placing the mana potion he got from Sitri into his belt, he walked to the inner part of the dungeon.


    Catalina, Skull, and the Salamander followed him.


    It was a few days until the expected date of the attack by Foras.


    Yong-Ho began the operation to retake the gold mine.

 33 Recapturing the Gold Mine

    Over the past few days, Yong-Ho had been thinking a lot about fighting the Crazy Ants.


    First, it was about the scale of them.


    In the room of the entrance of the gold mine, there were dozens, if not hundreds of Crazy Ants.


    They were all working ants. They were the ones that made up the bulk of the ant colony.


    Yong-Ho thought about it again now.


    He wondered how big the ant colony actually was.


    Perhaps the entrance room was where a majority of the Crazy Ants were.


    Deactivating a room wouldn''t make the room itself disappear. It was just the dungeon''s mana supply that was disconnected and the only thing that disappeared was the accessible entrance.


    The Crazy Ants have been living inside the inactive room, which allowed Yong-Ho to activate the other rooms around it and hunt a few of the stray ants.


    Furthermore, Yong-Ho had an additional thought.


    Weren''t the number of Crazy Ants crawling around too little?


    If the size of the Crazy Ant colony did indeed count in its thousands, then why did barely any of them show up outside of the entrance room to the gold mine?


    The scope of their activities was far smaller than what he had imagined.


    Perhaps they expanded into the opposite direction of the throne room, but Yong-Ho believed that it wasn''t really possible.


    There were two reasons.


    First, the records of Kaiwan, the King of Distortion.


    The previous owner had given up on retaking the mine, but the owner from two generations ago had a lingering attachment.


    According to the records of the previous owner and Kaiwan, the size of the mine wasn''t as large as he first thought.


    In the first place, the gold mine had been created inside the dungeon, due to the chaotic nature of the demon world. It was definitely different from the typical gold mines of Yong-Ho''s homeworld, Earth.


    The depth of the mine was tens of meters deep at best. Moreover, the amount of gold that could be mined was also different from ordinary gold mines. Lumps of gold, in the shapes of crystal balls, were embedded in various areas all over the mine.


    In any case, according to records, the room was too small for thousands of ants to be living in. There was a good chance that they dug up additional space in the gold mine, but he didn''t think they would have created a significantly large space. That rationale was connected to the second reason.


    Second, the habits of the Crazy Ants.


    According to the information given by the Dungeon Market to the Spirit of the Dungeon, the general size of a Crazy Ant colony ranged anywhere from dozens to hundreds. Considering the available amount of food and mana, there was a limit to how many of them could live in the mine.


    ''If the Crazy Ants in the entrance room of the mine were all of them.''


    A rough estimate would probably be around two hundred ants.


    With that number, they had a good chance of recapturing the mine. If Yong-Ho was alone, even with a lot of mana potions, he wouldn''t have had a chance to do it himself, but now he had the Salamander.


    Yong-Ho stopped in front of the room that was located in front of the gold mine''s entrance room. Catalina, Skull, and the Salamander all adopted combat stances despite Yong-Ho not ordering them.


    They had only faced up against nine Crazy Ants and Slimes on their way here.


    It wasn''t that much. It was hard to imagine that there would be hundreds of ants inside the gold mine.


    Yong-Ho waved his fingers in the air. The Spirit of the Dungeon promptly answered.


    [I''ll activate the entrance room to the gold mine.]


    [Good luck, master.]


    Perhaps because the room had been activated quite recently, but the activation time was a lot shorter than before. A few seconds later, an ordinary door appeared, just like any other room in the dungeon.


    There were a lot of Crazy Ants beyond this door. Yong-Ho thought he could hear the ants crawling around the room beyond, but he wasn''t sure if it was just his instincts or not.


    Yong-Ho tightened his grip on Aamon and stood on the right side of the door. The salamander stood on the left side, as he had previously instructed.


    Catalina and Skull stepped forward and each grabbed a door handle.


    And after exchanging eye contact, there was no further reason to delay. Catalina and Skull opened the door at the same time and Yong-Ho and the Salamander kicked off the ground.


    It was dark again. As soon as they opened the door, the sound of hundreds of crawling Crazy Ants around the room filled their ears.


    Yong-Ho only thought about a single thing. As soon as he stepped inside, he raised Aamon up into the air and released fire.


    It was different from before. It wasn''t just a single spark nor was it a wave of fire that would disappear into the air. This time, Yong-Ho wanted something that was akin to a flame thrower. He wanted the flames to shoot out like a pillar of light and light all of them ablaze!


    Booooom!


    Flames exploded forth. Aamon instantly consumed almost half of Yong-Ho''s mana and released a torrent of green flames.


    The flames lit up the dark room. The whole of Yong-Ho''s view was filled with the light of green flames. The wave of fire extended out and enveloped the Crazy Ants and Slimes in front of him.


    There were no screams. But, Yong-Ho could feel it. He raised Aamon towards the ceiling.


    Fwooooosh!


    The ceiling lit up in flames. Instead of expanding the fire, he decided to reduce the amount of power being released, however, the Slimes and Crazy Ants were still weak against fire, so this intensity of Aamon''s flames was more than enough.


    A foul smell filled the room. On the opposite side of the room, the Salamander spat out red flames that were burning everything in its perimeter.


    The size and power of the Salamander''s flames were higher. However, when compared to Yong-Ho''s fire, it was more of a one-shot attack. After releasing a large amount of fire, the Salamander started gasping for air and Yong-Ho swung Aamon in the air once again. He felt the remainder of his mana being exhausted.


    "Catalina!"


    Yong-Ho yelled, and Catalina immediately reached for his belt and took out a mana potion. She quickly removed the cork and poured it into his mouth.


    It tasted like a sports drink. Not long after the blue liquid slid down his throat, he felt a new power rising from somewhere deep within. Aamon''s flames, which had been getting weaker, suddenly increased in strength again. They were bigger and stronger than before!


    ''The effects of a mana potion!''


    It didn''t stop at just refilling his mana level. It was temporary, but it actually raised the level of Yong-Ho''s mana.


    He couldn''t tell by how much, but he was definitely sure that his mana had become stronger.


    Aamon consumed a lot more mana. And released a stronger fire in response.


    Once again, half of his mana disappeared within an instant. But, it was incredibly effective. Not only did it enveloped the Crazy Ants and Slimes, but it revealed the ceiling, and lit up the entire room. About twenty Crazy Ants died in an instant because of Yong-Ho''s flames.


    Yong-Ho looked around the room. The mine''s entrance. Like before, soldier ants started to appear and they were at least three times bigger than the working ants.


    "Run!"


    Yong-Ho gave out a quick command and the Salamander, who was catching its breath, began to crawl at a fast pace.


    Catalina opened another bottle of the mana potion and poured it into Yong-Ho''s mouth, and as soon as his mana was recovered, Yong-Ho sheathed Aamon. The fire that filled the room disappeared, but the Crazy Ants didn''t immediately react. The burnt smell not only filled Yong-Ho''s nose but everyone else that was in the room.


    "Skullllllll!"


    Skull ran behind the Salamander. Yong-Ho and Catalina both ran towards the mine entrance and checked the number of the Crazy Ants that remained in the room.


    Roughly two-thirds were left.


    There were still quite a few ants left. Yong-Ho and the salamander''s fire were pretty powerful, but the room itself was incredibly large.


    Yong-Ho breathed in again. In just a few seconds, they had shortened the distance to the gold mine and soldier ants that were approaching them. Feeling a sudden sense of crisis, the Crazy Ants started to quickly crawl on the walls and ceiling.


    And once again.


    Catalina and Skull lowered their positions. Yong-Ho waved Aamon into the air and used the remainder of his mana on Aamon. If he didn''t have the mana potions on hand, he wouldn''t have even thought about doing this.


    The large flames he produced surprised Yong-ho. The green flames of greed stretched out onto the ceiling, walls, and ground and it consumed the Crazy Ants before him once again. Not a single Crazy Ant was able to reach him.


    The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon.


    One swing will burn the world and evaporate the seas!


    It might''ve not been an exaggeration. Aamon''s true strength could indeed be as strong as that.


    It became stronger the more mana it consumed. It released a stronger fire.


    How strong would the fire be if the King of Greed, Mammon, used it? What kind of fire would Aamon release after consuming the mana of a king that ruled a quarter of the demon world?


    Yong-Ho clenched his teeth as the fire started to die. Catalina grabbed the third mana potion.


    And the salamander widely opened its mouth. It released a huge column of fire towards the soldier ants in front of them.


    The salamander annihilated the soldier ants and even broke through the entrance of the gold mine. Crazy Ants started to crawl out of it and were given a fair death.


    Yong-Ho consumed the third mana potion. He was once again filled with mana. Furthermore, he could feel his mana temporarily becoming stronger from the additional effect of the potion.


    ''It''s dangerous.''


    But, it was helpful. Yong-Ho gritted his teeth and endured the pain in his body. It was harmful for him to repeatedly consume and refill his mana in a short span of time. Moreover, his mana was getting stronger, which acted as a double-edged blade that harmed him.


    Yong-Ho kicked off the ground again. He ran towards the entrance of the mine.


    Almost half of the Crazy Ants covering the room had died. There weren''t a lot of Slimes left and the ones that had survived didn''t dare attack Yong-Ho''s party.


    Yong-Ho knew that this situation would only last for a few more seconds. He only had one mana potion left.


    The exhausted Salamander turned around towards the mine''s entrance. Even though it was breathing heavily, it continued to spit out fire towards the ants. Skull grabbed his hammer and stood alongside the Salamander to protect it.


    "Skulllll!"


    Skull yelled at Catalina and Catalina responded with her eyes. Catalina and Yong-Ho ran past Skull and the Salamander and threw themselves into the mine.


    Their goal was to kill or subjugate the Queen Ant, who was most likely located in the deepest part of the gold mine!


    [Dungeon Facility: I''ll try to activate the gold mine!]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon hurriedly yelled. Yong-Ho looked to the front. Catalina''s flashlight alone wasn''t enough to drive out the darkness inside the mine. The sound of something crawling in the darkness slowly became louder and louder.


    Yong-Ho calmed himself. He held himself back from sheathing Aamon and started to run. Yong-Ho couldn''t see beyond the darkness, but Catalina was different. Having the characteristics of a Dark Elf, she was able to see through the dark.


    Catalina remained calm. It was not the time to waste her mana in a moment of fear and anxiety.


    A couple of seconds later. Though it was only for a short time, it felt endless.


    [Dungeon Facility: Activation of the gold mine successful! Mana will now be supplied!"


    The Spirit of the Dungeon cried out. A series of mana lights on the ceiling suddenly lit up thanks to the supply of mana.


    At the same time, Yong-Ho waved his finger. He displayed the dungeon map to check if the gold mine was among the rooms that he was currently in control of.


    "Master!"


    During the short time, he was examining the map.


    Catalina yelled. Yong-Ho reflexively pulled out Aamon. He looked to the front.


    "Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!"


    Alongside the sudden scream, the Crazy Ants started quickly moving around. They crawled all over the ceiling and walls, and some even rushed towards Yong-Ho and Catalina from behind. It was as if they were trying to crush them to death.


    Yong-Ho didn''t think about it. He quickly stretched out his hand and grabbed Catalina''s waist and pulled her into his chest. The moment he was covered by the Crazy Ants, he struck Aamon into the ground.


    The flames of greed soared.


    Waves of fire swept throughout the mine.

 34 Recapturing the Gold Mine 2

    The more urgent the moment, the more cold-hearted he became.


    Yong-Ho''s senses had sharpened, amidst the pain, caused by the additional effect of the mana potion.


    Was it because of the demon''s blood?


    Or was it a talent that Yong-Ho himself had that had been dormant, and which only became active now due to him experiencing the thrill of combat?


    It didn''t matter which way it was.


    Even when groups of Crazy Ants started to charge towards him, Yong-Ho remained calm.


    The ants were already extremely close by the time he grabbed Catalina by the waist.


    At the moment he pulled Catalina into his chest, the ants were so close that he heard them breathing through their rake-like mouth.


    Nevertheless, Yong-Ho continued to analyze the situation around him. As he stabbed the ground with Aamon, he began to control his mana, as he felt the weight of the Crazy Ants swarming above him and then ignited the ants.


    He didn''t expend all his mana at once out of excitement.


    The gold mine was a lot smaller compared to the room outside.


    He only had one mana potion left and if he overdid it, then he couldn''t guarantee that he would be able to fight against the Queen Ant.


    As if he was agilely dodging throwing knives with minimal movement.


    He released his mana. Aamon responded. He controlled the flames!


    It looked like a blast of fiery wind. The flames started from the ground and quickly rose up as it enveloped Yong-Ho. The fiery whirlpool burned the Crazy Ants around him.


    He couldn''t breathe. He continued to control the fire. Instead of recklessly releasing the fire, he condensed it to one point.


    His senses were sharp. He could read every move of Catalina, who was crouched beneath him while heavily breathing. He felt the very essence of the fire as if it had become one with him.


    This entire process only lasted for a few seconds at best.


    During this short time, Yong-Ho once again trusted his instincts. The condensed flames that were shooting out in a single direction suddenly split into two and charged down both passageways.


    Half of his mana had been consumed. His mana had temporarily become stronger many times because of the mana potion and it provided a similar effect to when his mana was maxed out.


    The inside of the gold mine continued to burn. The burning smell of Crazy Ants filled his nose. It was difficult to breathe because of the hot air around them.


    And in one second.


    Yong-Ho raised his head. The Crazy Ants, who were near the center of the fire and had fought against Yong-Ho, had turned to ashes. The ants that were near the center didn''t turn to ashes but were still very dead. The ones that had kept their distance were still alive but weren''t in any condition to continue fighting.


    Yong-Ho breathed out.


    ''I can''t do it a second time.''


    The cost of trying to control the flames, not just releasing them, was far heavier than he had first thought. Mentally, he was exhausted. If it wasn''t for Aamon in the first place, he wouldn''t have been able to get this far, but regardless, it was still too much.


    Yong-Ho frowned and turned his attention to the inside of the mine. He used Aamon as a cane to support himself and brought up the dungeon map through the wave of a finger.


    It was just as he had expected. The gold mine wasn''t very deep. He couldn''t find the tunnels that the ants had dug, but Yong-Ho didn''t care. The dungeon map showed the most important information right now.


    "Queen Ant."


    The target of this battle was located in the deepest part of the mine.


    [The number of Crazy Ants within the gold mine has decreased significantly.]


    [There are few Crazy Ants left where the Queen Ant is located.]


    [You''re almost done. Just a little longer!]


    Yong-Ho laughed bitterly. He was nearly done. His whole body ached with pain, and he could only fight for a little longer.


    ''Not yet.''


    Yong-Ho consciously gritted his teeth and straightened himself up. He had no choice but to hurry, not only for his own physical condition but for the Salamander and Skull, who were guarding the entrance.


    "I''ll take the lead."


    Catalina spoke quietly and took a couple of steps ahead of Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho followed behind Catalina without a word.


    [Because of the mana that the Queen Ant is emitting, I''m unable to see the situation in the innermost part of the mine.]


    [I''m not sure what they have planned, so please be careful.]


    Yong-Ho nodded his head and examined the dungeon map again. Except for the Queen Ant and her remaining soldier ants, he couldn''t see any other significant force.


    In that case, the last remaining fight will be with the Queen Ant.


    Yong-Ho took a deep breath for the last time. The passageway leading to the innermost part of the mine had a slight incline. Nothing was visible to him beyond the cave entrance, which was around two meters in diameter.


    Catalina''s ears flinched. She could hear something crawling inside the cave. The entrance was quiet.


    Yong-Ho and Catalina exchanged a glance. As Yong-Ho nodded his head, Catalina grabbed her dagger with her left hand and grabbed a fiery short sword she obtained from Kaiwan''s armory with her right.


    Catalina flew inside. Immediately after, Yong-Ho kicked off the ground and dashed inside as well.


    A large space.


    The space was large enough to have a proper volleyball match.


    The ceiling was high. Dozens of white eggs, a little larger than a human''s head, were dotted in bunches around the twisted circular room.


    Two soldier ants were visible in the deepest part of the room and as they raised their head, they threatened Yong-Ho and Catalina. They were still around 20 meters away, but it was enough to attract their attention.


    However, Yong-Ho didn''t get submerged this time. The moment he entered the room, he felt a sense of discordance with what he saw.


    Something had to be in this room.


    He couldn''t see the Queen Ant.


    How come?


    Why?


    "Kyahhhhhh!"


    A sudden terrifying shriek came from the above. Right when Yong-Ho looked up, Catalina jumped on him. They suddenly fell to the ground and rolled a few meters to the side.


    Fwoosh!


    About a dozen icicles that were each about one meter in length fell on the spot that Yong-Ho was previously standing in. While rolling with Catalina, Yong-Ho quickly examined the ceiling.


    It was a wall, not the ceiling. He could see a huge monster, crouching on the wall right above the entrance.


    The creature was an enormous, blue ant that looked three or four times bigger than a soldier ant.


    Like a spider, their abdomen was far larger than its head and above where its head would be, sat the upper body of a naked woman. Excluding the antennae that were on her forehead, she was incredibly beautiful. Moreover, she had long, blue hair.


    "Kyahh!"


    Suddenly the Queen Ant charged towards Yong-Ho and Catalina at the same time. Behind the woman were sharp antennas that extended outwards and resembled a mantis''s legs


    Yong-Ho felt it.


    ''Magic?!''


    He focused on the concentration of mana. Blue mana was gathered at the end of each of the antennas. Yong-Ho didn''t wait any longer. Catalina quickly rose up and kicked off the ground.


    Swoosh!


    About a dozen icicles were formed in the air once again and targeted Yong-Ho and Catalina.


    Yong-Ho rolled on the ground again and Catalina dodged, but she didn''t stop there. She kicked off the wall, utilizing her high agility. She threw her body into the air after kicking off the wall and closed the distance between her and the Queen Ant.


    The Queen Ant was flustered by Catalina''s quick movements and quickly turned her head. However, Catalina had already released an arrow before the Queen Ant could move.


    Her aim was right on target. However, the arrow didn''t pierce through the Queen Ant''s forehead. It just bounced off, as if it had been blocked by an invisible wall. After firing, Catalina swiftly executed a mid-air somersault and landed safely on the ground.


    [I''m detecting a strong mana emanating from the Queen Ant!]


    Yong-Ho made a rough assumption. The Queen Ant was a demon that had occupied the gold mine since the previous generation. Furthermore, the Queen Ant was powerful enough to exert control over the entire colony of Crazy Ants.


    Just from the fact that the Queen Ant possessed the upper body of a human, showed just how extraordinary she was.


    ''Is that defense magic?!''


    Yong-Ho didn''t stay in one place. He quickly stood up and tightened his grip on Aamon. The Queen Ant wasn''t the only monster nearby.


    "Gahhhh!"


    Two soldier ants rushed towards Yong-Ho at once. Yong-Ho charged towards the one on the right and aimed for its head with Aamon.


    "Gahh!"


    The ant tilted its head and dodged Aamon. Yong-Ho released a portion of mana to create a fireball. Which blew up beside the ant''s head, causing it to release a grotesque sound as it twisted its body.


    And at that moment, Catalina swung her sword as she leaped on top of the ant on the left. With a single attack, she completely cut off its head. She didn''t stop there, however, and immediately released another arrow that pierced through the ant on the right side.


    "Kyahh!"


    The soldier ant staggered after being hit on the head again. Yong-Ho quickly grabbed Aamon and attempted to stab the ant in the head again. The moment he felt Aamon pierce through the ant''s head, he channeled some of Aamon''s fire and burned the inside of its head.


    It had taken them a few seconds to kill both of the soldier ants.


    Yong-Ho didn''t have time to catch his breath and immediately turned his attention back to the Queen Ant. He suddenly hesitated for a moment without realizing it.


    The Queen Ant had moved towards the ceiling and was staring at him with venomous eyes. She was holding another body beside her head. The giant Queen Ant was frantically feasting on a small girl.


    It was a terrible and incomprehensible sight to behold.


    Where did the girl come from? Why did the Queen Ant suddenly stop fighting and start eating the girl?


    [She''s recovering her mana by eating the Princess Ant!]


    The moment the Spirit of the Dungeon shouted, the Queen Ant shot icicles at him once again. Yong-Ho threw his body to the side and dodged the incoming icicles that were pouring down like rain. Though it wasn''t exactly the cleanest roll, he had managed to dodge the icicles just in time.


    But that wasn''t the end. The Queen Ant jumped off the wall. She was targeting Yong-Ho, not Catalina.


    She moved at an extremely fast pace. Since he had no time to think, and given that he had just rolled on the ground, all he could do was extend Aamon out in front of him. He poured out his remaining mana and created a fiery wave.


    The wave of flames crashed against the Queen Ant.


    "Master!"


    Catalina yelled. Within the flames of Greed, Yong-Ho examined her. A defensive magic was being created from the Queen Ant''s head, which pushed away the incoming fire.


    As soon as she landed on the ground, the Queen Ant released a scream and started to attack between the flames with her sharp antennas. She glared at Yong-Ho, while the blood of the Princess Ant dripped from her mouth. Another Princess Ant laid across the Queen Ant''s back, but she couldn''t even let out a moan.


    Clash!


    The Queen Ant''s metal like mouth collided with Aamon. Yong-Ho released a painful groan as he managed to block her by holding Aamon in an upright position. Even though he had somehow blocked her, her physical strength was incredibly powerful.


    "Kyahhhh!"


    The Queen Ant glared at him and gave out a shriek. She retracted her antennas and targeted Yong-Ho!


    "Ahhhh!"


    Catalina screamed. She distracted the Queen Ant''s attention and fired an arrow towards her head. Afterwhich, she immediately jumped on the Queen Ant''s back.


    The arrow once again bounced off the Queen Ant''s head. But, Catalina didn''t stop. The Queen Ant couldn''t ignore Catalina anymore. Her antennas, which had originally targeted Yong-Ho, now changed their target to Catalina.


    Catalina leaped high into the air. She leaped so high that she avoided all of the Queen Ant''s antennae and then did a somersault in the air. With her facing the ground, she turned her body like a spinning top and quickly changed directions. With that, she fell towards the Queen Ant.


    Silver.


    The short sword targeted the top of the Queen Ant''s head. She failed to pierce through it because of the defensive magic, but she was able to cut off a couple of her antennas. The Queen Ant started to scream in pain since it was equivalent to cutting off the limbs of a human. The rest of the Queen Ant''s body must have felt affected too because her whole body began to writhe in pain.


    Catalina landed awkwardly because she was too focused on her attack and instead she ended up rolling on the ground. Instead of looking at Catalina, Yong-Ho stared at the Queen Ant. Given the opportunity of the Queen Ant''s current situation, he grabbed Aamon with his right hand.


    He was out of mana.


    He didn''t have enough time to drink the mana potion that was on his waist.


    But there was still a way.


    [I''m transferring the mana of the dungeon!]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon poured the dungeon''s remaining mana into Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho concentrated all of his mana. He poured the mana into Aamon and threw it towards the Queen Ant''s body.


    Green flames. The flames of Greed!


    At a distance of just three meters, it didn''t take Aamon long to reach her. The lance was enveloped in green flames, which made it look like a falling star.


    Aamon collided with the Queen Ant with ease. The lance destroyed the Queen Ant''s defensive magic, despite its weakening green flames, and continued its momentum. The sharp end of the lance pierced through the Queen Ant''s chest. The lance suddenly let out an explosive flame, as if the soul of the lance, Aamon himself, was in control.


    "Kyahhh!"


    Green flames suddenly ruptured through all of the Queen Ant''s orifices.


    Catalina gulped. Yong-Ho didn''t turn his gaze away and continued to watch the Queen Ant in her last moments.


    It was indeed her last moments.


    The Queen Ant''s body began to drop. One of her legs collapsed, and immediately, the rest of the body followed. Her human body attached to the ant fell to the ground as well.


    The Princess Ant was still attached to the Queen Ant''s back and remained stagnant, so Yong-Ho wasn''t sure if she had died or just lost consciousness.


    Moments later.


    While he was catching his breath.


    [The Queen Ant has been defeated!]


    [The Crazy Ants have been relinquished from the Queen Ant''s control and are in extreme chaos!]


    [The Crazy Ants located in the entrance room are fleeing towards the inactive rooms!]


    Yong-Ho and Catalina looked at each other. They let out a sigh of relief.


    Yong-Ho stood up from his seat. He extended his hand out towards the dead Queen Ant.


    He consumed the Queen Ant''s spirit.

 35 Recapturing the Gold Mine 3

    Mana was the root of all beings of the demon world.


    Almost every living being within the demon world had its own mana and absorbing the spirit of another was simply called ''Spirit Absorption''.


    Spirit Absorption could be performed by any demon. However, when an ordinary demon absorbed a spirit, it was ridiculously inefficient.


    Spirit Absorption was primarily for Demon Kings to help them rise to the top of the demon world.


    There were still limitations though, for instance, if there was too large a difference in the mana power between a demon king and spirit, then they simply wouldn''t be able to absorb it, however, if they absorbed the spirit of a being that was stronger than them, then they could easily increase their power.


    That was why they were Demon kings.


    They were beings that could aim for the top of the world via the law of the jungle


    Demon kings were a minority. Even during the periods when they were considered numerous, just over a hundred kings existed.


    Not all kings were strong, however, some were even weaker than just ordinary demons.


    But kings had great potential. The reason why they were called kings was simply due to their high potential to ascend.


    Yong-Ho unfolded his palm. His mana had run out, but it didn''t matter.


    Blue mana was concentrated on the Queen Ant''s forehead. The spirit looked like a large glowing marble, around the size of a fist. After examining it, Yong-Ho absorbed the spirit through the palm of his hand.


    This was the third.


    It was different from the previous two. He felt the same exhilarating pleasure, but he also felt something else beside it.


    He felt an intense strength. The spirit contained a much stronger power than the previous two. The quantity of the mana was almost equal to Yong-Ho''s own.


    There was no such thing as a perfect absorption. Therefore, even after he finished absorbing it, it was impossible for his mana to just suddenly double. Moreover, though it was clear that the spirit was stronger than the last two that he absorbed, however, it felt rough and murky. The closest explanation was that it had something similar to impurities inside it.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and released a groan. He felt a sense of alienation as the Queen Ant''s spirit was mixed into his own mana. He was able to detect what it was.


    The attribute of the spirit.


    It was different from his own mana, he should abandon it to preserve his own power.


    But Greed didn''t allow that. It forced Yong-Ho to push to his limits. He forcefully devoured the power of the spirit.


    He suddenly felt severe pain. Yong-Ho twisted his body while releasing a painful groan.


    But Greed didn''t stop. And Yong-Ho didn''t have any intention of stopping either. He gritted his teeth and absorbed the spirit.


    He wasn''t going to miss anything.


    He was going to devour it all no matter what!


    "Gah!"


    He breathed out and took a step back. He opened his eyes wide and looked forward.


    "Master?!"


    He heard Catalina''s voice beside him. She hugged Yong-Ho''s body, preventing him from falling to the ground.


    Instead of answering, he leaned against Catalina. He collected his breath while leaning against her shoulder and chest and after a couple of minutes, he managed to hold himself up.


    "Mas...ter?"


    "I''m alright. I''m alright, Catalina."


    After answering her, Yong-Ho collapsed on the ground. He was so exhausted that he just wanted to pass out, however, there was a stronger desire than that. Due to that desire, Yong-Ho gathered a small amount of mana that was recovered thanks to the spirit absorption. He examined himself using the Power of Evolution.


    [Demon of Evolution]


    [Name: Chun Yong-Ho (M)]


    [Race: Half Human/Half Demon]


    [Class: Demon]


    [Attributes: Fire - Level 2 / Darkness - Level 0 / Ice - Level 1]


    [Evolution Rate: 78/100]


    [Strength - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Stamina - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Mana - Level 3 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Charm - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Agility - Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Skill - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Seven Deadly Sins | Greed]


    Thanks to him absorbing the Queen Ant''s spirit, his fire level had increased and the mana''s potential power had become a little stronger than before. However, there was a more important change than those two.


    ''Ice.''


    A new attribute that wasn''t there before appeared. Furthermore, the fact that it was ''ice'' was the most important thing.


    The original attribute that Yong-Ho had was fire. Even though it was somewhat of a gaming element, however, fire and ice were considered opposites. But within Yong-Ho, those two conflicting elements were residing within him.


    ''Greed.''


    It was the ice element that it wanted to absorb so badly.


    Yong-Ho smiled as his shoulders dropped. Since he had such little mana left, the Power of Evolution naturally deactivated.


    [The dungeon''s daily mana output has increased from 120 to 140.]


    [Because you''ve grown stronger, Catalina (F), Eligor (M), and Skull''s (-) various stats have increased by a small amount.]


    [Your horns have become larger and more beautiful!"


    [Congratulations, Master.]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke quickly as if she was waiting for the right moment to speak.


    After thanking her, he looked over at the Queen Ant''s corpse and the Crazy Ant''s eggs that were scattered around the room.


    Catalina spoke.


    "I think it would be better to destroy all the eggs. Since they''re no longer under the queen''s control, they''re now just harmful dungeon monsters."


    In case they failed to subjugate the Queen Ant, Eligor had prepared a guideline beforehand.


    Yong-Ho agreed, so he nodded without saying anything. But it wasn''t long before a sudden thought came to him.


    "So then, what should we do with that?"


    "Excuse me?"


    "That."


    Yong-Ho pointed at the Queen Ant''s corpse, with his eyes, or more precisely its back.


    Since she was an official dungeon spirit, Catalina immediately understood what Yong-Ho meant. What Yong-Ho saw was the Princess Ant on top of the Queen Ant''s corpse.


    She had been bound with some sort of translucent liquid.


    Moreover, she wasn''t unconscious. She just had a blank expression, like someone that was drugged.


    The reason why she remained quiet while the other Princess Ant was being eaten wasn''t because she agreed to it, but because her body was literally paralyzed.


    Yong-Ho closely examined the Princess Ant.


    From a distance, she looked just like a little girl, but upon closer inspection, she was far from it. Just like the Queen''s Ant upper body she was beautiful, however, there were antennas on her head that looked like horns, and attached to her skin on her arms and legs was an outer shell.


    Compared to a human, she looked as if she was in her early teens.


    Seeing as how her outer appearance was starkly different from the Crazy Ants, it was clear that the Princess Ant would grow into the Queen Ant.


    During combat, the Queen Ant had eaten one of the Princess Ants to recover her mana. If the combat lasted any longer, then the queen would have surely eaten this princess as well.


    Yong-Ho didn''t think too complicatedly. He thought that perhaps it was normal in the demon world for parents to eat their children or maybe it was their version of motherhood.


    He decided to think of it as a practical judgment.


    "Is it possible to register the Princess Ant as a dungeon spirit even though she''s a dungeon monster?"


    The plan to subjugate the Queen Ant had failed.


    But how would the Princess Ant feel? And if the Princess Ant one day created a group of Crazy Ants under Yong-Ho''s command, then wouldn''t it be of great help to him in operating the dungeon?


    Yong-Ho didn''t know, but controlling Crazy Ants was an extremely difficult task.


    The Queen Ants that controlled the colony were extremely independent. They would rather die than obey someone else.


    In fact, in the large demon world, there were very few owners that subjugated Crazy Ants or dungeon monsters of a similar race.


    However, since the Princess Ant wasn''t fully grown and didn''t have any experience in controlling a colony, it was possible.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon answered.


    [The process is a lot more complicated than the Salamander, but it''s possible to try it.]


    [But Master, you''re currently very exhausted. You don''t have enough mana to proceed with the process.]


    [There isn''t any mana left within Mammon''s dungeon either. For now, it would be better to capture the Princess Ant and then try to register her later on.]


    Regardless of the success rate, it was important to at least try it.


    Feeling satisfied, Yong-Ho turned his head. He looked at Catalina, who was standing despite feeling exhausted.


    "Catalina."


    "Yes, master."


    Catalina answered immediately. He wasn''t sure if it was because they had achieved victory or because they acquired the mine, but she looked really touched. Her tail was wagging excitedly.


    Yong-Ho thought it looked cute which caused him to laugh and he tried to think of the right words in his head. But he couldn''t think of anything. He didn''t have enough energy to think of the right remark. So he decided to just be straightforward.


    "Thank you. You did a great job today. You''re definitely the guard of the dungeon."


    "I was just doing my job."


    Catalina tried to reply calmly. However, aside from her fluttering ears and wagging tail, she couldn''t even contain the smile on her face.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes. He was really at his limit now.


    "I''ll leave the rest to you."


    Before hearing her answer, Yong-Ho quickly lay on the ground. And just like that, he became unconscious.


    Catalina briefly looked at him and then looked around. She was in the room by herself, so she wasn''t sure what to do and carefully approached him.


    She was extremely close. But Yong-Ho still didn''t budge.


    She looked at him a little while longer and smiled. Although she was exhausted, she gathered her remaining energy and carried Yong-Ho on her back. He was pretty heavy, but she felt good for some reason.


    "Skullllll!"


    She heard Skull''s voice at the entrance. He must have figure out what happened after seeing the ants run away.


    Catalina instinctively channeled energy into her hands that were carrying Yong-Ho. She didn''t want anyone else to carry him and waited for Skull and the Salamander to come down. In order to take the Princess Ant and burn the eggs, she then required their help. They also needed to retrieve Aamon, which was pierced into the Queen Ant''s body.


    ''The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon''


    It was the weapon that was known as the right arm of Mammon.


    Out of the twelve official spirits that belonged to Mammon, he was ranked the highest.


    With one swing, Aamon could burn the heavens and the earth and evaporate the seas.


    Aamon wasn''t exactly like the legends stated, but he was still amazing. If it wasn''t for Aamon, then Yong-Ho definitely wouldn''t have been able to come this far.


    ''No, but still.''


    Yong-Ho was Aamon''s owner. Yong-Ho found Aamon, and Aamon acknowledged Yong-Ho as his owner.


    So there was no need to think about them separately.


    The King of Greed had finally returned.


    The Demon of Evolution who will lead the House of Mammon to glory once again.


    Yong-Ho''s breathing was close. His hot breath tickled her neck.


    Catalina slightly pursed her lips while waiting for Skull. She once again tried to contain her smile.

 36 Reorganisation

    The sky and the earth were filled with darkness. It was the complete opposite of the virtual space of the Dungeon Market, which was all white.


    Black. Darkness. All light was blocked out, so nothing was visible within the space.


    No sound could be heard. Only heavy silence filled the room.


    It was an extremely special space. Those who entered the space had all of their five senses blocked.


    They couldn''t see, hear or touch.


    If they could endure long solitude, they could deeply appreciate being alone in this place.


    Unfortunately, most living beings had difficulty in doing that. And not even Sitri, who was someone that could endure it, didn''t like to stay in this room for long.


    Sitri enjoyed the texture of a soft sun-dried blanket. She liked the natural warmth of a person''s body and loved the sound of nature that tickled her ears. She felt happy when the occasional wind blew against her skin.


    But still, Sitri sometimes came to this room. There were times when she would come in here and think about her memories of the past.


    The demon world''s history was long.


    Many citizens of the demon world didn''t even know the history of the Dungeon Market, nor how old the dungeon world was. In fact, there weren''t that many that were actually interested in it.


    However, there was one truth that the residents of the demon world did know.


    The absolute ruler of the demon world.


    A great being that only the description, Demon God, would be able to describe them.


    That kind of figure had existed. Though not now, but they certainly existed in the past.


    Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Miracles.


    There were the fourteen powers of the demon world and they were known as the ''Seven Deadly Sins'' and the ''Seven Miracles of Kings.''


    The figure that gathered all of them would become an absolute being. They would be reborn as the true king of the demon world.


    It was an old legend.


    Among the demons, there were those that were born with the power of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    They reigned over the other kings, using the power of the sins as the root of their power and by seizing territory in the demon world, they would establish their own kingdom.


    It was only natural that the demons who possessed the power of the Seven Deadly Sins would also obtain the powers of the Seven Miracles.


    Demon kings with the power of the sins had always waged wars. Sometimes, there were kings that only possessed one of the Seven Miracles and yet war did not evade them.


    An absolute ruler did not appear.


    No one was able to gather the Seven Deadly Sins together and none could combine the Seven Miracles into one.


    But, there was one that was close.


    The King of Greed, Mammon.


    Out of the Seven Deadly Sins, Mammon had collected three. And, out of the Seven Miracles, he had obtained four.


    He was able to reign over a quarter of the demon world and ruled over a hundred dungeons.


    The strongest being in the demon world.


    But in the end, he too could not rise up to become the absolute ruler.


    Mammon had suddenly died and the kingdoms that were under him crumbled down like sandcastles from the invading forces of the other kings.


    The Greed''s Labyrinth was Mammon''s true home and the biggest dungeon, but the other kings destroyed it.


    The other kings ended up with the four superhuman powers that he had acquired and the power of Greed all but disappeared from the demon world.


    Mammon''s forces quickly collapsed.


    There were twelve spirits that followed him, commonly named ''Mammon''s spirits'' and many of them were killed. Those that survived hid themselves from the world.


    The dungeons that Mammon reigned over too fell into the hands of others. The kings divided Mammon''s land and claimed it as their own, but before they could divide the spoils, a new war started amongst them.


    The next King of Greed, a direct descendant of Mammon, took over and survived thanks to the new war among the other kings. However, they didn''t obtain the power of Greed. Moreover, the four Seven Miracles that Mammon possessed had been taken.


    The power of greed never appeared again to the future generations. The House of Mammon slowly fell and almost all of the dungeons and spirits were lost. The only thing that was left within the House of Mammon was an old, rusty dungeon that Mammon himself had built. Out of all the dungeons that had been recorded in the demon world''s history, Mammon''s dungeon was considered in the top ten.


    It was very interesting.


    The House of Mammon had collapsed and yet the only reason they could survive was due to this very dungeon.


    Greed, one the Seven Deadly Sins, and the Mammon family, which now no longer had any of the Seven Miracles, were no longer in the eyes of the other demon kings.


    To the other kings, the House of Mammon was nothing more than a small and useless family, destined for destruction.


    ''That''s what everyone''s thinking.''


    A light smile appeared on Sitri''s face. She opened her eyes in the darkness. She couldn''t see anything, but it didn''t bother her.


    Currently, there were six kings that reigned over the demon world.


    Five kings, each with the power of the Seven Deadly Sins and one of the Seven Miracles and one king that although didn''t possess one of the Seven Deadly Sins, did have a Seven Miracle.


    The five kings were Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Lust.


    And one other king was Violence.


    The Queen of Sloth had the power of the Seven Deadly Sins as well as one of the Seven Miracles, but she hadn''t created a military force. Just like her title, she hid within the shadows and did nothing.


    That was why there were six kings that reigned over the demon world.


    Six forces.


    None of the kings knew. No one knew the truth.


    It wasn''t that they didn''t know a new demon king had appeared that possessed Greed''s power.


    It was something else.


    Something more important than that.


    Sitri hugged herself. She couldn''t feel anything since the room blocked off all senses.


    Warmth didn''t exist either.


    But regardless, Sitri hugged herself. She thought of the present while reminiscing about the past.


    Chun Yong-Ho, the King of Evolution, possessed Greed''s power.


    When would he visit again? Would he be able to achieve Mammon''s glory?


    Sitri closed her eyes again. She escaped the present and immersed herself into her bittersweet memories.


    A long time ago.


    She went back to the time when Mammon, the King of Greed, was still alive and well.


    ***


    It wasn''t always great to wake up from a deep sleep.


    He would feel either light-headedness or pain as soon as he woke up.


    ''How¡­?''


    With a dazed expression, Yong-Ho blinked his eyes. He looked up at the ceiling and tried to swallow his dry spit. He couldn''t seem to finish his thought about how he had been waking up like this pretty often lately.


    He was thirsty. In addition, because of the sleep in his eyes, his eyes were hurting.


    "Hm."


    He unconsciously let out a groan when he tried to sit up. He wasn''t sure how long he had been in bed, but his back and waist were in pain.


    He turned his head. He saw Catalina next to him.


    It wasn''t a situation where they were in bed lying naked next to each other. Rather, Catalina was instead crouched beside the bed and had fallen asleep with her head leaning against it.


    Yong-Ho looked at Catalina for a moment and then looked around the room once again. He was looking for the water jug. And that''s when.


    "Woo-ah?"


    With an odd sound, Catalina quickly raised her head. He wasn''t sure whether she was having a nightmare or if she woke up from Yong-Ho''s groan, but she was like a student that had suddenly woken up while falling asleep in class.


    "Hi."


    "I-I wasn''t sleeping. I wasn''t sleeping."


    Catalina instinctively replied when Yong-Ho greeted her. And then became flustered again, after hearing her reply.


    There was no need to see her fluttering ears or her wagging tail. Seeing the trace of saliva along her lips was already enough.


    Yong-Ho changed the subject for her.


    "How long have I been out for?"


    He remembered killing the Queen Ant and recapturing the gold mine.


    Now that she had fully woken up, Catalina answered while straightening out her posture.


    "It''s been two days."


    "Right, two...two days?!"


    [Exactly 46 hours.]


    [I believe it''s because of the side effect of the mana potion.]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon gave an explanation right on time. Yong-Ho took a deep breath to calm his embarrassment.


    A side effect of the mana potion.


    When he thought about it, it was reasonable. Not only did the potion recovered his mana, but it also strengthened it.


    It was normal for his body to be exhausted since he had drank the mana potion several times whenever his mana ran out.


    But still, two days?


    "You don''t have to worry. The dungeon has been peaceful during the past two days."


    Catalina said it with a smile, but Yong-Ho couldn''t smile in response.


    The fact that he was talking with Catalina right now was proof that the dungeon wasn''t under attack during the past two days.


    The only thing Yong-Ho had an issue with was the fact that he wasted time.


    Two days.


    It meant that it had been four days since they had brought down the Orcs that invaded the dungeon.


    He didn''t have that much time left. He needed time to purchase various items from the Dungeon Market, by using the gold mine as collateral, and then build traps and facilities using those items.


    Yong-Ho tightly closed his eyes.


    He couldn''t erase the fact that he had wasted time, but it already happened. Like always, Yong-Ho tried his best to think positively.


    "What about the remaining Crazy Ants that were in the mine?"


    "They ran away. The Salamander burned all the eggs."


    [Dungeon Facility: The gold mine is now under your control, master.]


    [Gold is now being produced again, albeit at a slow pace.]


    The issue with the gold mine had been completely resolved.


    But, he couldn''t immediately move to the next step. It was because there was something he suddenly thought of.


    "And Aamon?"


    "Master"


    "Aamon¡­ is he currently in the gold mine?"


    The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon.


    The legend says that anyone, other than the owner, that touches Aamon will burn to death.


    He didn''t check to see if it was true, but he was sure that he was the only one that could touch Aamon.


    Catalina answered with an awkward expression after hearing his question.


    "We...did retrieve Aamon."


    "Huh? Really? There weren''t any issues even though I wasn''t the one touching it?"


    Was the legend a lie?


    ''No. Is it better to think that Aamon allowed it?''


    Yong-Ho looked at Catalina with curiosity. Either Catalina was intimidated by his attention or she wasn''t sure how to answer, but a puzzling look appeared on her face.


    "Well, you see¡­"


    "Yeah?"


    Catalina bit her lower lip and then fixed her posture. She looked straight at Yong-Ho and answered.


    "Eligor separated the Queen Ant''s body and brought the upper body back to the throne room. When they arrived, Sir Aamon... burned the Queen Ant''s corpse all by himself. He''s currently resting next to the throne."


    Since they couldn''t touch Aamon, they had instead brought the Queen Ant''s corpse.


    It was a good solution, but he couldn''t simply admire it. He had an idea why Catalina had the expression that she had now.


    "Oh¡­okay."


    "Yes."


    For a moment, things became slightly awkward between the demon king and his guard, so they remained quiet for a moment. As the owner and spirit, just by exchanging eye contact, they shared their thoughts of Eligor.


    And then a few seconds later. Yong-Ho purposely let out a cough to wrap up the conversation and changed the subject.


    "Where''s the Princess Ant?"


    "She''s currently residing in the prison cell."


    Yong-Ho''s eyes became thin again.


    "Eligor didn''t torture her, right?"


    "Um...probably not. M-maybe."


    Catalina spoke as if she was a little unsure and a frown appeared on Yong-Ho''s face due to his unease. He stood up from the bed and spoke.


    "I''m going to the prison cell to examine the Princess Ant. Catalina, find Eligor and bring him to the prison."


    "Yes, Master."


    She answered right away and exited the bedroom. Yong-Ho drank the water right out of the water jug and poured the remaining on his face to somewhat give it a wash.


    He quickly headed towards the prison cell.


    ***


    Eligor and the Goblins were busy with construction work. While the Salamander, Skull, and the Treant were currently guarding the entrance, so Yong-Ho didn''t meet anyone between the prison and his bedroom.


    However, since it was a prison, there was one spirit that acted as the ward.


    "Woof, woof."


    As soon as he arrived, the Kobold that was crouched in the corner quickly stood up. He must''ve been playing some sort of game because pebbles were rolling around his feet.


    Yong-Ho acknowledged him by waving his hand and then entered the prison. The bars were made from the leftover bamboo from the bamboo spears and beyond the bars, he saw the Princess Ant.


    The Princess Ant looked like a little girl and seeing her curled up in the corner made him feel bad.


    She seemed extremely tired because she was currently sleeping in a motionless state. A frown appeared on Yong-Ho''s face.


    He didn''t really know how the Crazy Ants lived, so he wasn''t so sure if this kind of treatment was okay, but in the human world, this would be considered a terrible treatment.


    Her kingdom had collapsed within a day, her mother had almost eaten her and her sister had been eaten by the Queen Ant and died.


    [Crazy Ants have little self-awareness except for the Queen Ant who controls the colony. The Queen Ant thinks of those ants as nothing more than their hands and feet.]


    [The Princess Ants are no exception. Because of that, the Queen Ant just used the Princess Ant as a means to recover her mana.]


    [Other than the fact that she was scared of being eaten, the Princess Ant in the cell doesn''t remember much.]


    As if she understood what was on Yong-Ho''s mind, the Spirit of the Dungeon spoke softly to him.


    Yong-Ho nodded his head. In the first place, the one that had subdued the Crazy Ants was Yong-Ho himself.


    It was an unfortunate situation, but there was no need for him to dwell on it.


    "Can we try registering her as a dungeon spirit now?"


    [It''s possible, but I think it''s still too early.]


    [In order to register a dungeon monster as a dungeon spirit, then there is a need for them to submit. Currently, the Princess Ant is half unconscious, so it''s not impossible for us to forcefully register her as long as we use an overwhelming amount of mana, but it''s likely to be extremely inefficient.]


    [I believe it would be more efficient to try to register her as a dungeon spirit after keeping her in the cell for a few more days.]


    It was unfortunate, but it was understandable.


    His battle with Foras was getting closer, so he couldn''t just waste his mana. Even if he did register the Princess Ant as a dungeon spirit, there was nothing he would gain from it, so it was the right choice to wait for the time being.


    But, he wasn''t planning on just neglecting her completely. While keeping his eyes on the Princess Ant, he activated the Power of Evolution.

 37 Reorganisation 2

    [Name: - (F)]


    [Race/Position: Crazy Ant / Princess Ant]


    [Class: Demon (Low Rank)]


    [Charm - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Emotion - Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Mana - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Stamina - Level 0 | ¡ï (1)]


    [Attributes - Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    Maybe it''s because she hadn''t yet been registered as a spirit, but when compared to the Goblins that he saw for the first time in the Virtual Space, there were a lot of sections that weren''t shown.


    ''She''s definitely still a kid.''


    Perhaps because she was still a young princess, her evolutionary potential was quite low. However, she had a lot of evolution routes and since her current ability was quite low, her initial growth rate would be quite large.


    ''What''s emotion?''


    He had a rough idea, but he wasn''t sure.


    Yong-Ho waved his finger into the air and checked the other evolutionary routes of the Princess Ant one by one. Although there was a slight difference, there was a silhouette over the Princess Ant that looked slightly more mature than her current self.


    ''Will she grow up once she evolves?''


    There must be an evolutionary route after she evolves because there were two boxes of light above the Princess Ant''s head. He could probably confirm it after registering her as a spirit.


    Yong-Ho deactivated the Power of Evolution as he briefly thought about the Queen Ant. He had heard someone behind him.


    "Did you call for me, Master?"


    "I was out for quite long, wasn''t I?"


    Yong-Ho turned around as he jokingly asked. Eligor answered with his usual warm smile.


    "You came back just in time. You''ve been overdoing it, so you should get some rest."


    It went along quite smoothly. Yong-Ho waved at the Kobold again and then left the prison with Eligor. He continued to speak to him as they walked towards the throne room.


    "How''s construction coming along?"


    "We''ve finished installing the basic traps. However, we don''t have enough materials for the more advanced traps yet, so we just cleared the ground so that we can quickly install them when we finally get the materials."


    Traps and spirits were the two essential pillars of dungeon defense.


    The dungeon facilities and traps were like the walls of a castle, while the spirits were like the soldiers that protected it.


    Yong-Ho decided to focus more on developing traps and the dungeon facilities.


    If the castle walls were strong, then even the weakest soldiers would be able to fend off invading enemies.


    They arrived at the throne room faster than expected. Catalina was waiting for them in front of the throne room and she opened the door for them as they entered the room.


    Yong-Ho walked across the large room and sat down on the throne, lightly stretching his body. He asked Eligor, who was standing next to him.


    "What do I need to buy?"


    Eligor took out a piece of paper from his inner pocket and gave it to Yong-Ho. It was a list of materials that they needed in order to build the various traps.


    "And this is an assumption that I made regarding the gold mine''s current worth."


    The second document contained the depth of the mine, the amount of gold that was currently there, the quantity of gold they''ll be able to obtain in a month, and the total worth of the mine based on all of the previous information.


    The dungeon''s gold mine was similar to the ones from the human world, yet quite different.


    The fact that there was gold in the mine was the same, but the mining method was different.


    In the human world, it was normal for people to go into a mine and continue to dig until they found gold, but in the dungeon''s gold mine, mana was used to mine the gold instead.


    Once the mine was registered as ''Dungeon Facility: Gold Mine'' then they could freely choose to activate or deactivate the room. After it has been activated, mana was continuously poured into it and gold was mined automatically.


    On the surface of the mine, lumps of gold were created, just like crystals. The mana automatically mines the gold until the reserves were exhausted and then it repeats the process.


    That was why the gold mine needed someone not to mine but to collect the gold.


    When Kaiwan didn''t collect the lumps of gold, the Queen Ant, who devoured various ores and mana, had eaten nearly all of it, so Yong-Ho had no choice but to produce new gold.


    After reviewing Eligor''s report, Yong-Ho gave the list of materials as well as various other details to the Spirit of the Dungeon. They were the essential materials that he required from the "bargaining" session that he would soon have with Sitri...


    ''Mana potion.''


    Sitri was right. No matter how high quality the weapons were, if there wasn''t any magic cast on them, then trading in twenty weapons definitely wasn''t enough to purchase one bottle.


    Since the mana potion was an item that could recover mana instantly and even strengthen it too.


    But Sitri had readily given Yong-Ho four bottles of mana potion.


    Sitri called it a ''fair trade,'' but Yong-Ho didn''t agree.


    In some ways, it was more of a debt.


    "You know, when I first ascended the throne."


    "Yes, Master?"


    Eligor and Catalina both looked at Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho asked Eligor.


    "Was it just a coincidence that Sitri was used as the witness?"


    In order for Yong-Ho to ascend to the throne, there needed to be three witnesses present, but since they couldn''t call anyone, they decided to contact the Dungeon Market and ask them to send someone.


    It was something he heard from Catalina when he first ascended to the throne.


    He thought nothing of it until now. However, Sitri''s behavior made him think that it wasn''t purely a coincidence. Crucially, the fact that she was close to Kaiwan, the owner from three generations, was proof.


    Eligor answered after a short pause.


    "It was the will of the owner from two generations ago. For Sitri to visit the House of Mammon when it was on the verge of collapse. That she should help at least once¡­"


    She was definitely someone that visited the House of Mammon often. Yong-Ho continued to ask.


    "The previous owners never saw Sitri?"


    "When the previous owners took the throne, Sitri visited them once."


    Given the current information, it was highly likely that she also participated as a witness in Kaiwan''s ceremony.


    Yong-Ho touched his chin.


    "How did the previous owners treat her?"


    "They didn''t treat her in any special way. From what I understand, when the previous two owners visited the Virtual Space to trade, they never saw her."


    The previous two owners were walking down the path of ruination.


    Did Sitri not help them?


    Sitri expressed feelings for Kaiwan. In Yong-Ho''s eyes, she still had an attachment towards her.


    Kaiwan. The owner from two generations ago and the previous owner. Yong-Ho himself.


    Yong-Ho organized his thoughts. He consciously hit the handle of the throne and spoke loudly.


    "Right, they say to strike while the iron is hot. Let''s get started."


    Bright expressions appeared on both Catalina and Eligor''s faces as he spoke in a cheerful manner. Yong-Ho looked at Eligor.


    "But before that."


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and instead of connecting to the Virtual Space, he stood up. He placed his hand on top of Eligor''s shoulder.


    "I said I''d evolve you when I came back, right?"


    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution. Eligor''s evolution rate took a while to fill up, but it was finally at a hundred.


    Eligor looked at Yong-Ho nervously and replied in a slightly quiet tone.


    "I ask that you evolve my stamina."


    "Your reason?"


    "My body has been starting to ache lately¡­"


    Yong-Ho smiled at his practical reasoning. Catalina, who had now experienced it twice, looked at Eligor excitedly.


    "Close your eyes and relax your mind and body."


    Eligor closed his eyes and relaxed his body. Yong-Ho grabbed Eligor''s shoulder and gathered his mana. Catalina''s eyes gleamed with interest as she watched.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes. He poured the Power of Evolution into Eligor.


    ***


    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. He had already visited the Virtual Space several times before, so it now felt familiar to him.


    "Oh¡­"


    However, when he looked around, he couldn''t see Sitri. All he could see before him was a white space stretching infinitely in every direction.


    [Welcome to the Dungeon Market''s Virtual Space.]


    [Please select your desired trade.]


    Letters of light, which he had not seen before, appeared before him.


    Yong-Ho hesitated slightly since the message looked like something he saw on an ATM machine. But he turned his attention to the list under it.


    And at that moment.


    The letters of light split into two, revealing a darkness behind. It looked as if a savage beast had ripped it apart.


    Sitri appeared from within the darkness and as she entered the white space, the darkness disappeared as if it had never existed.


    "Valuable customer, why didn''t you contact me ahead of time."


    He smiled bitterly when he heard Sitri''s comment.


    "Is there a way for me to contact you?"


    "Well, if I''m in charge of the House of Mammon, then I should''ve provided you a method to contact me."


    Sitri leisurely replied as she flicked her finger. A comfortable chair appeared behind her and Yong-Ho.


    "It''s nice to see that you''re safe. I assume that you were successful in recapturing the gold mine?"


    "I succeeded thanks to you."


    "Then, I guess you''re here today to do a trade."


    Their conversation flowed naturally. Yong-Ho was now able to remain level headed in front of her, perhaps because he had already seen her a few times now.


    "I would like to purchase some items with the gold mine as collateral. Also¡­"


    "Also?"


    "I wish to pay the proper amount for the mana potions."


    Sitri didn''t answer immediately. She slightly opened her eyes as if she was peering into Yong-Ho''s mind. She then spoke with a faint smile on her face.


    "I guess you really liked them."


    Yong-Ho didn''t disagree. The mana potions were extremely useful. The fact that they recovered his mana within seconds was more important than how they strengthened it. When he thought about how Aamon released a stronger fire the more mana he had, it was an incredibly valuable item which helped increase Yong-Ho''s fighting strength.


    And he received four of them.


    He was unsure of his relationship with Sitri, so he considered the four bottles of mana potion as debt.


    Sitri lightly stretched her shoulders.


    "It is important to be aware of an item''s worth. If you were trying to obtain them purely out of instinctual desire¡­ then I don''t think I could properly call it greed. I''ve said this in the beginning, but I''m starting to like you even more."


    Kaiwan was the same. This sharp child was no different.


    Sitri didn''t reminisce. She looked at Yong-Ho in the present.


    "But just as I said on that day, it was a fair deal. And the piece of information was more important than you think. So don''t worry about it. I won''t be providing you with anymore mana potions from now on anyway."


    Sitri straightened her back. She changed the subject.


    "Let''s talk about the gold mine. I''m sure you obtained the value of the mine''s current worth, right?"


    "We''ve estimated the mine to be worth about this much."


    Yong-Ho didn''t show any regrets. He waved his finger into the air and showed Sitri the information memorized by the Spirit of the Dungeon.


    "Hmmm. There''s more leftover than I expected."


    Kaiwan, the King of Distortion, disappeared shortly after she found the gold mine.


    Not long after Kaiwan''s younger brother ascended to the throne, the Crazy Ants started to inhabit the gold mine, so there was still some gold left in the mine.


    "Your current estimation is quite reasonable. But you can''t purchase items at this value. There will be a slight calculation. Plus we have to actually inspect it from our side as well."


    Pawnshops, where they lent money based on the value of an item, didn''t exist in this world.


    Furthermore, in terms of stability, the House of Mammon''s current gold mine wasn''t the best. It was because they had to prepare themselves to defend the dungeon soon.


    Within moments, Eligor''s estimation of the worth of the mine had dropped by almost half. However, Yong-Ho didn''t care. After accepting it calmly as if it was in the expected range, he once again raised his finger in the air.


    "The items that we would like to purchase are as follows."


    The list included materials that Eligor requested for the traps and various items for their livelihood in the dungeon.


    "You still have a fair amount of money left. Will you be using the remaining money to purchase a spirit?"


    Of course, Yong-Ho had been considering purchasing a spirit. However, there was something else he had to purchase first.


    Yong-Ho leaned forward slightly. He spoke while slightly narrowing the distance between him and Sitri.


    "I want to purchase information."


    "Are you talking about information on Foras?"


    Sitri asked back immediately as if she was really interested.


    Yong-Ho pulled his body towards the back of the chair.


    He, of course, wanted to know about Foras and his spirits. However, what Yong-Ho truly wanted was something more fundamental than that.


    "Why does Foras want to attack the House of Mammon? Why is he now making his move? That''s what I want to know."


    The House of Mammon was quite weak when the last two owners were alive, but Foras hadn''t done anything then. So, why was he making his move now? Was it simply because the previous owner had died and the shield had weakened?


    The Imp had told him that if the Orcs failed, then Foras would bring an actual army and attack the House of Mammon''s dungeon.


    Foras had made a firm decision to attack. And there had to be a reason as to why he was now making his move.


    Sitri slightly opened her eyes again. A wide grin appeared on her face as she looked at Yong-Ho.

 38 Reorganisation 3

    "You''re sharp."


    Sitri buried herself deeply into the back of her chair. The way she looked at Yong-Ho was somewhat different from before as if she was examining his worth. She slightly stuck her tongue out and lightly licked her bottom lip.


    "Please continue."


    Yong-Ho swallowed his dry saliva. Yong-Ho quickly thought about Catalina in his head so that he wouldn''t be blinded by her beauty. When he thought of how Catalina drooled while she slept, he quietly chuckled and was able to somewhat break free.


    With a more relaxed expression, Yong-Ho continued to talk.


    "Foras didn''t make a move when the last two owners were alive. According to Eligor, it was because the owners within the empty parts of the lands were maintaining the balance."


    A peace that was created by the balancing of power.


    None of them recklessly made a move, since they were hostile to each other. While they were attacking one owner, another owner might attack them from behind.


    "It''s still a dungeon even if it''s on the brink of collapsing. It takes both the utilization of time and troops when attacking a dungeon. During that moment, their own dungeon could well be in danger because of the other hostile owners."


    "And you think the House of Mammon''s dungeon isn''t worth taking a risk?"


    Sitri spoke as if she was assisting him. She wore her usual light smile, but he couldn''t tell what she was thinking. Whenever he saw her, the only thing that filled his mind was how beautiful she was.


    Yong-Ho thought about Catalina again and answered.


    "Yes. The House of Mammon really weakened after Kaiwan, the King of Distortion, disappeared. They probably didn''t make a move since it probably wasn''t worth the trouble."


    Hesitation.


    It''s too much trouble to eat, and too much to throw away.


    But in the end, Foras didn''t make a move. He left the House of Mammon alone. Even during the time when the past owner had died and the dungeon was at its weakest.


    "But now they''ve started to move. And it seemed like they''re quite determined about it."


    It was difficult to believe that he just had a simple change of heart.


    Yong-Ho didn''t believe that Foras had just been waiting until the protective barrier further weakened, as Eligor had first mentioned.


    "And there''s one more thing that I find suspicious."


    Sitri tilted her head. It wasn''t that Yong-Ho''s question was unexpected, but she was curious as to what he wanted to say and if he would ask about the thing that was on her mind.


    Yong-Ho slightly leaned his body to the left and continued.


    "Every time I explore the dungeon and find new facilities, it''s something I think about."


    Sitri licked her lower lip again.


    Yong-Ho gently closed his eyes.


    He didn''t have any suspicions at first.


    But the sense of discord grew day by day.


    Yong-Ho opened his eyes again. He wasn''t in a hurry.


    "The ancestor of the House of Mammon¡­ the dungeon belonged to Mammon, the King of Greed. There are a lot of facilities within the dungeon. For instance, I''ve recently discovered the armory and the gold mine that Kaiwan left."


    The House of Mammon didn''t just contain facilities.


    Within the dungeon, there were numerous hidden items, including Aamon which he had found recently.


    "In the beginning, I even thought that perhaps the other owners were just trying to avoid provoking Mammon''s spirits, even though the dungeon itself was weak. But no matter how much I thought about it, I found it strange. The House of Mammon''s dungeon is incredibly valuable. If a strong owner took this dungeon, they would be able to acquire Mammon''s inheritance a lot faster than I could."


    "But no one covets the House of Mammon?"


    Sitri smiled brightly and commented back. Yong-Ho nodded his head.


    "Yes. If the defensive shield is the issue¡­ then honestly, it''s only an issue to weaklings."


    There was nothing to obtain for the six kings that controlled the demon world.


    But, if the demon had a decent level of power or if they were more powerful than Yong-Ho, then that was more than enough.


    But no one wanted the House of Mammon''s dungeon.


    Was it because it was at the edge of the demon world? Perhaps the dungeon was too far into the corner?


    That sounded absurd. It might be a different story for the owners on the other side of the demon world, but for the owners that were in the empty Southern Region, it was definitely within their reach.


    Sitri stopped touching her chin and waved her hand in the air. The distance between Yong-Ho and Sitri suddenly narrowed. Rather than the chairs moving, it felt instead like the ground itself had become narrower.


    They were now so close that their knees were touching.


    Sitri leaned forward slightly and whispered a question to Yong-Ho as if she was telling him a secret.


    "Have you tried discussing it with Eligor?"


    "Not yet."


    Sitri waved her finger again. Her chair suddenly spun around and merged with the chair Yong-Ho was sitting on. The armrest that was in the way naturally disappeared and Sitri leaned her body against Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho felt his body become strained as he felt something unimaginably soft and aromatic.


    Sitri ignored his reaction as she began to slightly move her lips.


    "Where should I begin¡­?"


    She didn''t think about it for long. Sitri lightly placed her hand on top of Yong-Ho''s thigh and whispered.


    "Let''s start with Foras then."


    Yong-Ho nodded his head. Instead of distancing himself from her, he thought about Catalina again. He managed to remain after thinking about how Catalina would act cold, but her ears would still be fluttering.


    Sitri waved her right hand. A large window of light appeared in front of them.


    "This is the empty Southern Region where the House of Mammon belongs. When Mammon, the King of Greed, ruled in the past, this entire land was his."


    That large land took up a seventh of the entire demon world. Naturally, there were many owners that owned their own dungeon.


    "Just as you said, the owners in this empty Southern Region are maintaining a tight balance. Nothing good will come out of suddenly starting a war... they were maintaining a delicate balance."


    Sitri spoke in past tense. Yong-Ho instinctively reacted and she looked satisfied with his response.


    "It hasn''t been that long since that delicate balance has broken. On the edge of the northwest part of the southern area, a new owner suddenly appeared and started to conquer the surrounding area. And they''re being violent about it. They haven''t lost once and they''re rapidly expanding their power."


    The northwest region started to change into one single color on the map.


    Yong-Ho now knew.


    "You''re right. Foras has decided that in order to survive he had to become stronger. Even if it meant that he was potentially putting himself in danger."


    The balance had been broken. The line of dominoes had started to collapse.


    The delicate balance that was maintained in the southern region had collapsed. It was the start of a revolution.


    "And."


    Sitri collected her breath. She looked at Yong-Ho and whispered into his ear.


    "What I''m about to tell you now is so important that it can''t be compared to the information about someone like Foras."


    Yong-Ho had a hunch of what Sitri was about to say.


    It was an answer regarding the second suspicion that Yong-Ho had mentioned.


    "It''s a secret that Kaiwan, the previous two owners and all the other owners under the House of Mammon put their lives on the line to protect."


    The chair split into two again. Sitri now sat right in front of Yong-Ho. Instead of her seductive smile, she looked at Yong-Ho with cold eyes. She spoke in a low tone.


    "In the past, Mammon, the King of Greed, ruled a quarter of the demon world. And Mammon''s true dungeon, his largest and most powerful dungeon, is known as The Maze of Greed."


    The window of light was located behind Sitri and even though it showed new pictures, Yong-Ho didn''t lay his eyes on it. He stared straight into Sitri''s violet eyes.


    "After Mammon suddenly died, the other kings that were suppressed by Mammon started to attack the House of Mammon. And during this process, Mammon''s true dungeon, The Maze of Greed, was completely destroyed."


    Sitri closed her eyes. She leaned back as if she had been suddenly hit by a wave of exhaustion. She spoke in a slightly different tone from before.


    "The enormous amount of treasure that Mammon had gathered was looted and after destroying The Maze of Greed, the kings were satisfied. They took all of his Seven Miracles, so they were definitely satisfied."


    ''Seven Miracles?''


    This was the first time Yong-Ho had heard of that term, but he didn''t interrupt her. He decided to concentrate on her explanation for now.


    "The Maze of Greed had been destroyed. Mammon''s treasures were looted by the other kings and the twelve spirits that had guarded the House of Mammon either left or died. This was the ''truth'' that has been spread around the demon world."


    Sitri purposely stopped talking. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Yong-Ho and a smile appeared on her face again.


    Yong-Ho understood.


    "The Maze of Greed is still alive."


    "Yes. The one that was destroyed by the kings was a fake one. The true one¡­ is the dungeon that''s the current home for the House of Mammon."


    Mammon''s spirits didn''t disperse. They remained in The Maze of Greed.


    Mammon had four out of the Seven Miracles and three of the Seven Deadly Sins, but since they had all disappeared, the demon world believed that his dungeon The Maze of Greed had been destroyed.


    But that wasn''t the case.


    The one that did get destroyed was a replica.


    It was true that the Seven Miracles and the powers of the Seven Deadly Sins had been taken, but Mammon''s spirits were able to preserve everything else instead.


    "If the real truth gets out, then it won''t just be the vagrants in the empty Southern Region that''ll attack the House of Mammon. The six kings who reign over the demon world will probably make a move."


    To take away everything from Mammon.


    To eliminate the potential risk from this world.


    "It was actually rather easy to hide the truth when the previous two owners were alive. The dungeon was already in ruin, and whenever any of the dungeon spirits found something new, they just believed that it was the legacy of Kaiwan. But...I''m sure Yong-Ho''s a bit different, right?"


    Yong-Ho swallowed his dry saliva. However, it wasn''t because he felt burdened by the truth.


    Rather, he looked straight at Sitri.


    The woman in front of him knew all of this information.


    She had been involved with the House of Mammon for a long time and was showing favor to him.


    "Ms. Sitri. You''re¡­"


    "An important asset of the Dungeon Market."


    Sitri interrupted Yong-Ho. It was as if she denied whatever Yong-Ho was about to say.


    "We''re done talking. Since you wish to repay the debt for the mana potions, I''ll charge you a little more for this information."


    Yong-Ho could no longer read Sitri''s expression, as she adopted a shrewd business smile on her face. A small window of light appeared between them as Sitri waved her finger.


    The display on the window of light included the amount he could earn by using the gold mine as collateral, the price of the various items that Yong-Ho ordered, and the price of the information.


    Yong-Ho pushed away his regrets. At any rate, the most important thing right now was to prevent an attack by Foras.


    "I''ll purchase a spirit with the remaining gold. Can I also purchase information related to Foras?"


    "You''ll be able to purchase a Rank Two and a Rank Three spirit with your remaining funds. And regarding the information about Foras¡­ since you purchased an expensive piece of information, I''ll give you a slight discount."


    Sitri got rid of the window of light. She looked at Yong-Ho again and spoke.


    "Usually, the Dungeon Market doesn''t sell information about an owner. The owners themselves usually try their best to hide that information. Of course, the Dungeon Market knows about him, but even if you are a valuable customer, we cannot leak any information. I hope you''ll understand."


    A demon''s power was their most important trump card. It was natural that they would want to keep it a secret.


    "The only information that I can give to you is¡­ the fact that Foras tends to use Orcs as his spirits. They tend to enjoy close combat."


    Yong-Ho nodded his head. The fact that Foras had a lot of Orcs under his control was something that he already knew, however, he couldn''t ask Sitri for any more information.


    "Valuable customer, that was a pleasant transaction. I look forward to meeting you again."


    With a deep bow, Sitri disappeared into a ray of light, like she always did.


    In front of Yong-Ho, who was now alone, appeared a catalog of spirits, just like before. With his remaining amount of gold, he would be able to purchase both a Rank Two and a Rank Three spirit.


    Yong-Ho focused on his current situation.


    He looked through the Dungeon Market''s servant catalog.

 39 Reorganisation 4

    One of Yong-Ho''s many strengths was being able to think fast on his feet.


    It was no exaggeration to say that troubled times in the Southern Region had now begun. He felt that his mind had become unsettled by the current situation and the secret of the dungeon.


    But Yong-Ho didn''t waver. Instead of exhausting energy with useless worry, he turned his attention on things that he needed to immediately take care of.


    Currently, improving the dungeon''s defense and purchasing the most useful spirits were his most important tasks.


    Yong-Ho took a deep breath to clear his mind and then raised his head to look at the window of light.


    The Rank Two spirit catalog wasn''t any different from before. There was already a spirit that he had been thinking about, so it didn''t take him a long time to choose.


    He chose the Rank Two dungeon spirit, the Clay Golem.


    He chose a spirit that could both work and defend, similar to the Goblins.


    The Clay Golem had good strength and stamina and had an advantage when it came to doing difficult work that the Goblins struggled with.


    Compared to the previous time he came here to purchase a Rank Two spirit, his mana had improved significantly, so he no longer considered it to be a burden and the amount of mana that the Clay Golem would consume.


    ''It''s great that we won''t have to spend a lot on food. Furthermore, we won''t have to prepare a separate living space either.''


    The Clay Golem was quite a convenient spirit since he didn''t have to worry about providing it food and clothing.


    However, it needed a lot of assistance, since it had little self-awareness. If it didn''t receive proper instructions, then there was a high possibility that it would do something unexpected.


    ''Anyway, I''ve decided to purchase the Clay Golem due to its specialization in strength.''


    During work, it was highly likely that Eligor or Jun the Goblin Ranger would stay with it, and during a battle with Yong-Ho or another spirit would be close by, it wasn''t something he needed to be concerned about.


    Yong-Ho finalized his decision on the Clay Golem and then examined the Rank Three spirit catalog.


    The spirit list on the window of light updated. The lineup was clearly more impressive than the Rank Two catalog, so much so that Yong-Ho couldn''t keep his eyes off of it.


    [No. 01]


    [Race: Dwarf (M) - Youth]


    [A dwarf captured in the demon world]


    [Skills: Building Tools / Building Arms / Basic magic skills]


    [Strengths: High stamina, Skilled in building]


    [Weaknesses: Somewhat rebellious, Stubborn]


    [Seller: Demon Andromalius]


    His eyes stopped on the first category.


    The available spirits were quite different from the Rank Two spirit catalog and on top of that, were extremely interesting.


    A dwarf race originated from Norse mythology.


    Along with the Elves, they''re a popular race that often shows up in fantasy culture.


    The Dwarf''s outer appearance wasn''t that different from the Dwarves that people from his world usually imagine about.


    He was short and tough, with a large beard, a stubborn expression, and slightly pointed ears.


    ''He was captured in this world?''


    He remembered what Eligor said earlier.


    Connections sometimes occurred between worlds. And the issues that arise because of it.


    Different situations simultaneously popped into his head.


    A party of adventurers exploring a dungeon, with the Dwarf Warrior''s role as the tank.


    Or perhaps demons attacked a peaceful Dwarf mine, and the Dwarf Warriors had to surrender to the demon troops.


    The circumstances surrounding his capture didn''t matter right now. Yong-Ho skipped the Dwarf''s strengths and weaknesses and focused on the seller information.


    ''Demon Andromalius.''


    He didn''t know who that was. But, it didn''t matter. The important thing was the fact that it clearly stated the seller''s information.


    ''As expected, selling a second-hand spirit would be dangerous.''


    It was still too early for him to think about evolving a spirit and then selling it to earn money.


    Given that the system clearly displayed the seller''s name, then Yong-Ho''s existence would definitely be found out.


    A spirit that had enhanced abilities through the Power of Evolution was incredibly valuable.


    Yong-Ho looked at the Dwarf again. Even just reading a few sentences caused him to think about how valuable a Dwarf spirit could be.


    The dungeon could have an exclusive blacksmith. He could create weapons, repair broken tools, and create any items that they needed.


    It was quite an attractive option.


    Managing a dungeon wasn''t just as simple as a game. Just because a dungeon had mana and resources, didn''t mean that items or facilities would get made straight away.


    Yong-Ho recalled when Eligor made a chair for the torture chamber. The prison''s bamboo bars were also a result of Eligor''s hard work.


    ''Dungeon''s blacksmith, no, I could even make a workshop¡­''


    The dwarf could create weapons. Furthermore, he could create various facilities to improve life in the dungeon.


    ''Like a bathhouse, a bed or a decent throne¡­''


    His imagination went on endlessly.


    A few seconds later.


    Yong-Ho tightly closed his eyes. It was unfortunate, but he had to give up his desire to purchase the Dwarf.


    He would purchase one someday. He thought that they were a necessary factor in improving the dungeon.


    But not right now.


    The most urgent thing right now was not improving the dungeon''s luxury facilities but strengthening its defense.


    As usual, Yong-Ho quickly put aside his lingering feelings and turned over the catalog page. He examined the other spirits.


    [No. 02]


    [Race: Rock Golem (-)]


    [Golem made out of hard rock]


    [Strengths: High defense power, Strong]


    [Weaknesses: Slow movements / Requires strict commands]


    [Seller: Dungeon Market]


    [No. 03]


    [Race: Harpy (F)]


    [A spirit with the ability to fly. Very smart and can be used to command other spirits]


    [Strengths: Agile / Intelligent]


    [Weakness: Low stamina]


    [Seller: Dungeon Market]


    [No. 04]


    [Race: Ogre (M)]


    [A fighting spirit that has high strength and stamina]


    [Strengths: Strong / High stamina]


    [Weaknesses: Eats a lot / Relatively low intelligence]


    [Seller: Dungeon Market]


    He examined every detail.


    The Rock Golem reminded him of a robot. While the Harpy looked incredibly beautiful despite having wings for arms and the lower half body of a bird.


    The Ogre was a cannibal and gave him a strong first impression. Despite the fact that he was made out of blood and flesh, Yong-Ho felt the Ogre was larger and sturdier than the Rock Golem. However, he lacked in the intelligence department but given how he looked more like a beast than a human still made him seem impressive.


    He had a burning desire to purchase all three.


    Yong-Ho consciously calmed himself down again by taking a deep breath. He had only seen a quarter of the Rank Three spirit catalog so far.


    He carefully examined each page one by one while trying to remain level headed.


    The Two-Headed Hellhound could be considered an upgraded version of the Hellhound.


    The Giant Slime could produce a stronger acidic solution and somewhat change its form.


    The Imp Magician could use basic magic.


    There was also a Low-Rank Genie that looked Arabian.


    Yong-Ho''s hand stopped once again. He carefully examined the spirit displayed on the window of light before him.


    [No. 13]


    [Rank: Phantom Steed (-)]


    [A ghost spirit that''s in the Undead category]


    [Strengths: Fast mobility / Ability to fly]


    [Weaknesses: Unusually low magic resistance]


    [Seller: Cimeries]


    A dark phantom with a thick white mane floating in the air.


    Even though he couldn''t really ride a horse within the dungeon, he still wanted to buy it. In particular, there was quite an impressive image that showed the Phantom Steed carrying multiple Undead Knights.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes for a moment and imagined Skull riding the Phantom Steed.


    ''Hmmm.''


    It would be quite cool to first evolve Skull into a Skeleton Knight then have him ride the Phantom steed.


    But Yong-Ho shook his head again this time too. Perhaps later, but not now. Moreover, if Yong-Ho walked around places and had a spirit riding a horse alongside him then that would break the established hierarchical order. He didn''t have an authoritative character, but he didn''t really want to cause any problems.


    ''Well...I''m going to ride the Salamander later on anyway.''


    Of course, that would only happen after he evolved the Salamander to a point where it grew wings.


    Yong-Ho turned the page again. The appearance of a female Elf caught his attention, but he was able to convince himself not to purchase her. It was effective when he thought of the way Catalina wagged her tail as if he was talking to Sitri.


    It had now been over an hour.


    Yong-Ho had been looking through the catalog for a long time and had finally made his decision.


    [No. 02]


    [Race: Rock Golem (-)]


    [Specialty: Stone Wall]


    [Physique | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Strength | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Intensity | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    He ultimately decided on the Rock Golem along with the Clay Golem.


    The reason for his selection was the same as the Clay Golem. The dungeon required workers since there would be a lot of work that required a high amount of strength.


    Furthermore, Foras''s spirits mostly consisted of Orcs, who are strong in close combat, so the Golems were the ideal spirits to use for defense against them.


    After finishing his purchase, a message appeared on the window of light with an offer to select an additional free spirit. It was a service provided by the Dungeon Market since he had spent a lot of money.


    [Dungeon Meerkat: Lives at the entrance of the dungeon and sends out alerts when it spots a potential enemy.]


    [Dungeon Hamster: Moves through the corridors of the dungeon and reports any damaged or broken facilities.]


    The two spirits were quite adorable.


    Personally, Yong-Ho wanted to pick the Dungeon Hamster, but he first considered which spirit would be the most practical. In order to prioritize dungeon safety, he decided on the Dungeon Meerkat.


    [Thank you for using the Dungeon Market.]


    [We will have your ordered items delivered by tomorrow.]


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes. He disconnected from the Virtual Space.


    ***


    Yong-Ho felt exhausted.


    He had spent over two hours in the Virtual Space, but physically, it felt like he was there for a lot longer.


    "Are you okay, master?"


    As soon as he opened his eyes, he heard Catalina''s voice. She was standing right next to the throne and handed him a cup of cool water.


    Yong-Ho accepted the cup happily since he was in fact quite thirsty. He noticed her tail wagging happily and then answered her.


    "Thank you. You''ve been really helpful to me."


    "Master?"


    Catalina blinked her eyes in confusion, however, he wasn''t planning on explaining it to her. He just laughed and drank the rest of the water.


    "Where''s Eligor?"


    "He''s resting in the spirit living quarters. It seems like he''s quite exhausted from all the work he''s been doing lately."


    Catalina spoke in a concerned tone.


    Clearly, Eligor had been working hard for the past couple of days since Yong-Ho wanted to build the facilities as quickly as possible. Moreover, he even took care of small tasks, like cooking, so he must have been incredibly tired.


    Perhaps Eligor required a dungeon maid more than a Dwarf craftsman to assist him.


    "They''re going to make the delivery tomorrow. Let him rest for today."


    "Yes, Master. Then I''ll take care of cooking today."


    Catalina was reacting quickly today. After standing up, Yong-Ho patted her head as if to praise her and headed for his bedroom. He also needed to rest.


    ''Tomorrow.''


    It was tomorrow that the Dungeon Market''s package would be delivered.


    Tomorrow was also the day that he expected that Foras would begin his attack.


    When and with how many soldiers would Foras attack with?


    Yong-Ho laid down on his straw bed. He remembered what Sitri had said.


    ''The true Maze of Greed is still alive.''


    Mammon, the King of Greed.


    His legacy.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes.


    He fell into a deep slumber.


    ***


    Foras now admitted.


    Terak, who left to conquer the House of Mammon''s dungeon, was now dead.


    Was it the work of another owner or a wandering demon family? Or did the House of Mammon''s dungeon have a stronger defense than expected?


    Perhaps Kaiwan¡­ it could be the last move that the shrewd girl had left.


    It didn''t matter.


    The situation in the north changed day by day. They had to become stronger, despite the risks.


    Conquer a dungeon and develop it.


    To take everything into his own hands that Kaiwan left behind.


    Foras gave out his command. All his troops were mobilized, bar a minimum number of soldiers that would stay and defend the dungeon.


    Several battle carriages carried armed Orcs across the wilderness.


    They were headed to the southern edge of the demon world.


    To the House of Mammon''s dungeon.

 40 Dungeon Figh

    It was morning.


    Yong-Ho woke up without getting a wake-up call from the Spirit of the Dungeon and immediately walked out of his bedroom.


    "Good morning, Master."


    Eligor was standing in the throne room and greeted Yong-Ho like usual. Yong-Ho smiled in response.


    "You''ve certainly changed."


    "It''s all thanks to you, Master."


    His behavior remained the same, but his appearance had changed.


    He now looked younger.


    It was too much to say that his youth had been restored, but there wasn''t any other suitable expression.


    Muscles were now visible on his straight back. His upper body, which used to look dry now looked like a hard rock, and the fine wrinkles on his face were reduced by almost half.


    [Name: Eligor (M)]


    [Race: Red Demon]


    [Class: Spirit (Low Rank)]


    [Attributes: Fire Level 0 / Darkness Level 1]


    [Main Stats: Strength / Stamina]


    [Evolution Rate: 0/100]


    [Strength - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Stamina - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Ability - Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Mana - Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)] -\u003e Upon evolution, advancement routes will open


    [Possible Evolution Race: Red Demon | Beast]


    Eligor''s evolution information used to be as bleak as the Goblins, but now, there was far more than before.


    The potential value for each evolution route had increased by a small amount and a new ability specialization had appeared.


    And the evolutionary route was the Red Demon.


    Although Yong-Ho could only see a silhouette, it was enough to give Eligor''s outer appearance after he evolved. All of his muscles would significantly develop and his horn would grow much bigger. It was highly likely that he would evolve into a strength-based spirit, which fitted well with the name.


    Currently, Eligor, like the Kobold, wasn''t a combat spirit. However, once he evolves and advances, then he could become a member of the combat group.


    "I''m going to wash up. Let''s start after breakfast."


    "Yes, Master."


    Currently, there was no proper water supply in the House of Mammon''s dungeon. However, if the dungeon continued to develop then it could be installed, but that was still a long way off.


    Yong-Ho finished washing his face from a pot in the corner of the throne room. While he was drying his face with a towel that the Kobold had handed him, Catalina walked out of her bedroom still half asleep.


    "Good morning...Master."


    Yong-Ho showed Catalina to the pot and then headed back to the center of the room. On top of the wide mat, Eligor and the Goblins were busy preparing breakfast.


    The Treant had taken root inside the room that was in front of the throne room while the Salamander, who was lying next to it, ate its breakfast through absorbing the dungeon''s mana.


    After finishing breakfast, Yong-Ho handed the Kobold a pancake meant for the Princess Ant since she was an omnivore. After clearing up his thoughts for a second, Yong-Ho immediately walked out of the throne room.


    The Dungeon Market''s package was going to be delivered today.


    It would be a disaster if Foras attacked before the package was delivered. Even if he arrived right after the delivery, it would still be an issue.


    He needed at least a few hours. At least a day, if possible.


    He needed time. Even just a few hours difference could help him significantly.


    The distance from the throne room to the dungeon entrance was a lot further than before. The linear displacement hadn''t changed much, but that was because they had used a different design.


    A few minutes after waiting at the dungeon entrance. As if he had timed it, the courier from the Dungeon Market suddenly knocked on the door.


    The courier was a young demon with red skin. He wore an eye-catching white uniform and baseball cap, which was a symbol of the Dungeon Market.


    Attacking the courier was regarded as equivalent to attacking the Dungeon Market itself. The Dungeon Market Association was the pillar of the demon world''s economy and fighting against them would be burdensome even for the six kings, so in a way, a courier''s uniform was also like an invincible armor.


    "Please sign the recipient''s name."


    Since he had already delivered packages to them several times before, his face was familiar. After signing the paper that the courier handed him, Yong-Ho took a step back.


    The courier snapped his finger, with a slightly bored look upon his face.


    Yong-Ho didn''t know how he did it, but the packages suddenly floated into the dungeon''s entrance room and started to stack on top of each other. There were several boxes as large as the package the Treant was delivered in, so the room quickly became quite cramped.


    "Thank you."


    After the delivery had been completed, the courier politely bowed and exited the dungeon.


    After the courier left, Yong-Ho and the other spirits then started to move to the packages.


    "I''ll open them."


    Everyone started to get excited when Yong-Ho began to open the packages. Catalina, Eligor and even the Goblins had excited expressions on their face. Skull, however, still looked indifferent about it.


    The Clay Golem and the Rock Golem were in the first two boxes. Despite the fact that they were in a crouched position, they both seemed to be just as big as the Treant.


    The Goblins looked at the Golems with widened eyes and Eligor continued to smile as if he was extremely satisfied by what he saw.


    All the rest of the boxes contained materials for the traps that he ordered, except the one box that contained food and various materials.


    As soon as Yong-Ho finished registering the Clay Golem and the Rock Golem, Eligor spoke.


    "We''ll begin working right away."


    Since they were in a rush for time, there was no reason to wait. After Yong-Ho gave the order, Eligor commanded the Goblins and the new Golems to carry the materials and immediately begin installing traps in the nearest room. Since the materials were so abundant, the Treant, Salamander, and even Skull joined in.


    Only Yong-Ho and Catalina were left after the other spirits began to work. Yong-Ho still had work to do and since Catalina was his guard, she had to stay beside him.


    "So these are the Dungeon Meerkats."


    Yong-Ho opened a box that was half a meter in size on all sides. Inside were two meerkats as big as a person''s forearm. The way they stood up on their feet and stared up at Yong-Ho looked quite cute.


    ''They''re similar to the ones I saw on the Discovery Channel.''


    The only difference was that unlike the meerkats in his world these ones had pointy ears, not rounded ones.


    Yong-Ho registered the pair of Dungeon Meerkats as spirits and then used the Power of Evolution to check their stats.


    [Race: Dungeon Meerkat]


    [Class: Spirit (Low Rank)]


    [Main Stats: Agility]


    [Evolution Rate: 0/100]


    [Agility - Level 0| ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Possible Evolution Race: High Meerkat]


    Seeing the name of the evolution race gave him an odd feeling, but only for a moment.


    He examined the silhouette of them after evolving, but it didn''t seem like there wasn''t much of a difference in their outer appearance.


    "It says here that the Dungeon Meerkats usually stay outside of the dungeon during the day and then sleep in their burrow, beside the dungeon entrance, at night. Hmm¡­ it looks like they aren''t on watch during the night."


    As she read the information provided in the package, a frown appeared on Catalina''s face. However, Yong-Ho thought about it positively. At least they would alert everyone while the sun is up.


    Considering that they didn''t have any alert system before, this was a great improvement.


    "Then I''ll take them outside of the dungeon."


    Catalina placed the information leaflet in her inner pocket and reached out her arms towards the meerkats. Both of them jumped into her arms as if they recognized her.


    It was a nice sight, but Yong-Ho looked at the large dungeon entrance instead.


    It was a large door without any shape.


    Yong-Ho suddenly spoke up.


    "Can I¡­ go outside too?"


    After he was crowned as the owner of the House of Mammon,


    Yong-Ho had never stepped outside of the dungeon. It was because there was a high chance that the air of the demon world could be harmful to him since he was still half-human.


    However, the Yong-Ho of today was different. He was now fully awakened as a demon and had twice absorbed the spirits of his enemies. Both his body and mana had become incomparably stronger than his previous self.


    "Uh¡­ well in your current condition¡­"


    Catalina sounded like she agreed, but she was still unsure which made her nervous. Her long ears and tail were dropping, too.


    Smiling, Yong-Ho patted her head. He then shrugged his shoulders, took a step forward, and spoke.


    "I''m sure nothing big will happen if it''s just for a moment. Let''s go."


    Nodding her head, Catalina rushed ahead of Yong-Ho towards the door. Yong-Ho gave the order to the Spirit of the Dungeon, who opened the door.


    A wilderness appeared before them with a red sky and dry wind.


    The southern land before him used to all belong to the House of Mammon of the past.


    Yong-Ho took a deep breath. Along with Catalina, he stepped out of Mammon''s dungeon.


    He gazed at the sky and ground of the demon world.


    ***


    In dungeon battles, defending a dungeon was several times more advantageous than offense.


    And that advantage was enough to change the outcome of the battle.


    The attacker had no way of knowing what form the dungeon''s defense would take. Nor was it possible for them to know what kind of traps were installed and what spirits were hiding.


    It was different from defending a stronghold, which at least had an observable outer appearance that could aid the enemy.


    The inside of a dungeon was a complete mystery.


    The attacker had to take a huge risk.


    However, the attacker wasn''t unconditionally always at a disadvantage.


    Although each dungeon had a different layout, the defender''s dungeon would become the stage of the dungeon battle.


    If one were to compare it to a castle, then it would be like the attacker had stormed the walls and invaded the inner part of the castle.


    The attackers required the wisdom and experience that could find and destroy traps.


    It had already been nearly seventy years since Foras took the position as owner.


    Over those long years, Foras protected his dungeon well and defended against several outside attacks.


    However, despite that, he still didn''t have that much experience in dungeon combat.


    The battle carriages that carried Foras''s spirits traveled through the wilderness. Foras was sitting in the leading carriage and quietly closed his eyes to organize his thoughts...


    Foras was old.


    Demons lived off mana and given that their outer appearance and life expectancy differed from demon to demon, it was difficult to assume their age.


    But still, Foras was old.


    Other than slight wrinkles and a white beard, Foras didn''t possess any other sign of aging, however, he himself knew that truth more than anyone else.


    To pass the throne down to the next generation. To protect the dungeon.


    To lay down the groundwork for his dungeon''s success.


    For now, he decided to think only of that.


    Foras preferred hand-to-hand combat. Most of the combat spirits he commanded were Orc soldiers and their strength lay in melee combat.


    And that was why Foras tried to take as many spirits on the battle carriages as he could. Sorcerers were an essential part of dungeon combat and Foras didn''t have many of them.


    He was sure there must have been a change in the House of Mammon.


    The two owners who inherited the dungeon after Kaiwan were weak in both body and mind. Even if the rumors about the last owner committing suicide were false, the owner was too weak to defend against his reconnaissance group.


    Perhaps it was something that Kaiwan left.


    Or a new owner had ascended.


    Either way, it was not something that he couldn''t overcome. It had been over ten years since Kaiwan went missing and during that time, the dungeon had declined. Even if a new owner had ascended, there wasn''t enough time or resources for them to develop the dungeon above a certain level.


    ''We''ll defeat them through overwhelming force.''


    Although the House of Mammon was nothing more than an empty shell, the history of the dungeon itself was very old. If they got lucky, then they might have been able to obtain a spirit to help the dungeon''s development. There was still a high likelihood that a lot of Kaiwan''s legacy remained.


    Kaiwan''s younger brother, the owner from two generations ago, and his descendant, the previous owner, both worshiped Kaiwan for resurrecting the House of Mammon from the ashes. They probably didn''t even consider selling Kaiwan''s inheritance.


    A dry wind blew.


    Even considering the time that they would rest before going into combat, the dungeon battle would occur in just a few hours.


    Foras opened his eyes. He faced the wind blowing from the south.

 41 Dungeon Fight 2

    The sky of the demon world was red. However, it wasn''t just a single color.


    Mixed within the twilight was violet light that stretched across the western sky. Black, red, and violet light mixed with each other as if there were watercolors and beyond that, red and yellow danced together in the sky. It seemed as if the sky was on fire.


    And that didn''t fill up the entire sky. A quiet, subtle red light covered the margins of the sky. It was similar to the sunsets of earth.


    A dry wind scattered the dust into the air. The ground was dry, but just like the sky, not all of it was the same. There were fertile areas as well and not too far away there was a forest full of tall trees. The trees were filled with vibrant green leaves just like the ones in the human world.


    A river flowed through the forest. It was too far away to tell, but it seemed that the river flowed with clear water. Out of the many streams that derived from that river, one of them flowed near the dungeon, so Yong-Ho could now tell where Eligor and the other spirits went to get water in the morning.


    The air was cold. Catalina said that they were now between winter and spring.


    Mana was the foundation of all living things in the demon world. The same was true for the birds that flew in the air and the bugs that crawled on the ground.


    Yong-Ho, along with Catalina, stayed outside of the dungeon for a long time. He wasn''t really looking around the area or doing anything. At best, all he did was look around the dungeon entrance.


    The entrance to the House of Mammon''s dungeon was located at the edge of a large mountain.


    The mountain was called Encantro Pagnium. It meant the ''Edge of the World'' in an archaic language.


    Catalina, who was worried that Yong-Ho might try and climb the mountain, let out a sigh of relief when he just had a look around.


    There was a reason why the mountain was called Encantro Pagnium or ''Edge of the World''. The enormous rocky mountain looked like it was going to pierce through the sky and there was an endless storm of mana that raged on it.


    Catalina yawned after sighing and discreetly stretched her arms while looking around. She wanted to go hunting instead.


    Yong-Ho just stood still and looked around at the sky and the earth. Since Catalina was the guard, she couldn''t just go hunting and leave her owner alone, so there wasn''t much she could do other than stay by his side.


    While Catalina was getting tired due to boredom, Yong-Ho looked at the flow of the mana.


    He fell into the amazing flow that not only made up the sky and the earth but the entire demon world.


    There were various colors and attributes within the mana. Yong-Ho was able to examine the mana through his Power of Evolution.


    His heart was filled with wonder.


    This was the demon world.


    This was mana.


    Moments later.


    Yong-Ho suddenly averted his eyes. Catalina was kicking the dust on the ground to fight off her boredom, however, just then, she too became alert as her ears pricked up and her eyes sharpened.


    A low cry made by mana resonated inside their heads.


    One of the Dungeon Meerkats was standing on top of the House of Mammon''s dungeon entrance and stopped crying.


    Yong-Ho instinctively lowered his posture and Catalina crouched close beside him.


    The Dungeon Meerkat''s vision was similar to an Elf''s. That was why Catalina was able to confirm what the Dungeon Meerkat had seen.


    "A battle carrier is approaching."


    Except for the forest that was on one side, the rest of the land was bare. Even though Yong-Ho couldn''t clearly distinguish it, he could see that something was approaching from afar.


    Catalina continued to talk.


    "There are five battle carriers. Given the size of them, I would estimate that there are over forty spirits. Also¡­ I can see Foras''s crest. It looks like Foras himself is leading his army."


    Catalina clenched her teeth as she finished talking. Instead of heading inside the dungeon out of shock, Yong-Ho squinted his eyes. It was because the carriages had suddenly stopped moving even though they were still quite a long distance from the dungeon.


    "What are they doing?"


    "I think they''re resting before they commence the attack."


    Catalina spoke in a slightly uncertain tone.


    Usually, dungeon battles took place within the dungeon. Sometimes there were those who would counterattack from the outside, but that was quite rare. Fighting inside the dungeon was far more advantageous than fighting outside.


    Yong-Ho guessed Foras''s mentality.


    Although Foras had lost a group of Orcs, he was well acquainted with the House of Mammon from the last two generations. Although he had brought a lot of their spirits in case of a contingency, it was still highly likely that he was looking down on them.


    There was no counterattack. Even if they announced that they were going to attack, it wouldn''t improve the dungeon''s defense.


    Yong-Ho wasn''t mad. Rather, he was actually pleased. If that gave him more time, then he welcomed it.


    "How long do you think they''ll rest for?"


    Yong-Ho asked quietly. Catalina seemed to think about it for a moment and then answered back quietly as well.


    "I don''t think they''ll be resting for very long. Possibly an hour or so at the longest."


    It wasn''t enough, but it was better than nothing.


    The other side probably saw him too. Perhaps that break was their graceful way of declaring war.


    Yong-Ho turned around without delay. Along with Catalina, he headed towards the entrance of the dungeon.


    Slowly, and with excitement, his breathing started to get heavier.


    The dungeon owner, Foras.


    It was now time to fight.


    ***


    [I''ll sound the alarm to the dungeon spirits!]


    [Eligor please order the spirits to withdraw.]


    As soon as Yong-Ho entered the dungeon, the Spirit of the Dungeon quickly reconnected to him and quickly informed him of the situation. After Yong-Ho gave his confirmation, he ran with Catalina to the throne room.


    [Incoming report from the Dungeon Meerkats.]


    [There are around thirty Orc soldiers present.]


    [And around ten Imps.]


    [The total number of spirits that remain in the carriages cannot be accurately identified!]


    There were six battle carriages.


    Catalina said that Foras had brought at least forty spirits with him. He had four times the amount of spirits than the House of Mammon.


    Yong-Ho didn''t have a chance of winning if they attacked head-on.


    He would only be able to win by utilizing the facilities within the dungeon.


    [Another report from the Dungeon Meerkat!]


    [Foras''s battle carriages have started to move again!]


    "Master!"


    As soon as he reached the intersection in front of the throne room, the Spirit of the Dungeon and Eligor shouted at the same time.


    Yong-Ho answered the Spirit of the Dungeon through the wave of a finger. He approached Eligor, breathing hard.


    Eligor spoke with an urgent expression.


    "As you''ve instructed, I''ve gathered all of the spirits into the throne room."


    "What about the traps?"


    Yong-Ho asked. Eligor smiled with pride.


    "All trap installations have been completed."


    It was worth purchasing the complete pre-built traps even if they were more expensive. It was now clear that if he had purchased the ones which they had to build, they definitely wouldn''t have finished installing them on time.


    [The Dungeon Meerkats desire to hide.]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon informed him. It was conclusive proof that the battle carriages were getting closer to the dungeon.


    Yong-Ho gave out the command. He then returned to the throne room with Catalina and Eligor. All the spirits that were gathered in the throne room showed their respect towards Yong-Ho.


    He suppressed his nerves. It wasn''t because he was in front of the spirits. The more urgent he felt the situation was, the colder he tried to become.


    Yong-Ho sat on the throne and extended out his hands to create a large window of light. The spirits were able to see a simplified version of the dungeon map.


    And then silence ensued.


    The Kobold weighed down by the heavy atmosphere, started to whimper while Catalina swallowed her dry saliva. Yong-Ho closed his eyes and waited.


    How much time had passed?


    At last, the Spirit of the Dungeon spoke.


    [The owner, Foras, and his spirits have invaded the dungeon.]


    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. He saw Foras''s symbol on the dungeon map.


    ***


    The dungeon, known as a great spirit, wasn''t a simple factory-manufactured product.


    Each dungeon had a different appearance and structure and often had distinct personalities.


    Most ordinary dungeons were based underground, however, some were as high as skyscrapers, like the King of Pride''s dungeon. While others were located on top of the water or actually flew in the sky.


    However, despite the many different types, there were still dungeons that were considered ordinary.


    Most dungeons share similar characteristics.


    One of them was that the dungeon entrance room was safe.


    After entering the entrance room, Foras squinted his eyes. It wasn''t a very small room, but it felt cramped because of the over forty Orcs and tens Imps that were inside.


    ''There''s a new owner.''


    He couldn''t think of it as a dying dungeon that lost its owner. He could feel the life from the mana of the activated rooms.


    Foras carefully lifted his right hand. Then, the Orc warrior, Busker Gokkun, gave out orders to the spirits in a low voice. One of the Orcs opened the door to the next room and picked one of the trembling Imps and forced it to take the lead.


    Foras remained motionless. He closely observed the next room through the open door.


    The room wasn''t dark.


    Lights supplied with mana were still on.


    One of the necessary items to have when attacking was a means of lighting. There was no dungeon defender who would kindly provide light to the enemy that was invading their dungeon.


    Nevertheless, there were lights in the entrance room and in the room next to it.


    There were two possibilities.


    One, the Spirit of the Dungeon was still not experienced enough, so they were unable to finely control the supply of mana throughout the dungeon.


    To turn the lights off they would have to cut off the supply of mana, but then they would instead end up cutting off the mana that was distributed to the traps as well.


    That kind of incident could occur if the Spirit of the Dungeon was unable to properly control the supply of mana.


    Two, the new owner was a noob that didn''t even know the basics about dungeon defense.


    He deliberately ignored the second option. Looking down upon the enemy would only lead him to defeat.


    Foras calmly observed the situation. When the leading Imp died due to the trap in the next room, he commanded the rest of the troops to move on to the next room.


    ***


    Foras slowly, but steadily, pressed on. He had now passed four rooms, each with a pit trap, with minimal damage.


    A pit trap was the most basic type of trap. It was easy to make with enough labor workers and it didn''t require a lot of mana to operate.


    After consecutively passing four pit traps, Foras once again thought to himself.


    It hadn''t been long since the new owner took the throne. The Spirit of the Dungeon was young and the quality of the traps were quite low.


    A trembling Imp walked forward into the fifth room. Fortunately, a pit trap didn''t activate when it walked across the room.


    It was quite reasonable for this to happen. It was impossible to fill all the passages with traps. Especially for a newly ascended owner.


    It was almost as if the owner was just expressing his anxiety by installing four traps in a row right next to the entrance.


    Foras became a little less nervous. He commanded the spirits to keep moving, like before.


    Twenty Orc Soldiers, the first of the two groups, entered the fifth room alongside the Imp. Foras waited with the remaining twenty spirits for them to walk into the sixth room.


    The moment the Imp opened the door to the sixth room.


    Flames were suddenly released from the ceiling and the ground, completely burning the fifth trap room.


    ***


    Repeated patterns made people less nervous.


    The same was true for the lighting that was turned on despite the enemy''s invasion.


    The flames that were made of mana were incredibly strong.


    Orcs were known to be natural warriors, so as soon as the fire trap was activated, each of them protected their head, chest, and back and tried to dodge it. However, for the Orcs that were in the middle of the room, there just wasn''t enough time.


    The flames burned the Orcs. In an instant, as many as six Orcs had either died or were so badly injured that they were put out of action.


    While Foras cursed, the House of Mammon''s spirits gathered in the throne room, started to cheer. Catalina and Eligor also clenched their fists with excitement.


    However, Yong-Ho gulped. He looked at the paths that were laid out on the dungeon map.


    The linear displacement between the throne room and the dungeon entrance hadn''t changed. The only thing that had changed was the actual path.


    What strengths did the House of Mammon''s dungeon currently possess?


    A large amount of useless space.


    A vast number of inactivated rooms.


    Yong-Ho activated the inactive rooms to the left and right of the existing trap rooms. By doing that, he changed the once linear rooms into a large rectangle that covered dozens of rooms.


    Then all he had to do was create a new path.


    He used the same logic as if he had to draw a line through all the rooms at once, causing him to create a ''squiggle'' effect.


    And within that long passage that he created, he installed a variety of traps.


    There were around fifty rooms between the entrance room and the last trap room.


    Among them, only about twenty rooms were set up with traps, but that was enough.


    The density of traps.


    The decision of where to install certain traps.


    After quickly sorting out his troops, Foras entered the sixth room after careful examination.


    Yong-Ho didn''t care.


    There were no traps in the sixth room.


    ***


    There was no need to set up traps in every room.


    It was enough to plant the idea in the enemy''s mind that there could be traps in any of the rooms.


    Rooms without traps.


    Rooms with slight traps.


    Rooms with strong traps that were purchased from the Dungeon Market.


    It was important to adjust the pace.


    A powerful blow could occur the moment you relax.


    When the enemy thinks there weren''t any more traps, then they would fall into a new one.


    He could make the enemy mad by forcing them to carefully inspect a room with no traps after they experienced a strong trap in the previous room.


    Foras and his spirits turned around the first ''corner'' and continued to move. If they had been up the path all this time, now they were heading down to it.


    As they passed over two dozen rooms, they gradually accumulated more injuries which they could now no longer ignore. Even the spirits that were maintaining their fighting power were feeling really exhausted.


    And then they approached the second ''corner''.


    After turning around again, Foras suddenly stopped moving.


    It wasn''t because he was feeling exhausted or irritated.


    Foras was an old owner, and thus an experienced one. He had controlled his dungeon for over seventy years.


    It would have been alright if it was one corner, but he had now turned two corners. After passing through repeated sections, he drew the dungeon layout in his head.


    He was now certain.


    Foras ordered his spirits to stop. He then turned based on the door that led them to the next room.


    A wall with no entrance.


    But it didn''t matter. If the same pattern was repeating, then a passage existed beyond the wall.


    Even though the new owner was a formidable opponent, it was clear that he hadn''t been an owner for long. If he really did activate all of these rooms, then neglecting to strengthen the walls was inevitable. Moreover, since they were traveling in a wave pattern, then it was highly likely that the wall between the rooms would be thin.


    Foras placed the palms of his hands on the wall.


    He triggered the magic scroll ''Wall Break'', a necessary item for an attacker.


    A continuous vibrating roar was soon followed by a large bang.


    A new room was suddenly revealed through the large hole.


    Foras smiled. He raised his hand with a ferocious grunt.


    Alongside his spirits, Foras walked through his newly made shortcut.

 42 Dungeon Fight 3

    Yong-Ho quickly jumped up from his seat. Catalina and Eligor stopped breathing for a moment with widened eyes.


    The enemy broke the wall and created a new path.


    It wasn''t impossible. But it was something he hadn''t thought about.


    An ''Egg of Columbus''. The idea was obvious after the fact, but it was hard to initially think of.


    In fact, ''Wall Break'' was quite a common type of magic spell used during dungeon battles. Therefore, most owners would either strengthen the walls or set up the dungeon so that a destruction of a wall wouldn''t greatly benefit the enemy.


    However, Yong-Ho had no such experience. Both Eligor and Catalina also had no knowledge of it since the two previous owners had shut themselves inside.


    By breaking a wall, Foras had rendered a dozen of the rooms useless. And equally useless were traps that were installed inside them.


    Foras started to move. And unluckily for Yong-Ho, the room beyond the broken wall just happened to be one of the rooms with no traps.


    Yong-Ho was able to predict Foras''s next move. Catalina and Eligor also knew, which is why they looked back at Yong-Ho with anxious expressions.


    Foras suddenly destroyed a second wall. Once again, several rooms and their traps had instantly become useless allowing Foras to get even closer to the throne room.


    Unlike the time when the Crimson Ogre invaded, it was impossible for Yong-Ho to instantly activate and deactivate the rooms to lead them down a different path.


    At that time the new Spirit of the Dungeon had just been born. The dungeon was now in a more fixed and stable position due the increase in power of the Spirit of the Dungeon. Although the rooms in the dungeon were still easy to activate and deactivate, it was impossible for Yong-Ho to change several rooms at the same time.


    Yong-Ho had purposely extended the passageway to the throne room by creating a twisted rectangular design, however that now actually made things worse.


    He had to come up with a different plan. He had to come up with some sort of secret plan.


    [Foras has destroyed another wall!]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon yelled. The Mammon spirits also saw the marked wall on the dungeon map crumbling down. The Goblins started to scream with terror and Skull, who was rolling on the floor, suddenly stood up and grabbed his hammer.


    They didn''t have enough time.


    Catalina clenched her fist. She suppressed her desire to call out to Yong-Ho.


    She had to believe in him. She didn''t want to disturb him with her impatience.


    Even Skull simply waited for Yong-Ho''s order instead of making any unnecessary noise.


    A few seconds later.


    Yong-Ho finally spoke.


    "Let''s move to the resource warehouse."


    He spoke in a quiet voice. Even Yong-Ho was not entirely sure of what had come to his mind.


    The location of the resource warehouse.


    The room was located on the bottom of the intersection on the right side. Based on the dungeon map, the resource warehouse was located at the bottom of the central passageway.


    Catalina remembered when she fought against the giant with the green cape. That was why she understood what Yong-Ho''s plan was.


    Though it was only for a moment, Catalina''s face glowed bright.


    "Go to the resource warehouse!"


    Yong-Ho ordered. The Goblins hurriedly grabbed their weapons and rushed forwards. Treant and the salamander also hurried alongside them. The Kobold, who had been cowering in fear, followed behind.


    Skull took the lead. Eligor ordered the standing Clay Golem and Rock Golem to head to the warehouse.


    Beyond the second wall that Foras had destroyed, there was another trap. Foras thought they got Yong-Ho back through this magic, which excited him. Because of that, Foras made a mistake by walking into the room without any caution. Thanks to that, a few of the Orcs were shot to death because of the arrow trap.


    But Foras still had a large group of spirits.


    Going head on like this was the same thing as committing suicide.


    Yong-Ho waved his finger in the air while running towards the warehouse. The Spirit of the Dungeon answered right away.


    [Here are the number of enemies that are in the dungeon right now.]


    [Foras. 28 Orcs. 4 Imps.]


    That was a lot.


    The fire trap was their strongest trap and they only had two left. He originally purchased more completed traps, but they were useless because most of them were installed on the later part of the road. The moment Foras created the shortcut, half of the expensive traps that he purchased from the shop were neutralized.


    But they still had two fire traps left. And since those two were located in the center passageway, the shortcut was useless because they had to walk through the center passageway.


    Another variable popped into Yong-Ho''s head.


    Even though a room was inactivated, it was still a room. Just because it was out of the dungeon''s control, it wasn''t impossible to walk through it.


    In that case, would they be able to forcefully create a passageway that connected to an inactivated room with the Wall Break magic? And was it possible for them to move by walking through the inactivated room?


    The large space and the many inactivated rooms were the House of Mammon''s strength.


    But not anymore. It was a double-edged sword that was placed on Yong-Ho''s neck.


    He didn''t even have the time to find the answers for the questions he had. A question without an answer was like a maze. It made his head spin.


    Because of that, Yong-Ho erased the questions he had in his head. Instead of asking Eligor or the Spirit of the Dungeon, he ran. A small window of light was activated near his head and it showed Foras''s movement on the map.


    Foras didn''t use the Wall Break magic again. It was as if they realized that there wasn''t a shortcut anymore and started walking on an outward path that connected to the center.


    It was a room with no traps. But Foras was cautious about walking into the room. Since the arrow trap from before caught him off-guard, it was obvious that he would become more cautious.


    Foras became cautious about his surroundings again and like before, they had to take their time when walking into one room.


    And during that time, Yong-Ho and the spirits didn''t stop. When Foras confirmed that there weren''t any traps and moved forward with the spirits, Yong-Ho reached the warehouse.


    The Goblins were catching their breaths because they raced to the warehouse with their short legs. The Treant and the Golems moved slowly, so they haven''t arrived at the warehouse yet.


    Yong-Ho breathed heavily. He paid attention to Foras''s movements through the dungeon map. Since he was at a disadvantage when it came to numbers, he had no choice but to use the layout of the dungeon to defeat Foras.


    Catalina and skull read Yong-Ho''s mind.


    According to the dungeon map, between the warehouse and the curvy road, there was only one room that was inactive.


    Meaning, they could activate the room and create a detour so that they could attack them from behind.


    Not all dungeons were able to quickly activate like the House of Mammon''s dungeon.


    And by quickly activating the rooms, there were definitely issues that Yong-Ho didn''t know about.


    But now wasn''t the time to think about those things.


    The best time would be when Foras and his spirits rush into the remaining fire trap room that was located in the center.


    While they''re occupied with the traps, that''s when Yong-Ho and the others will attack them.


    Foras cautiously inspected the next room. Out of the spirits that they had, if Foras had a skilled magician, then they would be able to completely get rid of the fire trap.


    Foras was a close-range attacker and since their spirits were the same, Yong-Ho was lucky.


    Some of Foras''s spirits entered the fire trap room.


    Eligor, the Golems and Treant arrived at the warehouse.


    Yong-Ho waved his finger.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon activated the room. Catalina and Eligor opened the door and Yong-Ho and the salamander ran. The remaining spirits followed behind Yong-Ho.


    Right when an inactivated room activated, Foras quickly raised his head. He noticed a change in the mana. No, it was more like he instinctively felt danger. He quickly stopped the spirits and naturally looked behind him.


    Foras heard footsteps behind the closed door. They knew what that sound meant. Foras opened his mouth to yell.


    And in that moment!


    Catalina and Skull opened the door at the same time.


    Foras and Yong-Ho saw each other. With just one look, they were able to recognize each other.


    Foras yelled. Yong-Ho roared.


    Their cries were mixed together, which caused the meaning behind it to be crushed. The salamander released a flame by pouring all of their energy. Yong-Ho was standing next to them and while wielding Aamon with both of his hands, he raised it into the air. He poured all the mana that he had and created a large wave of fire.


    A fire pillar and wave.


    And another was added.


    "I''ll activate the trap!"


    The Spirit of the Dungeon yelled. Fire was released from the ceiling and the ground and it enveloped Foras''s spirits, who had advanced into the front room. The fire that Yong-Ho and the salamander released filled the room that Foras was standing in.


    A predicament. There was fire everywhere!


    "Catalina!"


    Yong-Ho yelled. Yong-Ho didn''t know what was happened beyond the fire that filled the room.


    All he could do was prepare for the worst.


    He tightened his grip on Aamon. He poured out all of his energy and even though it was only for a moment, he couldn''t feel any energy in both of his arms.


    Catalina immediately understood what Yong-Ho meant and Yong-Ho''s hand was heading towards his belt. He ripped the seal on the last mana potion and poured the blue liquid into his mouth.


    He only needed a couple of seconds to do that.


    Since he used all of his mana at once, Aamon''s fire didn''t last a long time. The same thing happened to the salamander''s fire.


    But it was for a few seconds.


    It was short, but the timing was long.


    Foras and his spirits were harmed badly. The ambush was successful.


    Eligor and the Golems reached the room that Yong-Ho was in even though they were a bit late.


    Yong-Ho gulped the mana potion and felt his mana being recovered.


    The salamander started breathing heavily since it used up its energy and stopped spitting out the fire.


    With a blank expression, Skull looked at the fire that filled the room.


    And Catalina hugged Yong-Ho''s waist. It looked as if she was going to throw him, but instead pushed him.


    It was unexpected. But it was a necessary action.


    Yong-Ho saw it while being pushed.


    Within that short moment, he witnessed a sight that made him doubt what he just saw.


    The fire split.


    A hole formed between Yong-Ho''s wave of fire and the salamander''s fire pillar. Something was consuming the fire. And something large cut through the hole.


    He felt a coldness within the fire.


    The air was being frozen right before his eyes.


    The figure ripped through the curtain of fire and charged.


    Yong-Ho saw a cold, blue mana.


    That blue thing cut through the fire and after it passed through the fire barrier, he saw them soar into the air.


    It was the demon of dower.


    It was another name the dungeon owner had. It was a distinct skill that demons receive depending on their awakening.


    Foras, the Demon of Ice.


    Foras punched. They punched the area where Yong-Ho''s head was just in.

 43 Fierce Battle

    The swift movement of Foras''s fist caused the air to freeze. Yong-Ho could feel the cold, despite the distance between them.


    Their eyes met.


    Yong-Ho couldn''t see the hard muscle that Foras had built through the many years of training, the strong expression he had despite his old age and the white hair that formed due to the coldness.


    Just his eyes.


    Only his blue-gray eyes that were filled with bloodthirstiness caught his attention. It looked like Foras was about to release a roar.


    "Skulllll!"


    That sound broke the time that stood still. Instead of looking behind her, Catalina hugged Yong-Ho and rolled a few times. Even though it was a little, when they were further away, both of them bounced to their feet almost at the same time and wielded their weapons.


    Skull, who was stuck to the door, targeted Foras''s back and waved his hammer. It was fast and on point, but the attack was a failure because he yelled out his name.


    The hammer cut through the air.


    Despite the pressing situation, Foras calmly moved his body, dodged Skull''s hammer and counterattacked. The moment Yong-Ho and Catalina stood up from the ground, his attack pierced through Skull''s armor and hit his side.


    Skull''s armor was damaged. His body flew towards the wall as if he was hit by a car.


    And the fire that filled the room disappeared. There wasn''t time to determine how many Orcs were alive and out of them, how many were able to fight.


    Despite being tired, the salamander attacked Foras''s legs with his tail. It was a fast attack, but Foras lightly jumped and dodged the attack as if he was able to predict it. Instead of attacking the salamander, the moment he landed, he kicked off the ground and charged towards Yong-Ho and Catalina.


    Catalina quickly released an arrow. The arrow pierced into Foras''s shoulder, but it wasn''t enough to stop them from charging towards them. In a blink of an eye, the distance between Foras and Yong-Ho closed and Foras kept on throwing punches.


    He punched the air again. The cold air from the fist filled the surrounding.


    Yong-Ho managed to move to the side and barely dodged his attack, but he didn''t think about counterattacking. The moment Foras''s fist missed him, Yong-Ho''s eyes met with Foras''s and when he did, the flames of Greed rose up. The fire that he randomly shot out enveloped Yong-Ho.


    Foras saw the fire in front of him and instinctively backed away. After seeing the cold air in front of him, Yong-Ho increased the distance instead of striking with Aamon.


    And during that opening is when he would attack. When it came to numbers, Foras had the advantage, but in the current room, Yong-Ho had the advantage.


    The Clay Golem looked like it threw its body as it attacked Foras. Under Eligor''s command, the Rock Golem and the Goblins ran towards the entrance and Catalina turned her body towards Yong-Ho.


    "Roaaaaaaar!"


    An Orc charged through the door while roaring. It was Foras''s Orc guard, Busker Gokun.


    The other Orcs were standing up as well. If all of them entered the room, then this battle would be over.


    "Skullllll!"


    Skull yelled out again. It was an attempt to catch Busker Gokun''s attention, but it didn''t work. However, the Rock Golem arrived just in time to charge against them.


    It was a confusing fight. They were in a situation where they had to focus only on the enemies that were in front of them. Yong-Ho instinctively distanced himself more and tightened his grip on Aamon. The blue mana flowed around the Clay Golem and envelopedit. The Clay Golem was charging on like a car, but it couldn''t anymore. A white frost covered its body and moments later, its body started crumbling!


    Yong-Ho didn''t think any longer. He gathered his mana. The sound of Gokun and the other Orcs fighting around the small door didn''t interrupt Yong-Ho''s concentration.


    He saw blue mana. As he punched into the Clay Golem with his cold fist, he cooled the liquid from the inside and caused it to collapse. Foras kept on letting out a horrible shriek and charged towards Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho slashed using Aamon. At the tip of the blade, the fire of Greed was released towards Foras.


    Foras didn''t try to dodge it. His power emitted cold air and as it enveloped his two fists, he extended it out and tried to punch through the fire.


    Punching completely through was too much. But, he was able to create a gap like when they first invaded. Foras opened the fire with both of his hands and jumped as if he were going to soar.


    Animal. Beast.


    He couldn''t think of any other words to describe Foras. Foras looked down at Yong-Ho with bloodthirsty eyes and roared and Yong-Ho looked back at Foras and roared back. The Treant was waiting for the right moment and when the cold and fire were mixed into the air, it extended its vines out.


    As soon as it wrapped them around Foras''s body, its vines froze. Some even started falling apart.


    But, it was enough to buy some time. Foras planned on directly attacking Yong-Ho after passing through the fire, but he was held back and Yong-Ho and Catalina didn''t miss their chance.


    "Roaaaaaar!''


    The roar that was peculiar to the Orc clan disturbed both of them. The Orc, Busker Gokun, picked up the axe without any hesitation and was about to throw the axe at Yong-Ho and Catalina.


    "Skullllllll!"


    Skull noticed and threw himself at Gokun. The salamander gathered his remaining energy and spat out fire towards the Orcs again.


    It was a mess. Yong-Ho slashed with Aamon and Foras moved his body to the side of Yong-Ho and dodged Aamon. Then, he punched Yong-Ho hard with his right arm.


    He couldn''t dodge it or block it. Foras punched Yong-Ho''s side harder than he had imagined and the coldness that was created by the blue mana was trying to deteriorate Yong-Ho''s flesh and blood. Catalina released an angry scream and charged towards Foras.


    Catalina''s strength was her shocking agility that was based on her emotions. Catalina lowered her body as if she was crawling and after going around his side, she targeted his back.


    But her attack was predictable.


    Even though Foras couldn''t move as fast as her, he predicted on how she was going to attack. She was going to pierce into his neck with her dagger, so he moved to make sure the dagger pierced into his back instead. Once he felt the sharp dagger pierce into his back, he violently moved around. Instead of shaking off Catalina''s light body, he extended his left arm out and grabbed a part of her body. He then spun her body and punched her.


    Foras''s left fist punched Catalina''s abdomen. It was so strong that it wouldn''t be odd if his fist ripped through her thin body.


    Instead of screaming out in pain, Catalina spat out blood instead. She couldn''t move her arms and legs and from Foras''s fist, the coldness started eating away Catalina''s body.


    "Nooooo!"


    Eligor charged. However, Foras wasn''t the type to stand there and get hit by a simple attack. He moved his legs and dodged in a way that looked like he was making fun of him and because Eligor attacked the air, it ruined his stance, which allowed Foras to attack his side.


    There was a coldness this time too. Eligor let out a moan and fell.


    And then there was fire. The green fire enveloped Foras, Catalin and Eligor.


    Foras quickly released the cold air. The fire didn''t invade Foras. But it didn''t matter to Yong-Ho. The fire was released to cover the sight, not to attack.


    Even though Yong-Ho experienced one blow, he couldn''t really move his body. There was a big difference in skills. It was different from the other insignificant demons that he fought before.


    Yong-Ho charged into the fire. He targeted Foras''s back and extended Aamon towards them.


    He attacked the air again. Through the flames, Yong-Ho saw Foras''s eyes. After releasing the cold air, Foras turned around and twisted his body, which was enough to dodge Yong-Ho''s attack. The distance between them naturally closed and Foras used their right fist to attack Yong-Ho.


    In that explosive moment.


    The arrow that Catalina desperately shot pierced into Foras''s leg. Like the first one, there was poison on it and it caused Foras to stop moving.


    Yong-Ho didn''t see it. The moment Foras dodged Aamon, Yong-Ho extended out his left hand towards Foras''s neck.


    He couldn''t reach it properly. It wasn''t an attack to punch through or bash Foras. However, that was enough.


    Kaiwan''s ring gushed out mana. The Power of Distortion was activated and as it distorted the space, it created an intangible shield. It hit Foras''s neck and it wasn''t an exaggeration to say that this was the starting point!


    The neck is one of the vital points that was difficult to train. The unexpected blow caused Foras to lose his stance. Yong-Ho didn''t let the chance pass by. He used Aamon and pierced into Foras''s side. He then released fire through the tip of the blade.


    "Gah!"


    Foras resisted. The mana that was filled with coldness started approaching near Aamon. Yong-Ho didn''t pour in more mana. Foras''s mouth was wide open as he let out a scream and Yong-Ho shoved his left hand inside of his mouth. He activated the Power of Distortion once more!


    He heard a disturbing sound. Yong-Ho''s left hand was pushed out and red blood covered Yong-Ho''s face. Both Foras and Yong-Ho collapsed to the floor.


    This wasn''t the end. Despite his jaw being destroyed and his mouth ripped apart, Foras didn''t stop resisting. Yong-Ho focused all of his senses on Aamon. He twisted Aamon into Foras and poured out all of his mana. The green flame started eating the coldness.


    Foras grabbed Yong-Ho''s neck. But they couldn''t strangle or break his neck. Yong-Ho looked straight into Foras''s eyes. He commanded the Spirit of the Dungeon and focused the dungeon''s remaining mana on Aamon. Instead of releasing a large flame, Aamon burned Foras''s mana by using a small, cohesive force.


    "Master!"


    Busker Gokun yelled. Despite the fact that their pelvis was destroyed because of the huge axe, Skull didn''t let Gokun go. Salamander spit out fire again and Yon, pierced Gokun''s neck with a spear while he was focused on Foras and Skull. Another Orcs''s sword attack cut Yon''s lower body. Blood was flowing out.


    War.


    It wasn''t over. That''s why Yong-Ho placed his left hand on top of Foras''s chest. The coldness climbed up his hand like a final curse and he absorbed hit. Greed''s fire swallowed Foras''s cold spirit.


    Spirit absorption.


    A change through that.


    It was more painful than pleasurable and it filled Yong-Ho''s body and spirit.


    It was different from before. It was different from when he absorbed the spirit of someone that was weaker or on the same level as him.


    Owner Foras.


    The Demon of Coldness.


    Even though his power wasn''t that strong, he was the owner of the dungeon that protected the house for over 70 years.


    He absorbed the spirit of someone stronger.


    Greed didn''t throw away the coldness and the Power of Evolution displayed the effective change.


    He swallowed Foras''s mana.


    Mana was the base of a demon.


    Yong-Ho lifted his head. A third horn appeared on his forehead and he was able to feel a huge amount of mana flowing.


    The fight wasn''t over.


    But it would soon be over.


    The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon.


    A green fire was released from the tip.

 44 Fierce Battle 2

    Yong-Ho was exhausted.


    His body was racked with pain.


    The new spirit that he had absorbed had restored his mana, but it wasn''t enough. He was so thirsty, it felt like he could drink an entire ocean.


    But he couldn''t fall here.


    If he fell here, everything would come to an end.


    A fight where one puts their life on the line was an extremely exciting thing.


    It wasn''t just about winning and losing. The decision of who lives and dies was decided in an instant.


    The fact that he survived made his blood boil.


    The sight and smell of red blood made his heart keep racing.


    But he had to remain calm.


    Even though his body was burning, his head and mentality had to remain cold.


    He absorbed Foras''s spirit.


    He got stronger. It was a small amount, but he recovered some mana.


    During the short moment when he raised his body, a thought popped into his head. He released a green flame, which captured everyone''s attention and he counted through the flame.


    He took down the leader of the enemy.


    Foras was probably the strongest enemy within the dungeon, but he didn''t exist anymore.


    Gokun, who was assumed to be Foras''s guard, was also dying as blood was flowing out of his neck.


    There were less than ten Orcs left.


    When comparing to the number of enemies that invaded, this was a great accomplishment.


    But Yong-Ho didn''t flatter himself with it.


    When talking about victory, one had to consider not only the number of enemies, but the amount of damage it caused them.


    Catalina was lying on the ground and her body was shaking. She couldn''t stand up and the blood that she spat out was all over her mouth. Due to the pain she felt, tears continuously fell down her face.


    The Clay Golem was destroyed. The mud that kept the Clay Golem''s insides together was probably dried out due to the cold that Foras released.


    Skull couldn''t stand up because his pelvis was destroyed. The Rock Golem was partially destroyed and the salamander, who used up its energy since the beginning, was breathing heavily due to exhaustion.


    The Kobold was whimpering in the corner and as always, he wasn''t very helpful. The Goblin, Yon, is dying and the remaining three Goblins had used more than half of their energy during the fight.


    Yong-Ho saw Eligor stumbling while standing up.


    Yong-Ho looked around and after taking everything in, he took a step.


    He straightened his back and fixed his posture. That small movement made his body scream in pain, but he endured it.


    He felt everyone looking at him. The Orcs couldn''t move.


    It was probably because they were shocked due to the death of Foras and Busker Gokun.


    The battle wasn''t over, but it didn''t continue either.


    Yong-Ho turned around. He heard the sound of someone gulping.


    Yong-Ho''s back was turned towards the Orcs and as he approached Catalina, he lowered himself.


    "Catalina."


    "Ma...st¡­"


    Catalina couldn''t speak properly. It looked like she was trying to force herself to smile, but she couldn''t. The area that Foras hit turned blue due to his cold fist. It looked like even breathing was even difficult for her.


    Yong-Ho didn''t say anything. Catalina played a big part in taking down Foras. If it wasn''t for the arrow that she shot at the end, Yong-Ho could''ve been the one on the floor, not Foras.


    Yong-Ho slowly put his hand on top of Catalina''s abdomen. It was really soft, but cold. The cold was like Foras''s curse and it felt like it was piercing into Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho accepted that coldness. As he absorbed the spirit, he also absorbed Foras''s coldness and it gave Yong-Ho strength. He stabilized the coldness that was sitting on Catalina''s abdomen area.


    Then, Yong-Ho poured out his mana into Catalina through the palm of his hand.


    Even though Catalina was a mix between a Dark Elf and a Succubus, she was still a demon. As a spirit that belonged to the dungeon, she soaked in Yong-Ho''s mana and was able to gain some energy.


    Catalina''s expression looked relaxed. Her anxiety must''ve gone away because she slowly closed her eyes and fainted.


    Yong-Ho released a sigh of relief. If Yong-Ho didn''t get stronger by absorbing the spirit, then she could''ve been in danger. When the owner becomes stronger, so does the spirit that belongs to the dungeon and through this, he saved Catalina''s life.


    He wanted to spend more time on Catalina, but he couldn''t. Yong-Ho stood up again. His eyes met with Eligor''s and after reading Yong-Ho''s thought, he nodded his head. It was a sign saying that he was fine.


    Yong-Ho felt thankful and sorry towards him, causing Yong-Ho to turn around.


    The Orcs still weren''t moving. There was an odd nervousness that filled the entire room.


    Everyone was still looking at Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho let them stare and started walking. When Yong-Ho slowly approached them, the Orcs started reacting differently. Some tightened their grip on their weapon and others were looking at him while squinting their eyes.


    Yong-Ho stopped in front of Yon and Jun.


    Jon and Ron were looking at the Orcs while holding a spear and Jun, who was the only girl within the Goblin Rangers, was crying while holding Yon, who was dying because his chest was cut open.


    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution and looked at Yon.


    It was a relief. Yon must''ve done something big before dying because his Evolution Rate was now at a 100.


    Yong-Ho placed his left hand on top of Yon''s head. He poured a bit of mana that he had and evolved Yon into a Hobgoblin.


    The Power of Evolution.


    Just like the other spirits, a bright light enveloped Yon''s body.


    It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that evolving meant changing their race. His physique was changing and it looked as if his body was going through a big reconstruction.


    Yon''s injury was healed. His uneven breathing sounded like it was going to be completely cut off, but Yon''s breathing was stabilized.


    Jun looked like someone that witnessed a miracle and looked at Yong-Ho with an expression that was filled with joy and pleasure. Jon and Ron kept on looking back due to their anxiety and they also couldn''t hide their excitement.


    The Orcs reacted as well. Some widened their eyes and some dropped their weapons without knowing.


    It wasn''t like recovery magic. What happened before their eyes were more like a transcendental situation.


    Yong-Ho stood up from his seat. Skull was quietly making noises, but Yong-Ho stopped himself from turning around and instead, looked at the Orcs. He didn''t have that much mana left, but he covered Aamon in fire one more time.


    There were seven Orcs that grabbed their weapon and stood up.


    Foras and Gokun were dead, but if all of them felt the same way, then it would be a problem. It was better if there was a leader among the group.


    And thankfully, out of the surviving Orcs, there was one Orc that silently stepped up to the leader position.


    It was easy to tell because the other Orcs were glancing at him.


    The Orc had a sword scar near his eye. He was old, but he was wearing a well made armor and used an extremely large sword as his weapon.


    Yong-Ho''s eyes met theirs. He opened his mouth and waited for a moment. He spoke, hoping that his voice wouldn''t crack or sound weak.


    "The fight is over."


    He didn''t say it to look cool. He didn''t have the energy to say anything else.


    The Orc with the scar looked back at Foras and Gokun''s corpse.


    Yong-Ho didn''t erase the possibility of them charging at him to avenge their owner''s death.


    He didn''t avert his eyes. He wanted to collapse to the ground, but he endured it with all his might.


    The Orc closed his eyes. He carefully released a long sigh and after opening his eyes again, he looked at Yong-Ho. He placed his large sword on the ground.


    "We lost. We surrender."


    As soon as the Orc with the scar made his decision, the other Orcs hesitated for a moment and laid down their weapons as well. One of them hesitated and when the Orc with the scar glared at him, they ended up throwing his weapon on the ground as well.


    The fight was really over. But he couldn''t relax until the Orcs had been tied up and locked up in the prison.


    Thankfully, Eligor stood next to Yong-Ho. Maybe it''s because his stamina had been developed, but despite the fact that he got hit by Foras, he seemed fine.


    Eligor commanded the Goblins and the Treant to tie up the Orcs.


    The Orc with the scar looked at Yong-Ho with slightly softened eyes and Yong-Ho nodded his head to tell them to relax.


    "Skullllll."


    The small sound made Yong-Ho avert his eyes. Skull, who couldn''t stand because his pelvis was destroyed, was looking at Yong-Ho. Maybe it''s because of the atmosphere, but it felt like Skull was smiling.


    And then, he heard a voice in his head. It was the Spirit of the Dungeon, who couldn''t intercept due to the tense situation.


    [You have won the dungeon battle between the owners.]


    [You were really amazing.]


    It sounded like she relaxed a bit after being anxious the entire time and it was cute.


    Yong-Ho nodded his head. He released another long sigh.


    The first true dungeon battle.


    Yong-Ho won.


    ***


    The dungeon fights within the demon world were between two owners, meaning it''s a fight between the demons that own a dungeon.


    A fight to protect and take the dungeon.


    Dungeon fights were extremely dangerous.


    To the owner that''s defending, losing meant that the dungeon was no longer theirs.


    Out of the owners that lost the fight, nine out of ten lost their lives and even if they did survive, they end up wandering because they lost the dungeon and the spirits.


    The attacker couldn''t easily acknowledge defeat either. In a dungeon fight, the defender always had the upper hand. Because of that, it''s natural for the attacker to use more resources than the defender.


    What would happen if all those resources failed them?


    They wouldn''t lose their dungeon right away, but the dungeon''s defense would drop dramatically.


    The Law of the Jungle applied in the demon world.


    Enemies would attack the moment their opponent becomes weaker.


    Because the situation turned out like this, the owners that owned dungeons in the empty southern region were gathered in one area and because they weren''t very strong, they didn''t fight against each other. Since they might lose everything with one fight, it''s obvious that they wouldn''t.


    Dungeon fights happen among those that have power and often happen at the border.


    Those with many dungeons don''t lose everything with one fight. Whether they win or lose, they save their energy for the next fight.


    Out of the dungeon shop''s five board members, Samael was the one with the fastest wings. She forcefully opened her sleepy eyes and looked at the demon map that was stuck on the official wall.


    Her office was extremely small. Unlike the Harpies that enjoyed flying freely into the open sky, she didn''t really like flying even though she was a queen. She enjoyed using her beautiful, black wings as a back cushion rather than for flying.


    "There''s too many."


    She wasn''t talking about the dungeon fights among the six kings that happened often like some kind of monthly event.


    The empty Southern Region was weird.


    Normally, a dungeon fight happens in that area every few years, but there had been over 10 dungeon fights within that land.


    The demon, Embrio, has suddenly started increasing his power in the empty Southern Region.


    It was a rule for the Dungeon Market to not take part in the fights between the demons. But that didn''t mean they stood on the sidelines and watched them fight.


    If Embrio continued increasing his power, what would happen? For over a decade, the empty northern region remained peaceful through mutual control, but how will it change?


    The owners in the empty Southern Region were definitely weak. When comparing the land to the other six king''s land, it was a wasteland.


    But, if someone unified the entire empty Southern Region, then it would be different.


    Samael closed her eyes and leaned her head back.


    Sitri was in charge of the empty Southern Region. Did she know about this? And did she have a plan to control this situation?


    ''Or maybe there''s something at the end of this situation¡­''


    Samael stopped thinking. No matter what the case was, Sitri had maintained her position as a Dungeon Market board member for the longest. Samael was considered the newest member out of the five, so she wasn''t in the position to worry about her.


    If she remained quiet, there was a reasonable explanation for that.


    "Next."


    As soon as Samael spoke, the Spirit of the Dungeon delivered several reports. Before they became the five board members of the Dungeon Market, they were owners that had their own dungeons.


    After receiving the report, Samael stood up from her seat. When she stepped out of the small office, a large void appeared. The ceiling was so high that they could put a tower in here.


    Samael continued walking. Instead of using her wings to fly, she used magic that allowed her to jump into space and she arrived at the most extravagant and fancy location that was within her territory.


    The Dungeon Market auction house.


    Items that were too expensive to price are often sold at this location.


    When she took another step, a white dress enveloped Samael''s body. It was a simple, white dress that didn''t have any decorations on it, but that made Samael even more beautiful.


    Samael walked a few more steps. The Incubus, Rod Karot, was a follower of hers and also the general manager of the auction house. He approached her and gracefully showed his respect.


    The inside of the auction house looked like an opera house and there was currently an item they were auctioning.


    The item they were currently auctioning was an Eternal Prosecutor.


    They were a talented prosecutor and according to them, they were even referred to as the king in their world.


    Samael didn''t visit the auction house because the prosecutor was that great of a figure.


    It''s because of the figures that were currently at the auction house.


    The King of Pride and the King of Envy''s representatives.


    On top of that, the King of Gluttony''s representative was here as well.


    There''s no way that the King of Pride didn''t know about the fact that the King of Envy purchased 20,000 Skeleton Warriors.


    It was a secret that the King of Gluttony purchased a dragon, but the other two kings weren''t dumb. They were always observing the King of Gluttony.


    The kings didn''t come here themselves, but among their followers, those that were ranked within the top five came here to represent. This can be considered as a minor proxy war among the six kings.


    That was what Samael thought as she entered the auction house.


    Orobas was known to have the strongest superhuman strength within the dungeon shop and said that the current balance will be maintained for a long time.


    But was that really true?


    Out of the six kings, no one was satisfied with the current situation. There wasn''t one king that was satisfied with their current position.


    A small opportunity.


    The perfect opportunity that will make the wheel spin.


    If something like that appeared. If there was something that completely pushed a domino that stopped falling.


    The balance will be broken.


    Like in the past when Mammon, the King of Greed, ruled.


    The sound of clapping filled the room. One of the representatives that were here probably called out a large amount that no one else could go against.


    Samael quickened her pace. The situation that occurred in the empty southern region was erased from her head.


    She put on an elegant smile that matched well with this place.

 45 Unity Evolution

    Whether the Princess Ant involuntarily became independent of the Queen Ant or not, she now had a new task.


    To build a new colony.


    The moment the Queen Ant died, the Princess Ant''s consciousness, which was like a frozen seed, started to grow little by little like a budding flower.


    However, the time it took to grow the bud was too short.


    With a blank face, the Princess Ant started nibbling the pancake a little and it was difficult to find traces of consciousness.


    Just like the Queen Ant, the Princess Ant looked similar to a human. The color of her hair looked like gold silk and she had mysterious green eyes that didn''t have scleras, the white section of an eye.


    Perhaps twelve-years-old. The Princess Ant looked like a girl of that age and her antennas started to flinch.


    The Princess Ant instinctively turned her head.


    Not only the Kobold, but other spirits started approaching in a group.


    The Princess Ant waited while blinking her eyes. A nasty smell filled the nose. Blood, dirt and other things were mixed into the smell.


    Just because she had a weak consciousness, didn''t mean her basic instincts weren''t working. The Princess Ant cowered like a beast filled with fear. And then, the one that had a familiar smell appeared. It was the Kobold.


    "Woof, woof!"


    The Kobold seemed excited about something because he started wagging his tail excitedly. The Kobold quickly approached the prison cell and burst open the locked door. He walked up to the Princess Ant and grabbed her hand.


    "Woof, woof!"


    He was asking her to come out, but just like Eligor, all she heard was the Kobold barking. On top of that, she couldn''t make an assumption of what the Kobold wanted based on his actions and expression.


    The Princess Ant looked at the Kobold with a confused expression and turned her head. The foul smell arrived.


    Eligor, the one with red skin, arrived with green Giants. Not only that, but he brought a large tree that the Princess Ant had never seen before and creatures with small frames that had green skin.


    "Woof, woof!"


    The Kobold glanced at Eligor and forcefully pulled the Princess Ant''s arm. In the end, the Princess Ant stood up and clumsily walked out of the prison cell.


    As soon as she walked out, Eligor placed the Orcs into the prison cell. The Orcs had an unsatisfied expression since their hands were tied, but since the Orc with the scar on his eye walked in without a word, they didn''t really rebel. After they followed them in, they sat on the ground.


    For the Princess Ant, it was quite a large prison cell, but for the Orcs that had a larger frame, it looked small since seven of them were in there.


    As always, the Princess Ant looked around with a blank expression. Eligor momentarily looked at her and spoke.


    "Take her to the dorm for now."


    "Woof, woof!"


    The Princess Ant had no choice but to move to an unfamiliar place.


    Eligor watched the entire process and let out a deep sigh. Rikum, the Orc with the scar on his eye, was sitting in the innermost part of the cell and Eligor spoke to them.


    "Please rest for a bit. I''ll be right back."


    Rikum wasn''t sure if he should believe what Eligor said, but Rikum nodded. Unless they were thinking about escaping, they wouldn''t gain anything by creating conflict.


    "At least give us some water."


    "Okay. We''ll bring you some water."


    Eligor exited the prison cell with Jon and Ron. After setting its roots in front of the prison entrance, the Treant watched the prison with a serious and stern expression.


    The fight came to an end. Eligor, the Goblins and all the other spirits were exhausted.


    But now wasn''t the time to relax.


    ***


    Yong-Ho passed out on the bed made out of straw.


    He knew everyone was exhausted, but he had no choice. He thought that letting Eligor take care of the rest and then passing out on the bed was pretty irresponsible, but he couldn''t resist.


    No, he couldn''t think at all.


    That''s how tired he was.


    He fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. He didn''t have any thoughts.


    How much time has passed?


    "We''ll rise up again. You trust me, right?"


    The voice belonged to a girl. They had ash gray hair and narrow shoulders.


    Yong-Ho wasn''t aware that he opened his eyes, but he saw it. His mind was blank, but he saw a clear image of them.


    He had seen the beautiful girl with ash gray hair before.


    Kaiwan, the owner from three generations ago.


    The Demon of Distortion.


    In front of the beautiful girl, a boy with a weak face was standing there.


    The boy looked at Kaiwan with a longing look and then nodded his head.


    Yong-Ho didn''t have to think long as to who that boy was. This was the first time that he saw him, but Yong-Ho knew.


    It was a small amount, but the blood of Mammon was flowing within that boy.


    ''The owner from two generations ago.''


    The younger brother of Kaiwan. After Kaiwan went missing, he inherited the House of Mammon and he lost most of the things that Kaiwan succeeded in obtaining.


    According to the record, he was naturally born with a weak body.


    That seemed to be true because underneath his muddy gold hair, he had a really pale face. His longing expression looked like he didn''t have any energy. It looked like he wouldn''t even be able to run properly with his thin arms and legs.


    Kaiwan patted her younger brother''s head. She hugged him as if she found him to be loveable. This was the first time he saw her soft and warm expression since she barely displayed that side of herself.


    Kaiwan and her younger brother disappeared.


    Instead of an old, worn out room, a small study appeared.


    Kaiwan was sitting in front of a desk. She wasn''t a little girl anymore.


    She was a woman with a fierce look.


    She could be compared to a snake. She also looked like a leopard. The red leather clothes that she was wearing gave off that feeling even more.


    She was writing something with a tired look.


    It wasn''t really a big room. It had a desk, a bookshelf and on both sides of the room, instead of books, there were documents stacked on top of each other. It looked like Kaiwan''s office.


    While wearing a pair of glasses, she was writing something with a feather pen and the hand that was repeatedly on the abacus was now under the desk. She leaned into the back of the chair like some sort of laundry.


    Her left hand.


    A familiar ring was on her ring finger. It was the ring that contained the Power of Distortion. It seemed like she had placed a part of her power into the ring so that she could use it right away during combat.


    After taking a short break, she closed her eyes shut and took out a thick, leather book that was placed inside of a drawer. It must''ve been another empty notebook because she started writing as soon as she placed it on the desk.


    ''Is it a journal or something?''


    Sometimes, she would draw inside it. Since Yong-Ho was fixed diagonally behind Kaiwan''s left side, he couldn''t see in detail what she was writing, but Kaiwan''s expression looked okay. She even displayed a small smile on her face from time to time.


    He heard someone knocking on the door. Kaiwan quickly placed the journal she was writing into the drawer and stood up. She opened the door and greeted the person that knocked.


    It was her younger brother. Kaiwan grew up into a woman, but her brother was still a boy.


    The two exited the office and Yong-Ho saw their backs as they walked further away from him. He heard their voices, but it sounded like an auditory hallucination.


    "Are you going to the arena again?"


    "It''ll be quick. I''ll bring even more awesome items, so look forward to it."


    The two became more distant. They passed through familiar hallways.


    And then darkness.


    The view in front of him changed again.


    It was the armory.


    The placement of the items were different from what Yong-Ho saw, but he immediately knew.


    Kaiwain kissed her ring. She placed the ring in a small box and whispered something in a low voice.


    He couldn''t hear it. The box was closed and darkness filled his view.


    This was probably the last memory the ring had.


    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. He rolled off the bed and landed on the floor.


    "Ack."


    The bed wasn''t that high, but since it was elevated, it was still painful. On top of that, since he fell while sleeping, it was an unexpected surprise, so it''s obvious that it would hurt a lot more.


    "Office."


    Yong-Ho mumbled without knowing. He unconsciously raised his left hand and looked at Kaiwan''s ring.


    A shape of a wolf eating the moon.


    It was old, but it was still a beautiful, silver ring.


    He suddenly felt Kaiwan''s power. And he had a hunch as to how he was able to dream of Kaiwan''s dream.


    Mana, the important element to a demon.


    Many thoughts and memories were left within the mana.


    He thought about Kaiwan''s face. He still felt that she was a ferocious figure, but he felt a little more comfortable because of the warm smile he saw when she was with her younger brother.


    Kaiwan''s office.


    If he found the office. And if he found Kaiwan''s journal that was sitting inside the drawer.


    His thoughts ended there. The voice of a worried girl filled his mind.


    [Master, are you awake?]


    [How are you feeling? You''re not hurt anywhere, are you? Can you hear me clearly?]


    It was the Spirit of the Dungeon.


    Yong-Ho was able to come back to reality. His body felt heavy and he lowered the arm that was raised.


    It felt like he was rooted into the ground. Even though he was just lying there without doing much, but really didn''t want to do anything.


    But he had to get up.


    "How long has it been?"


    [31 hours have passed.]


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and let out a groan after hearing her answer. A day and a half had passed. The fact that he woke up sooner than the time he recaptured the gold mine was somewhat of a comfort.


    Yong-Ho raised his upper body while releasing another groan. His voice was really dry and since he wouldn''t be able to speak properly, he looked for water. After gulping down the water right out of the kettle, he continued with the next question.


    "And the Orcs? What about the other spirits? Catalina and Eligor are safe, right?"


    The water helped him wake up, which caused him to ask one question after another. The Spirit of the Dungeon calmly replied.


    [The dungeon spirit, Catalina, and the other spirits are all safe.]


    [Skull and the Rock Golem are injured, so they''re currently unable to move, but there isn''t a problem with their life as spirits. They''re currently waiting in the throne room.]


    [The Orcs are quietly sitting in the prison cell.]


    [But, we must hurry with cleaning things up.]


    "Cleaning things up?"


    [We have to get rid of the Orc corpses of the Orcs that are in the passageway.]


    [And I also recommend changing the dungeon layout.]


    [Regarding the carriages that the attackers rode here, Eligor moved them to the dungeon entrance room for now.]


    [Since the spirits are currently in the process of recovering, no other tasks have been given other than this.]


    They won, but the damage on this side was pretty big. As of right now, the only ones that are able to work were probably Eligor, Kobold and the Goblin Rangers.


    [And¡­]


    "And?"


    [Because your mana has gotten a lot stronger this time, I was able to grow a level as well.]


    [Dungeon''s Step - If the rank itself increases, I''m able to take care of a lot more things within the dungeon. I''m able to maintain a lot more dungeon facilities as well.]


    [Please don''t forget to visit the room where my main body is, the Heart of the Dungeon.]


    He remembered briefly hearing Eligor talking about this.


    When Yong-Ho''s face started glowing, the Spirit of the Dungeon somehow knew and continued talking.


    [But everyone is exhausted, so you don''t need to rush.]


    [Master, you should rest more too.]


    He could feel that she was really worrying about him through her desperate voice.


    But he couldn''t just rest. Like she had mentioned, they needed to clean up as soon as possible."


    "But first."


    Yong-Ho placed his hand on his forehead. The small horn that was placed in the center of his forehead felt out of place for some odd reason.


    It was the power he obtained after a tough fight. There was a need to properly test it out.


    Yong-Ho instinctively took a deep breath.


    He activated the Power of Evolution.

 46 Unity Evolution 2

    [Demon of Evolution]


    [Name: Chun Yong-Ho (M)]


    [Race: Half-Human/Half-Demon]


    [Class: Demon]


    [Elements: Fire - Level 2 / Darkness - Level 1 / Ice - Level 2]


    [Individual Characteristics: Calm / Crafty / Daring]


    [Natural Ability: Stamina / Mana]


    [Evolution Rate: 100/100]


    The stats window was a lot more detailed now than before. He noticed the significant amount of change with a single look.


    ''Individual characteristics and natural abilities?''


    Yong-Ho instinctively touched the horn on his forehead. Since Yong-Ho became stronger after absorbing the spirit, the Power of Evolution got stronger as well, which allowed him to look at the categories he wasn''t able to see before.


    He now had three horns.


    It was a major change that when seeing it from a spirit''s point of view, it wasn''t an exaggeration to say that they''ve ranked up.


    ''Nature sounds like it''s referring to personality¡­''


    Yong-Ho frowned without knowing. He agreed that he had a calm and daring personality, but crafty?!


    Even after placing his hand over his heart, he felt that it was unfair.


    A dungeon spirit''s body and soul belong to the owner and dungeon.


    Catalina was one of those spirits and his attitude towards her was proof that he wasn''t crafty.


    There were a few times where he had ulterior motives, but it was just a few times and they were insignificant.


    "Hm. Bo-body and soul."


    Yong-Ho cleared his throat when he thought about the spirit. Catalina''s face, no, her entire body popped up in his head.


    ''I ack-acknowledge.''


    Yong-Ho managed to calm himself down after thinking about Eligor and Skull and looked at the abilities. It probably displayed the abilities that he had a natural talent for.


    ''It''s probably different from characteristics traits, right? Since this has to do with individual talent.''


    A Succubus is known for their charm and mana and a Dark Elf is known for their agility and vitality. It meant that their race affected the skills that they had.


    But a race and an individual were different. It wasn''t odd for one to have an individual skill.


    ''Stamina and mana.''


    He somewhat understood that part. It''s because his stamina and mana had more potential than the other stats.


    The change didn''t just show additional categories.


    The level of the stats increased automatically and the stat for coldness leveled up twice at once. It''s probably because he absorbed the spirit that contained that power.


    ''I might be able to control both elements somehow.''


    It was an embarrassing thought for him to say out loud, so Yong-Ho imagined himself controlling both ice and fire at the same time for a moment. Since the elements were opposites, he wasn''t sure if they could create a synergy effect, but it didn''t look all that bad.


    For fire, he borrowed Aamon''s power and used it well, but this was different.


    He had to find a way to use his mana in addition to his power. And he had a vague idea of the solution.


    ''I have to learn magic.''


    Mana was the root of a demon house.


    It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that the time it took for them to research a way to use magic with mana was as long as the demon world''s history.


    Like always, Yong-Ho quickly organized his thoughts. There was a need for him to learn magic, but it wasn''t something he could do right now. Looking at the remaining stats through the Power of Evolution was more important.


    And since his development rate was at 100, he was able to evolve.


    [Strength Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Stamina Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Mana Level 4 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)] - Unable to develop (Temporary) -


    [Charm Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Agility Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Talent Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Attribute Enhancement Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Seven Deadly Sins | Greed]


    Yong-Ho''s eyes widened as soon as he saw the stats window. A comment that he''s never seen before appeared next to mana.


    ''Unable to develop?''


    A sentence that said that mana was unable to develop was right next to it. Yong-Ho was going to develop his mana this time too, so he was shocked when he saw it.


    ''Why?''


    Yong-Ho looked to see what changed compared to before.


    ''The potential development increased. Stamina, mana and agility level increased by one.''


    The horn showed the class of the demon''s mana. The development rate and a part of his skills changing was something he understood. Other than those differences, the only new thing that appeared was the Attribute Enhancement.


    Then what was the problem?


    Yong-Ho looked back at himself. He remembered the time he first obtained the Power of Evolution.


    The Power of Evolution was Yong-Ho''s power. The root was from Yong-Ho''s soul and mana and because of that, he understood it better than anyone else.


    At first, he only saw colorful smokes, but later, the method that it used to show it changed, based on Yong-Ho''s will.


    This time, it was the same. It responded to his will and Yong-Ho was able to understand what the issue was.


    ''In simple terms, is it saying I can''t keep developing the same stat over and over again?''


    Yong-Ho''s body requested for balance.


    It wasn''t even requesting for a complete balance. Since he''s been developing just the mana, his body wants him to develop the other stats.


    If Catalina''s agility reaches level four, she might face the same issue.


    Yong-Ho nodded his head. It wasn''t completely stopping him and since it was asking him to develop the other skills, he could handle it.


    ''Then the problem is which one I should develop.''


    Strength, stamina and agility were something he immediately understood. Those three were the most involved stats during a fight.


    The others were charm, talent and attribute enhancement.


    The main stats of a Succubus was charm and he had an idea as to what kind of skill that was.


    They change to make themselves beautiful and that would be done based on Yong-Ho''s preference. They make sure to leave a good impression.


    ''I''m sure it''ll be beneficial if I develop it¡­''


    It felt like it would help when appeasing the Orcs that were in the prison cell. In the Records of the ''Three Kingdoms'' game, Liu Bei would use his overwhelming charm to appoint his personnel.


    ''It''s a bit difficult to explain talent, but I think I get the general idea¡­''


    He had a feeling that the skill affected actions that required movements of the body or hand.


    Attribute enhancement did just that.


    ''This is hard.''


    Yong-Ho used the process of elimination.


    First, strength. The amount of strength he had now was enough. Charm? It was tempting, but maybe later. Increasing it to level one wouldn''t affect a battle all that much. Since he couldn''t use coldness, he decided to place attribute enhancement to the side as well.


    After eliminating a few of them, there was stamina, agility and talent left.


    Yong-Ho looked back at all the fights he fought. It was the most recent fight and he remembered how much he struggled fighting against Foras.


    ''I''ll increase my agility.''


    Out of all the stats, the only one he would be able to see a difference was agility. If he became just a bit faster, then it''ll help him in battles. He was tempted to increase talent as well, but since the idea was abstract, he didn''t go for it.


    Yong-Ho used the Power of Evolution on himself. Unlike the times he increased his mana, a refreshing feeling filled his entire body. He wasn''t sure if it was all in his head or if his body actually lost weight, but it felt like his body became lighter.


    "Whew¡­"


    After taking in a deep breath, Yong-Ho leaned his back against the bed. He closed his eyes and listed the things he had to do.


    The general list would consist of inside and outside.


    The inside work be taking in the Orcs that surrendered as spirits, getting rid of Foras and the Orcs'' corpse, reconstructing the dungeon layout and making spirits like Skull and Rock Golem undergo rehabilitation.


    The outside would be to sell the war carriages that Foras brought to the dungeon shop for money and Foras''s dungeon itself.


    Foras''s dungeon.


    It wasn''t that far from here. On top of that, Foras, his personal guard and most of his troops lost their lives. Meaning, there was a high possibility that Foras''s dungeon was an empty house right now.


    But he couldn''t be careless. The reason why Yong-Ho himself was able to win over 50 of Foras''s spirits was because of the dungeon traps.


    Even though Foras died, the traps that were installed in the dungeon were still active. If Foras was more worried about the other owners than Yong-Ho, then there was a chance that Foras left some of his troops to defend the dungeon.


    ''On top of that...I''m sure they''ve caught on that Foras is dead by now. Since I''ve been out for more than a day, I''m sure they''ve prepared to defend the dungeon.''


    If the owner dies, then the Spirit of the Dungeon that''s connected to the owner dies as well.


    He had to be cautious. His side received some damage as well and if they were to attack another dungeon just because they killed a owner, it may do more harm.


    First, he had to make the Orcs his spirits. And since they know about Foras''s dungeon, he''ll collect enough information from them. It was okay to make a move afterwards.


    ''Other than that, the only other things I have to do areis register the Princess Ant as a spirit and find Kaiwan''s office.''


    Those two tasks were important for the dungeon''s development.


    Yong-Ho looked at Kaiwan''s ring that was on his left hand and he kissed it without knowing. He wasn''t sure if he did that because it saved his life several times or because he remembered Kaiwan kissing it at the armory.


    ''Let''s eat first.''


    Since he slept a day and a half, that meant that he didn''t eat for that long.


    Yong-Ho stood up from his seat. Since he had a lot to do, he walked out of the room.


    ***


    "Skulllll."


    When he walked out, he saw one of the things that he had to take care of.


    He saw Skull and Rock Golem, who were sitting next to his bedroom door. They both looked pretty bad.


    Since Skull''s pelvis was broken, he couldn''t stand up. Since he lost a leg, it''s safe to say that he was disabled.


    The Rock Golem was sitting next to them and its condition was bad as well. Its right arm was completely gone and since there were cracks all over its body, it seemed like it was going to break apart soon.


    The Rock Golem didn''t have a conscious and yet, there was a sense of sadness, but Skull, who was able to talk and roll around seemed worse. Since Skull was special to Yong-Ho, he approached the two spirits before going to fill his stomach.


    "Skull, Skull."


    Skull spoke with the same blank expression. Maybe it''s because he''s always seen Skull roll around, but right now, Skull looked comfortable in his current condition.


    How was he going to restore them?


    The Clay Golem was completely ruined, so he couldn''t do much, but for Skull and Rock Golem, since only a part of their body was destroyed, there was a higher chance of recovering them.


    He thought about either developing or evolving.


    Yon was on the verge of dying due to the injury on his chest, but thanks to the effects of him evolving, it was healed. Wouldn''t the same thing happen to both Skull and Rock Golem?


    ''To do that, their evolution rate needs to be filled up¡­''


    Skull did a lot during the battle at the gold mine. And since Skull did well in defending against Foras''s guard during the recent battle, it may be possible.


    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution. His eyes started glowing a green color as he looked at both Skull and Rock Golem.


    [Name: Skull (-)]


    [Race: Skeleton]


    [Class: Skeleton Warrior]


    [Attribute: -]


    [Individual Nature: Original / Capable / Talented]


    [Evolution Rate : 100/100]


    [Bone Strengthening - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)] -\u003e Rank route opens upon development


    [Physique - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)] -\u003e Rank route opens upon development


    [Intellect - Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)] -\u003e Rank route opens upon development


    [Talent - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)] -\u003e Rank route opens upon development


    The description, original, put a smile on his face when he read it. Thankfully, Skull''s evolution rate was now at 100. The problem was that his rank route hadn''t been opened yet.


    Will a simple evolution recover his broken pelvis?


    While contemplating, Yong-Ho turned his head to look towards the Rock Golem.


    From left to right. And then from right to left.


    His eyes were following a line without him knowing.


    Between Skull and the Rock Golem.


    A line made up of a white light was connected.


    Yong-Ho kept on looking back and forth and then read the new word of light that appeared above it. He unconsciously said it out loud.


    "Union...Evolution?"


    [Rock Skeleton Warrior]


    Yong-Ho looked back at Skull. Skull spoke to Yong-Ho.


    "Skullll."


    He somehow knew what Skull was saying.


    Yong-Ho turned his attention back to the description. He gathered his mana.

 47 Unity Evolution 3

    Union evolution.


    An act of joining two different figures into one.


    This was probably only possible because the Power of Evolution had become stronger after Yong-Ho received his third horn.


    He understood the Power of Evolution this time too.


    The name, Rock Skeleton Warrior, was probably created when Skull and the Rock Golem were evolved by being unified into one being.


    The Power of Evolution is growing based on how much Yong-Ho was growing.


    But that didn''t mean that it was an almighty power.


    There were limits and conditions that had to be met, just like how the development rate needs to be filled up in order to evolve.


    The union evolution was the same. It felt like there would be some sort of condition.


    He was curious as to whether it was possible to perform with spirits that were alive and if two spirits have been unified, who''s free will remain, etc.


    But if he were to just focus on Skull and the Rock Golem, then it was simple.


    Skull was an Undead. An already dead spirit that has been bound to a skeletal body through the power of magic.


    And the Rock Golem didn''t have a consciousness. Even if the two have been unified, it won''t affect Skull''s consciousness.


    A Skeleton Warrior that had the body and the strength of a Rock Golem.


    If this worked, Skull will be able to display a stronger power.


    ''If there''s one thing that''s getting to me¡­''


    If he did proceed with the unification, then that''ll be it for the Rock Golem. Through the recent battle, he lost the Clay Golem and on top of that, he was close to losing the Rock Golem as well.


    ''But.''


    Skull was still important. It was a sad reality, but the House of Mammon was being operated by a small group. It was better to have one soldier that added to the group, rather than having two soldiers that were of no use because they were broken.


    "Ready?"


    Yong-Ho spoke. Skull answered with the same trusting expression.


    "Skullll!"


    Skull spat out his answer. Yong-Ho placed both of his hands on top of Skull and the Rock Golem.


    He looked at the Rock Golem one last time and got rid of the regrets that were lingering within him.


    Unification evolution.


    Rock Skeleton Warrior.


    Yong-Ho sent mana to both of them. He activated the Power of Evolution.


    First, a light appeared.


    A white light enveloped both Skull and the Rock Golem. Next, the white turned to green and Skull and the Rock Golem were linked into one.


    Based on the amount of mana that Yong-Ho was pouring, the light became bigger and stronger, which covered Yong-Ho''s eyesight.


    A couple of seconds later.


    Yong-Ho started breathing heavily. The feeling of Skull and the Rock Golem disappeared from both of his hands.


    The rock remains from the Rock Golem were all over the place. And a Skeleton Warrior was standing in the center of it.


    Their developed grey body was sturdier than the Rock Golem in the past and wasn''t as excessive - he was big, but at the same time nimble and he gave off a much stronger feeling than a Skeleton Warrior.


    Yong-Ho anxiously looked at the Rock Skeleton Warrior''s face. As soon as he gulped, green eyes lit up in the inner part of the empty skull.


    "Skulllll!"


    Yong-Ho let out a sigh of relief when they released a loud and dignified roar. He smiled brightly and they were both happy about the situation.


    "Hold on, wait."


    "Skull, Skull?"


    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution and looked at Skull. He quickly read the new information.


    [Name: Skull (-)]


    [Race: Rock Skeleton (Mixed Spirit)]


    [Class: Skeleton Warrior]


    [Attribute: Earth - Level 1]


    [Individual Nature: Original / Naive]


    [Individual Stat: Talent / Stamina]


    [Evolution Rate: 0/100]


    An attribute that wasn''t there before appeared and an individual nature and stat were added as well. The description, Mixed Spirit, caught Yong-Ho''s attention.


    A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he read the remaining information.


    [Bone Strengthening - Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Strength - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Physique - Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Intellect - Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Talent - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Available Race/Position Advancement]


    [Rock Skeleton Knight] / [Rock Skeleton Berserker] / [Rock Skeleton Archer]


    There were some stats that leveled up automatically and the strength stat was a new one.


    But the portion that caught his attention was the new advancement route.


    There were three.


    Just by looking at the names, he had an idea of what they specialized in.


    The Skeleton Knight was an infantry and strengthened defense, the Skeleton Berserker was a high-ranked warrior that focused on offense and the Skeleton Archer specialized in long-distance attacks.


    Since each specialized in different things, the silhouette of each route was a bit different.


    For the knight, the bone itself looked similar to an armor, and the berserker''s arm became a bit longer and thicker. For the archer, there wasn''t a big difference in the outer appearance.


    Just looking at Skull''s change made Yong-Ho feel satisfied. It was unfortunate for the Rock Golem, but with this kind of result, he could bear with it.


    Skull armed himself with the weapon and armor that were on the ground. He wore the helmet, which was like his trademark, and waited for Yong-Ho''s command.


    And the Spirit of the Dungeon spoke right on time.


    [Catalina and Eligor are heading your way.]


    It seemed like she contacted those two right when Yong-Ho woke up.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon did really well because Catalina, Eligor and the Goblins entered the throne room with food in their hands.


    ***


    "Wow, master."


    Like always, tears filled up in Eligor''s eyes as soon as he saw Yong-Ho. Catalina reacted the same way as before. Her ears started flapping like wings and the way her tail wagged made it seem like she would jump right into his arms if he opened them.


    But Yong-Ho was cautious. Instead of opening his arms, he looked at Catalina''s stomach.


    Since she was wearing her combat outfit, under the tight, leather clothing, her bare skin was exposed.


    Her soft, yet tight abdomen was in the same condition as before. Her light brown skin, which looked like sweet milk chocolate melted on it, was the same as well.


    He let out a sigh of relief without knowing. Foras''s coldness that penetrated her abdomen disappeared. Her wagging tail was proof that she was healthy.


    "Sir?"


    Since he was staring at her for a while, she asked while blinking her eyes. He remembered that he was described as crafty and after acknowledging it, he cleared his throat.


    He calmly responded to it, just like when he was in battle.


    "I was worried, but it looks like you''re all healed up. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"


    She replied as her ears shot up.


    "I''ve healed up thanks to your mana, sir. Thank you very much for worrying about me."


    "I should be one thanking you. I was able to live because of you. You''re definitely the best guard."


    When she heard his compliment, her ears started flapping again and she laughed sheepishly. It looks kind of dumb, but it was pretty cute.


    "Sir, I''ve completely recovered as well. I apologize for making you worry."


    Eligor spoke after taking off his shirt and showed the areas that Foras had hit him.


    Because his stamina had been developed, his body was sturdy despite having an old man''s face.


    Yong-Ho turned his attention away from Eligor, who posed like a bodybuilder. He was always thankful towards Eligor, but this was a different situation.


    Yong-Ho took a few steps back and looked at all the spirits.


    And then. Catalina''s eyes widened. Yong-Ho was the only one that was in her sight and then Skull entered.


    "Skull?"


    Since his frame was larger than before and his color changed, Catalina blinked her eyes to make sure she wasn''t seeing things. For Eligor, as soon as he turned around to see Skull, a bright smile appeared on his face and the Goblins expressed their excitement when they saw how big Skull became.


    "Skullll."


    Along with his helmet, he lightly swung the war hammer, which was another trademark of his.


    Catalina and Skull became rivals at one point, but were teammates, not enemies.


    A bright smile appeared on Catalina''s face and Skull swung the war hammer again.


    During this time, Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution once again. Rather than looking at Catalina and the other spirits, he wanted to see if a union evolution was possible.


    But information regarding the union evolution didn''t appear for any one of them. It looked like it was possible for spirits that were already dead or didn''t have a will, just like he had assumed earlier.


    "Okay, let''s talk over some food. I''ll tell you how Skull became like this."


    Yong-Ho spoke after deactivating the Power of Evolution and the Goblins quietly cheered.


    Eligor sat down after placing a mat on top of the carpet that was in the throne room and grabbed some food. They were usually smoked meat, bread and other preserved food.


    Since the spirits haven''t eaten yet, the atmosphere turned into a group get-together. Even though he ate with the House of Mammon''s spirits every day.


    The explanation regarding the union evolution didn''t take long.


    The base of the Power of Evolution came from Yong-Ho''s mana and spirit, but it wasn''t fully developed and it wasn''t completely within Yong-Ho''s control.


    But, it was a power that would completely be his someday.


    At first, he would see colorful smoke and then, the information window of the Power of Evolution changed to where it resembled like the ones in RPGs and it was based off of Yong-Ho''s choice and will.


    A clear classification.


    The explanation was easy enough for Yong-Ho to understand.


    After talking about the union evolution, Yong-Ho listened to Eligor''s various reports about the dungeon while eating.


    He said that the corpses that were in the passageway were currently being cleaned up.


    They stored Foras''s corpse just in case and they placed the corpses of the Orcs in an empty room near the entrance. They''ll have to take it outside of the dungeon and bury them as soon as possible.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon briefly mentioned Foras''s war carriage and they were placed in the room at the dungeon entrance.


    Since they were Western style carriages, Eligor suggested that they keep two for the dungeon and sell the remaining.


    Of course there was the option of keeping all of them for the future, but that was too far off into the future.


    In order to further develop, they required a good amount of money. The House of Mammon was quickly growing and rather than keeping carriages that they may never use, it was better to sell them for money so that they could develop the dungeon right away.


    When it comes to financial issues, Eligor and Yong-Ho thought the same way, so Yong-Ho nodded his head and approved.


    Next were the prisoners.


    The Orcs that were in the prison cell were quieter than they imagined.


    But just neglecting them was bad in many ways.


    "There''s definitely an issue with the capacity of the prison."


    They temporarily made the prison cell. Before, it was just the Kobolds and the Princess Ant that were in there, but the Orcs were bigger and on top of that, there were a lot of them. One or two days was fine, but there would be a problem with food and toilet if they stayed in there for a long time.


    Yong-Ho placed the half-eaten bread down and asked Eligor.


    "And the chance of them willing to join our side?"


    "Very high. I think they''re staying quiet because they had that in mind. Their leader, Rikum, is a very experienced warrior and he even expressed a desire of wanting to join the House of Mammon as a spirit. Free spirits, especially warriors, are very similar to mercenary warriors. Since their owner, Foras, died, it''s only natural for them to act that way."


    Since their owner died, it''s only natural for them to find a new one.


    It was kind of uncomfortable, but it was good news.


    The Orcs have seen Yong-Ho use the Power of Evolution. If they weren''t going to join his side, then the only option left was to kill them.


    "There''s a possibility that it could be a...false surrender or they could betray us, right? Maybe to get revenge on us."


    [If it is a false surrender, then there will be an issue when registering them as a dungeon spirit. That''s something you don''t have to worry about.]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon must''ve been listening in because she replied right away.


    Yong-Ho nodded his head and spoke to Eligor again.


    "Great, then let''s go meet the Orcs as soon as we''re done eating."


    "Yes, sir. And...here they come."


    After he finished talking, Eligor turned around. Yong-Ho followed and when he turned around, there was the Kobold, who was wagging his tail excitedly, and the Princess Ant. The Kobold was holding the rope that was tied around the Princess Ant''s wrists.


    It was a pretty shocking sight because it was like a dog was carrying around a leash, but the important thing was that that wasn''t it.


    The Princess Ant was outside of the prison.


    Eligor explained.


    "The prison cell was too small, so we didn''t have a choice. She''s not experienced in fighting and she has a gentle personality, so I let the Kobold watch her and moved her to the spirits'' dormitory. I apologize for doing this without your approval, sir."


    It was true that he exceeded his authority, but Yong-Ho didn''t care.


    For the past 31 hours, Yong-Ho was in an unconscious state and during that time, Eligor did what he was supposed to do.


    On top of that, Eligor was the butler of the House of Mammon.


    It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that he was the second highest ranking spirit in the dungeon. This can be seen as Eligor completing a simple task.


    After Yong-Ho told Eligor that it was okay, he motioned the Kobold and the Princess Ant to come closer.


    The Kobold quietly glanced at Yong-Ho and then sat on top of the mat with the Princess Ant. The Princess Ant quietly ate the food that the Kobold grabbed and from the looks of it, she could probably be registered as a dungeon spirit soon.


    But before that, they had to take care of the Orcs.


    Yong-Ho stood up after he finished eating. He headed towards the prison cell with Catalina, Eligor and Skull.


    His goal was to bring them to his side and obtain information about Foras''s dungeon.


    There was still a lot to do today.

 48 Unity Evolution 4

    The Treant and the salamander were currently acting as guards for the prison. The two could compete with Skull when it came to spacing out, so it was their calling in life to act as guards.


    As soon as Yong-Ho entered the prison, the Treant bowed and removed the root that was placed on the entrance so that he could enter. The salamander was also crouched in front of the prison door and when it noticed Yong-Ho, it greeted him by bowing.


    The Orcs were sprawled out inside of the cell and they reacted when Yong-Ho walked in. They didn''t stand up and show their respect towards him, but the ones that were lying down sat up and a few of them observed Yong-Ho sharply.


    After looking at each and every one, Yong-Ho looked at the Orc that was sitting in the innermost part of the cell.


    It was the Orc, Rikum, the one with an injured eye that Eligor informed him about.


    Unlike the other Orcs, Rikum didn''t observe or glare at him. Rikum looked at him with a composed look and stood up as if he knew what was going to happen to them from now on. They looked at Yong-Ho and gave him a small nod.


    Catalina stood next to Yong-Ho. Eligor and Skull both opened the cell door after Yong-Ho gave them the signal.


    "Come out Rikum. Our master would like to speak with you."


    He had a serious tone. While the other Orcs were quietly talking amongst themselves, Rikum walked out confidently. After Eligor closed the door, he turned towards Yong-Ho.


    "Let''s go."


    The Orcs started talking amongst themselves again, but when Rikum slightly raised his hand to tell them that it was okay, they became quiet. Like Eligor had stated, it seemed like Rikum had great leadership over the Orcs that were in the cell.


    ''In that case, if Rikum joins our side, does that mean the issue with the prisoners will be resolved?''


    As of right now, it didn''t look too bad. If they didn''t have a leader, they would all have different opinions and it would be that much harder to take care of them.


    Yong-Ho didn''t walk far and led Rikum to the room that was next to the prison. It was an empty room, but thanks to Eligor bringing a table and chairs, it didn''t look that empty.


    Yong-Ho and Rikum sat across from each other while Catalina and Eligor stood behind Yong-Ho and Skull stood behind Rikum.


    Yong-Ho went straight to the point.


    "I heard that you''re willing to become a spirit for the House of Mammon."


    "That''s correct. Me and the other six Orcs have the same thoughts.


    He didn''t feel uncomfortable around Rikum.


    Yong-Ho was willing to take them in as spirits and they were willing to become spirits.


    It was being resolved so easily that he suddenly felt awkward for creating such a heavy atmosphere.


    However, Rikum didn''t finish talking and Yong-Ho wasn''t sure if he should be worried or relieved.


    ''Base pay?''


    [Dungeon spirits can be separated into slave spirits and free spirits. And since free spirits are being ''employed'' by the dungeon''s owner, there are a lot of cases where they are hired for a fixed pay.]


    [Honestly, Catalina and Eligor are spirits that belong to the house and since they work as a guard and a butler, it''s normal for them to be paid.]


    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke as if she was whispering to him.


    It was a reasonable explanation. It was weird that he didn''t think of it before.


    The dungeon spirits weren''t characters in a game. Since they made their living within the dungeon, just food and shelter alone couldn''t satisfy them.


    ''In that case.''


    Not too long after he ascended the throne, Eligor gave him money saying that he saved it in case of an emergency.


    That saving probably came from his pay.


    ''The previous two owners have been paying, but I haven''t.''


    Of course it''s because the dungeon wasn''t in the best condition.


    Yong-Ho''s conscience was oddly affected by this, so he turned his head and looked at Catalina.


    Because of their relationship as owner and spirit, they were able to communicate just with their eyes alone.


    With his eyes, Yong-Ho asked if she wanted to receive pay too and she somehow understood right away because she started twisting her body and displayed a puzzled look on her face. She kind of had a sad expression, but it seemed like she was, "N-no. I-I''m fine."


    But after seeing her droopy ears and eyes slightly filled with expectations, it seemed like she did want it.


    Well, Catalina probably had things she wanted to buy as well. He felt bad that she was wearing the same clothes every day.


    Yong-Ho sent a message saying, "Okay, I''ll take care of you soon. You trust me, right?" and she slightly nodded her head as she tried to hold in her smile.


    ''Seven Orcs, Catalina and Eligor...unexpected costs have suddenly been created.''


    Of course Yong-Ho didn''t provide just food and shelter for the spirits.


    Yong-Ho wasn''t the only one that benefited from the Power of Evolution. The spirits were able to transform their existence and that was far more beneficial than receiving pay.


    Even though the Orcs saw Yong-Ho use the Power of Evolution, they didn''t know what it was and how it would benefit them.


    Even if he renegotiated later with the Power of Evolution, then he wouldn''t have to spend as much.


    Anyways, this was something he could think about later.


    Yong-Ho focused on Rikum again.


    "Is that your only condition?"


    "We''re not in the position to ask for more, so we''re satisfied with that."


    Rikum replied seriously again. He probably organized his thoughts while he was sitting in that cell.


    "Great, then let''s start the registration process. Is that okay?"


    "I''m ready when you are."


    They say to strike while the iron is hot, so Yong-Ho didn''t want to waste any time. He stood up from his seat and approached Rikum and Rikum quietly closed his eyes and lowered his head.


    [With the death of their owner, the spirit contract from before has weakened.]


    [Some of the mana will be used when the contract is terminated and a new contract has been established.]


    [I''ll begin.]


    Yong-Ho placed his hand in the air above Rikum''s forehead. Like when the salamander was registered as a spirit, mana was released from the tip of his right hand, and a magical crest that wasn''t there before appeared. It was Foras''s crest.


    When an owner dies, the contract between the owner and the spirit will weaken as time goes by and will eventually disappear, unless the spirit does something about it before.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon destroyed Foras''s magical crest. She then engraved Yong-Ho''s crest.


    The registration was complete. After opening his eyes, Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution.


    [Name: Rikum (M)]


    [Race: Orc]


    [Class: Orc Warrior]


    [Attribute: Earth - level 1]


    [Individual Nature: Cautious / Simple-minded]


    [Individual Stats: Strength / Stamina]


    [Evolution Rate : 0/100]


    [Strength - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Stamina - Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Talent - Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    Like the other spirits, it displayed detailed information.


    It meant that Rikum was successfully registered as a dungeon spirit.


    The Power of Evolution analyzed the figure and extracted information regarding the development information. That''s why the skill can only be used on dungeon spirits that are completely under Yong-Ho''s control.


    Yong-Ho felt a bit tired, so he went back to his seat. He went straight to the point again.


    "Now, I would like to talk about Foras''s dungeon."


    "Yes, sir."


    Maybe it''s because he''s been officially registered as the dungeon spirit, but Rikum spoke with respect. After collecting his breath, he started talking.


    "The previous owner...so, Foras still has a young successor. They probably already know about Foras''s death, so he''s probably ascended to the throne by now as the new owner."


    "What kind of a person are they?"


    He was worried. If they decided to attack in order to get revenge, they could become an annoying enemy.


    Rikum must''ve noticed Yong-Ho''s thoughts because they answered in a slightly soft tone.


    "Like I''ve mentioned, he''s still young. Even though he''s Foras''s child, he''s inexperienced and I believe it''s too much for him to take the role as the owner. Because of that, the butler that''s left in the dungeon is probably playing the role of the owner. Because of the current situation and based on his personality, there''s a high possibility that they may focus on defense for the time being."


    Now wasn''t the time to worry about revenge. Yong-Ho asked more.


    "How are the remaining traps and spirits in the dungeon?"


    "Since Foras had to leave the young successor behind, Foras made sure the defense of the dungeon was in working condition. There are a lot of noncombatant workers, but there are over fifty dungeon spirits left and the dungeon itself is prepared for the enemy''s attack."


    "So it''s not an empty dungeon."


    It was a bit unfortunate.


    But it was obvious. Having all the spirits participate in the fight was too much and was also a reckless thing to do. The Foras that Yong-Ho went up against wasn''t stupid.


    Rikum spoke.


    "But, despite that, it''s safe to say that the dungeon''s defense isn''t half as good as the time Foras was alive. In many ways, Foras was the most powerful being in the dungeon and he''s dead and most of the fighting spirits are dead as well. It''s probably not my place to say this after experiencing it, but...with traps alone, there''s a limit to how much they can defend against the enemy."


    Rikum stopped talking for a moment and placed his hand on the table. He moved his fingers little by little and pointed so that Yong-Ho was able to see clearly. It seemed like he was explaining about the location of the owners that were nearby.


    "The owners nearby will want the dungeon for themselves once they hear of Foras''s death. Within a few days, there may be a dungeon fight within Foras''s dungeon."


    This was a valid piece of information too. Yong-Ho organized his thoughts once again.


    Eligor, who was standing quietly, carefully spoke.


    "If I may, sir, I think it''s a good idea to leave the dungeon as it is. We''ll be using Foras''s dungeon as a shield."


    "Against the owners that are located nearby?"


    "You''re definitely wise, sir."


    A warm smile appeared on Eligor''s face.


    When looking at it geographically, Foras''s dungeon was located in front of the House of Mammon''s dungeon, so it was like they acted as a castle gate. Like Eligor mentioned, using it as a shield would be great since it was located in front of them.


    Rikum stated this before, but as long as the defense was good, then Foras''s dungeon wouldn''t fall into the other owner''s hand so easily.


    In that case, it would be best to keep an eye on it. If the other owners fought amongst themselves for it, then that''ll be great and even if one of them did win, they''ll be weak due to the exhaustion from the battle and it''ll be beneficial for him to attack then.


    Yong-Ho asked Rikum again.


    "Do you know anything regarding the other owners or the recent situation of this empty land?"


    "The only thing I know of is that a strong demon appeared in the north of the Southern Region and the other owners have been surrendering to them. If you''re wanting to gather information, I think visiting the nearby pub is a good idea."


    "Pub?"


    It wasn''t that he didn''t know what the word meant. He was just surprised because the word didn''t match the current situation.


    "It''s located either in a village or a meeting place that''s in-between dungeons."


    Along with Eligor, the Spirit of the Dungeon explained it to Yong-Ho.


    [Strong demons mark their dungeons as well as the lands around their dungeons as their territory.]


    [However, most demons within the empty land don''t have their own territory set aside, so there are a lot of villages that don''t belong to anyone.]


    [There are a lot that pass through, so you''ll be able to gather a lot of information and hire wandering spirits as well.]


    Her explanation excited Yong-Ho.


    "Got it. I''ll think about it."


    Yong-Ho stood up after finishing his talk with Rikum. He headed towards the prison again to register the other Orcs.


    ***


    It wasn''t that hard to register the remaining Orcs as dungeon spirits.


    What came after was the problem.


    They were unlike the Golems, so these seven spirits needed their own living spaces, so there was a need to expand the facility to make room for them.


    The Clay Golem and the Rock Golem, who were used as guards and workers, were no longer here, so they were short handed when it came to mining and restructuring the dungeon layout.


    He could''ve used the Orcs as workers, but since they were being used as ''soldiers,'' they needed professional workers.


    First, Yong-Ho put Eligor in charge of the Orcs and headed towards the throne room while holding a report that had specifications and numbers on the war carriages. With the money received from selling the carriages and the money that Foras had, he was planning on buying workers.


    But, as soon as Yong-Ho was about to sit on the throne.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon, who had been quiet all this time, mumbled in a slightly timid tone.


    [Sir, I apologize for bothering you while you''re busy, but...aren''t you forgetting something?]


    She sounded different from normal because she seemed unsatisfied and acted a bit immature.


    Why was she acting like this all of a sudden?


    Yong-Ho soon found out the reason.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon''s growth.


    She told him not to forget and requested that Yong-Ho visit the Heart of the Dungeon.


    [Before you go to the Dungeon Market and purchase new spirits, it''s best for you to understand the dungeon''s new functions and facilities.]


    [That''s all. I''m not sad about it at all.]


    [You understand me, right?]


    Yong-Ho chuckled at her girlish reaction. He turned around and headed towards the Heart of the Dungeon.


    Information about the dungeon''s growth and new facilities.


    He was prepared for it when he woke up, but there was just too many things to do today.

 49 Dungeon Reorganization

    No matter what anyone said, the Heart of the Dungeon was the most important location within the dungeon.


    The Heart of the Dungeon provided mana to all the facilities within the dungeon and the Spirit of the Dungeon, who was like the manager of the dungeon, lived there.


    If the Heart of the Dungeon dies, then the dungeon dies too.


    The dungeon wasn''t a simple location or building. It was an enormous spirit.


    With Catalina following behind him, Yong-Ho entered the secret room that was in the Heart of the Dungeon. The bleak room wasn''t any different from the last time he visited.


    "You''re here, master."


    "You didn''t have to rush here."


    A moment ago, the Spirit of the Dungeon was urging for him to go, but now, they were cunning.


    There was a reason why she had the voice of a little girl.


    Since it was such a cute whine, Yong-Ho just chuckled and approached the Heart of the Dungeon. The Heart of the Dungeon was placed on top of a rough altar and they were releasing an even brighter light than the last time he visited.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke.


    "Because you''ve gotten stronger, I was given the chance to grow as well."


    "The mana that I need in order to grow has been charged, so all you have to do is give me your approval."


    "Please place both of your hands on top of my body."


    Yong-Ho followed their instructions and placed both of his hands on top of the marble that was releasing an emerald-colored light.


    It was warm. It was similar to body heat.


    Yong-Ho instinctively replied to the question that popped in his head. He approved the Spirit of the Dungeon''s growth.


    Moments later, it felt like his hands were being sucked into the Heart of the Dungeon. The light that was released from the Heart of the Dungeon grew bigger such that the emerald light filled the entire room.


    Seconds later.


    The light dimmed. A happy voice filled Yong-Ho''s head.


    "The Spirit of the Dungeon has grown!"


    "Their dungeon management skill has increased. They''re able to install new dungeon facilities and manage them!"


    It was something he expected, but the fact that they announced their growth was kind of funny.


    They must''ve read his mind because they spoke with a surprised tone.


    "E-everyone does it like this. This is the general format that the dungeon shop entered."


    Yong-Ho just smiled. Just like the spirits, they were connected to him as well, so he could feel the Spirit of the Dungeon being embarrassed.


    The Heart of the Dungeon did grow.


    The marble was as big as a person''s head, but now they were 1.5 times larger and the rough rectangular-shaped altar changed into a trapezoid.


    But the biggest change was the room that the Heart of the Dungeon was in. From the dark, rough stone room, he could feel a small amount of warm mana.


    Instead of replying right away, the Spirit of the Dungeon waited for a bit. It seemed like they were sulking, but it was only for a moment. Then, they answered happily.


    "The dungeon''s daily mana production volume and the maximum mana storage volume has been increased. And, the way the mana is distributed will be more efficient."


    "And I think this can only be done once, but your room and the other facilities within the dungeon can be relocated."


    "Relocate? Are you saying I can change the actual layout? More than now?"


    The dungeon wasn''t a fixed building and more like a giant spirit. There was a time when they slightly lengthened the distance between the throne room and the entrance.


    But all they did during that time was slightly increase the distance. But it was different this time. The Spirit of the Dungeon was saying they could do more.


    "Yes. Relocating the facilities does take up a lot mana, but other ordinary dungeons are able to do this too."


    "But for the House of Mammon, there''s a small special detail that''s included."


    As soon as they stopped talking, a window of light that filled one side of the wall appeared. It looked like they were going to show the dungeon map.


    When the window suddenly appeared, Catalina, who was looking around, started blinking her eyes. Yong-Ho felt a presence, so when he looked back, he asked the Spirit of the Dungeon.


    "Is Catalina able to listen to your explanation as well?"


    "It''s possible."


    Their answer ringed inside Yong-Ho''s head, but in a corner of the window, words appeared which looked like subtitles.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon started explaining.


    "The House of Mammon''s inactivated areas are like the ocean. The activated rooms are the islands on top of the ocean."


    An island was floating in the middle of a blue ocean. And when they slowed down, they started seeing other things around the island.


    A small deserted island and a large vessel with its anchor on that island. There were islands that were larger than the one in the middle.


    "The inheritance that''s been left by the previous owners in the inactivated rooms are the islands that are floating or boats that''ve been drifting."


    Aamon, the gold mine that had Kaiwan''s mark and other inheritance were marked either on the floating islands or on the drifting boats.


    "The dungeon facilities that the two previous owners left have been reverted by Eligor so that the dungeon could survive. But those inheritances are located somewhere within the dungeon."


    They slowed down again. The number of islands and ships that were on the ocean increased as well.


    "The dungeon relocation is done based on the dungeon''s entire area, but for the House of Mammon, the areas within my control are the only ones that are possible."


    "And the controlled areas are the places that I''ve activated so far?"


    "That''s correct."


    "On top of that, out of the dungeon facilities, the location of the gold mine cannot be moved. Please keep that in mind."


    The video of the ocean that was displayed on the window disappeared and the dungeon map that he was familiar with appeared.


    Yong-Ho looked at the map for a moment and then nodded his head.


    He wanted to relocate the passageway that was connected to the entrance, so this was good.


    While doing this, he thought it would be best to move the Heart of the Dungeon and the throne room further back and relocated the armory and the other facilities near the throne room.


    Having a detailed dungeon layout was the basics of the basics when it came to dungeon defense.


    "What kind of new dungeon facilities can be added?"


    "The facilities that the previous owners developed or the layout that the dungeon shop designed already can be built."


    "With my current skill, I''m able to build the dungeon prison, a dungeon waterway, a spirit dormitory, a basic dungeon workshop and a basic dungeon training ground."


    "Unlike the prison that we have, the one I can build is managed through mana. It not only drains out the stamina and mana of the prisoners, but it slowly decreases their will to resist."


    On the window of light, an illustration of the prison appeared. A magic circle was drawn on the ground and the Orcs that were imprisoned there looked real.


    "If a waterway is installed, it will supply water. For the House of Mammon, there''s an underground water source that the previous owners used, so we''ll be able to get the water from there."


    "When installing the waterway, it''s best to think about the direction of the dungeon facilities."


    This time, he imagined Eligor drinking water from the waterway with a bright smile on his face.


    Eligor had to go outside of the dungeon every morning to get water, so imagining Eligor with that smile made Yong-Ho feel bad.


    ''It''ll definitely be useful if we have a waterway. If possible, we might even be able to build a bathhouse. And we could even install a kitchen.''


    Just imagining it made it seem like the dungeon life became more luxurious. Yong-Ho asked."Does the spirit dormitory have some sort of special function like the prison?"


    "Mana will be provided so that it can relieve the exhaustion that the spirits feel. Heating and cooling is possible as well."


    Catalina''s ears and tail started dancing around at the sound of heating and cooling.


    "The dungeon workshop is a place where items that are needed in the dungeon can be created. Since it''s a basic workshop, it can support basic production facilities through the anvil and small furnace."


    "It''s not created automatically?"


    "Employing a spirit with manufacturing skills¡­"


    It was selfish of him to expect the items to be created by themselves.


    Yong-Ho thought about the Dwarf spirit he saw before and nodded his head.


    "Is the dungeon training ground a place to train the spirits?"


    "That''s correct."


    "It''s a place to increase the effects of the combat training through mana."


    "It won''t be as much as an actual battle, but I believe it can increase the development rate."


    "It requires a space that''s larger than your room, so please keep that in mind."


    In the window of light, it displayed the Goblins using the bamboo spears to attack the dummies that were set up.


    It was probably good for spirits like Eligor since he wasn''t a fighting spirit.


    "Great, I''m starting to get an idea. Thanks. It''s a good thing I listened."


    "It makes me happy that you''re happy."


    "The facilities that I''ve explained to you can be further developed."


    "Please keep that in mind as well."


    As soon as the Spirit of the Dungeon replied happily, the window of light disappeared.


    But then Yong-Ho spoke.


    "I was wondering. Can I...give you a name?"


    They didn''t answer right away. A person would''ve already blinked several times during this period and he finally heard their voice.


    "Um, are you talking about my name?"


    "Yeah, your name."


    The Spirit of the Dungeon didn''t reply again. But Yong-Ho could tell that they were happy, causing him to chuckle. He thought for a moment and then spoke.


    "What about Lucia?"


    It was the name of a NPC that appeared in a game that Yong-Ho played often.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon replied right away.


    "I like it. I like the image as well. Is that how you''re imagining me as, sir?"


    Since his thoughts were shared with them, they found the source of the name.


    It was a cute little girl with long, sky blue hair.


    "Okay, Lucia. I''ll be going to the dungeon shop."


    "Understood."


    "I''ll be waiting for you."


    Maybe it was all in his head, but the Spirit of the Dungeon, no, Lucia, answered in a more energetic and brighter tone than before.


    \u0026


    As the Heart of the Dungeon grew, the altar that it was placed in wasn''t the only thing that changed.


    Yong-Ho''s throne also changed as well. The hard, square-shaped rock throne now had decorations.


    ''It''s still pretty hard though.''


    Yong-Ho sat on the throne while happily complaining about it. The report that Eligor made was sitting on top of the dungeon shop''s magic circle.


    "I''ll be back."


    Yong-Ho spoke right before closing his eyes and Catalina, who was standing in front of the throne, replied while her ears were slightly fluttering.


    "Yes, sir. We''ll be waiting."


    She said the same thing as Lucia. Is she being jealous of Lucia as well?


    Yong-Ho purposely didn''t point it out. After looking at her slightly pursed lips with a slightly annoyed expression, he closed his eyes.


    He connected to the dungeon shop''s Virtual Space.


    \u0026


    In a room where both the sky and the ground was white, there was a large bed in the middle. And a beautiful woman with red hair was lying on the bed completely defenseless.


    Yong-Ho was embarrassed.


    To be exact, he looked at the sleeping Sitri with an embarrassed expression.


    What kind of welcoming method was this?


    Sitri was wearing her usual provocative dress. Because of that, it was embarrassing to look at her and the shy Yong-Ho from his high school days returned, causing him to clear his throat several times within the awkward atmosphere.


    Thankfully, she was a light sleeper, so she sat up like someone that was brought back to their senses. She blinked her eyes with a blank expression and when she saw Yong-Ho, she was surprised and quickly stood up.


    The bed disappeared in an instant and a luxurious looking sofa appeared. With a snap of her finger, her hair was taken care of and she gracefully sat on the sofa.


    But it was too late.


    Yong-Ho coughed with the same embarrassing expression and because Sitri felt embarrassed as well, her cheeks turned red.


    "I tend to sleep a lot on a regular basis¡­"


    Sitri seemed different from all the other times and it reminded him more of Catalina.


    But still, Sitri was still Sitri. She calmed herself and created a sofa behind Yong-Ho as well. She spoke with a graceful smile as if the event that just occurred didn''t happen.


    "Seeing as how you''re here, it means that you''ve succeeded in defending the dungeon. Congratulations on your victory. I believed that you would win and waited."


    It would be better to go along with it.


    "Thank you. I''m also happy to be able to see you again."


    "Even though I''m not personally assigned to you, we''ve seen each other several times. What did you want to purchase today? Are you here to exchange your prize or purchase material for...oh my, you obtained a third horn."


    Sitri spoke as her eyes widened. Yong-Ho nodded with a composed look. Instead of touching the third horn that he still felt incompatible with, he placed his hand on top of the sofa armrest in a relaxed posture.


    "First, I would like to sell the prize."


    "Understood. I''ll take a look at the item."


    Sitri didn''t waste any time.


    She lightly snapped her finger and between Yong-Ho and Sitri, a large war carriage appeared.

 50 Dungeon Reorganization 2

    Since he had to take care of a lot of things as soon as he woke up, Yong-Ho only saw the war carriage on the report that Eligor gave him.


    He did see it from afar when Foras brought it with him during the attack, but the only thing he could make out was that the color was black and it was a square shaped carriage.


    "Hm, it''s a KV-128. The KV series is one of the masterpieces. The fact that it''s poorly designed is its flaw, but it''s sturdy and powerful. The performance of the mana stored inside is pretty good as well."


    The war carriage that appeared between Yong-Ho and Sitri wasn''t the one that Foras rode in.


    A number was written on the report and after the report was placed on top of the magic circle, a model of the carriage was created.


    Yong-Ho''s eyes were filled with curiosity as well. The war carriage that was in front of him was like a tank.


    The body reminded him of a car because it was square-shaped and the color was black, but there were six small wheels attached to it. Each of the wheels were armored and the window and door reminded him of a vehicle that escorted criminals.


    "The war carriage can be pulled by various animals, but it can also be moved through mana. Of course, it''ll be a bit slower."


    Sitri spoke while pointing to various parts of the carriage and it reminded him of a narrator model at a car show. When she opened the door, there was equipment installed, which made it easy to operate.


    ''It looks like one of those trucks that''s used at a DMV.''


    The handle, pedal and the stick to change to gear was exactly like a car. The way to operate it may be similar to the cars that are in the human world.


    Like the outer appearance, the inside was bland as well. There was a square box in the middle and there were chairs attached to the walls.


    Sitri pointed to the box and explained.


    "That''s where the mana is stored and it moves the carriage. You can say that it''s the core of the war carriage."


    Sitri stepped inside of the carriage and after waving her slim finger, she opened the top of the box. And then, just like the Heart of the Dungeon, a rock that was as big as a fist emitted a bright light.


    "It''s not an exaggeration to say that the cost of a war carriage changes depending on how powerful the mana being used was. According to the report that Eligor wrote, it''s equipped with KV-128''s standard mana."


    Yong-Ho nodded his head and looked at the armor that was attached to the carriage. If an extremely powerful mana was used, then he wouldn''t have to use a horse or a beast and instead, could use it as an armored car.


    ''I''m sure I can cast some sort of defense skill, right?''


    Yong-Ho remembered the defense skill that the Queen Ant used and looked at the war carriage after taking a step back. Sitri smiled lightly as she watched him.


    After Sitri stepped off the carriage, the sound of the door closing filled the room. Thanks to that, Yong-Ho came back to his senses and focused on Sitri. He wanted to ask her to show him a catalogue of the war carriages, but held back. He didn''t forget the reason why he came here.


    "I would like to sell three war carriages and the six horses that pulled them."


    When thinking about just the size and the weight of the carriage, one would think that six horses are required to pull one carriage, but it only needed two. It''s probably because of the mana stored inside.


    Through the recent battle, Yong-Ho obtained a total of five carriages.


    Out of the five, he decided to keep two and get rid of the remaining three.


    Sitri replied right away.


    "There are fine details when coming up with the cost of a used KV-128. The actual price will have to be determined by one of our staff after they look at the actual carriage, but since you''re a valuable customer, I''ll make sure to provide you with a good price. I think this is a good price for them."


    As soon as she finished talking, a small window of light appeared before Yong-Ho. The minimum and maximum value were written, but it was 1.2 times more than what Eligor had calculated.


    "You''re satisfied, aren''t you?"


    Sitri asked as she tilted her head and Yong-Ho answered with a slightly sly smile.


    The war carriage disappeared and there was nothing else between Yong-Ho and Sitri.


    Sitri sat gracefully on the sofa again and stared at Yong-Ho. It was like she was asking him for the next transaction with her eyes.


    Yong-Ho also sat on the sofa. Instead of playing hard-to-get, he proposed the next transaction.


    "Since you''ve provided the minimum value...I would like to purchase spirits to use as workers and the materials that are needed to maintain the dungeon, based on that minimum value."


    Sitri didn''t answer right away this time. She squinted her eyes and after touching her chin with her hand, she smiled while staring at Yong-Ho. This might be over exaggerating, but it was the smile that a teacher had when looking at their proud student.


    "Valuable customer, please excuse my rudeness."


    She fixed her posture after apologizing. She looked straight at Yong-Ho.


    "Honestly, I was worried that you were going to be reckless and say that you were going to attack Foras''s dungeon. But it seems like it was a baseless worry."


    "It''s important to work on the dungeon right now. And¡­"


    "And?"


    "As the one that has Greed, it''s funny for me to say this, but by going after Foras''s dungeon now, we''ll suffer a big loss in going after a small gain."


    Sitri giggled at Yong-Ho''s comment. Even though it was kind of a thoughtless laugh, since it came out from Sitri''s mouth, it sounded extremely beautiful and elegant.


    "It''s what I expect from you. You''re definitely worthy enough to receive my love."


    Like always, Sitri expressed her kindness. Instead of falling into her eyes, Yong-Ho gulped.


    Yong-Ho predicted that Sitri may be the House of Mammon''s guardian.


    However, even if that was true, she watched as the House of Mammon fell apart. The two previous owners didn''t get help from Sitri.


    "On top of that...could I buy some information?"


    "What kind of information?"


    "I would like to buy the information of the owners that are near Foras''s dungeon. And if there is additional information regarding the owner that appeared in the north, I would like to buy that as well."


    This time, Sitri looked like she was contemplating.


    She squinted her eyes as she slightly bit her lower lip and then shook her head.


    "You may think that I''m being nosy, but personally, I don''t recommend you purchasing information. I briefly mentioned it last time as well, but the information in the dungeon shop is quite expensive. And...while we''re talking about this, it would be best for you to know the methods of obtaining information outside of the dungeon shop."


    It was definitely good advice.


    ''Don''t think too deeply about it.''


    In the human world, when you become a regular at a shop, they usually give you benefits.


    He thought about this before, but Sitri was such a charming figure, that she was dangerous. No matter how he thought about it, trusting her recklessly would put him in a difficult situation.


    "Thank you for the advice. I would like to purchase three Clay Golems as workers and the materials written on the list."


    Just like Sitri, when Yong-Ho finished talking, he waved his finger and created a window of light. It was a list of food, materials and items that were needed at the dungeon.


    "Since you''re purchasing three Clay Golems at once, I''ll provide you with a discount, which means...you still have some money left. Will you purchase any additional items? Or will you make a payment on the loan that you received by putting the gold mine as collateral?"


    This time, a window of light was created in front of Yong-Ho. After seeing the marked amount, he had just enough money to purchase one Rank Three spirit.


    ''I don''t like being in debt, but¡­''


    Now was the time to focus on investing more. Since he purchased the Clay Golems, it was only a matter of time before the gold mine became normal.


    "I want to purchase another spirit."


    "If I were to give you a small discount since you''re a valuable customer, you may be able to purchase a Rank Three spirit. Should I give you the Rank Three catalogue?"


    Yong-Ho slightly shook his head at Sitri''s question. He had already made up his mind when he decided to purchase additional spirits.


    "Is it possible to only see the spirits that have the skills to make items? If possible, I would like to give them the Master Craftsman role."


    "Understood. I''ll have that ready for you."


    Sitri moved her finger in the air as if she was typing on a keyboard. And in front of Yong-Ho, a catalogue that looked like a restaurant menu appeared.


    Sitri stood up from her seat. Like always, she spoke after gracefully showing her respect.


    "Valuable customer, I hope you have fun shopping. I''ll be going back to sle...no, I''ll take my leave. I''ll see you next time."


    She cutely winked to cover her mistake and disappeared after turning into a light.


    Couple of seconds later.


    Yong-Ho ended up chuckling after staring at the spot where Sitri disappeared. He was doing his best to hold himself back, but Sitri was so charming, that he wanted to cross the line.


    "Anyways, back to work."


    After slapping his cheeks lightly, Yong-Ho looked at the catalogue. At the same time, a large window of light appeared and a list of spirits that had crafting skills appeared. The ranks displayed was from one to three.


    ''Now, which one should I get?''


    Picking an item was the funnest part.


    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution.


    \u0026


    Yong-Ho returned two hours after he connected to the Virtual Space. His transaction with Sitri was short, but choosing the best spirit took up most of his time.


    ''There was a large variety.''


    After shaking his head, Yong-Ho stood up from the throne and stretched. Catalina was dozing off while sitting on the floor and woke up when she heard him.


    "You-you''re back. I have been waiting for you."


    It felt like deja vu. Of course Sitri was a lot calmer than Catalina and didn''t drool either.


    ''Women do need their beauty sleep.''


    Yong-Ho thought optimistically about it and purposely touched his chin to embarrass Catalina. Catalina found out what that meant and quickly wiped off the drool that was on her chin. It was fun seeing her face turn red.


    "Heh, heh."


    While Yong-Ho was laughing like an elementary kid, Catalina fixed herself and stood up straight. Even though it was a bit late and she could stop the cold female guard look, she spoke with that expression.


    "Eligor said he would prepare the food. He said it will also be the Orcs'' welcoming party, like you ordered."


    "The Orcs are under Rikum''s control and are currently resting in the spirit dormitory."


    "Skull, Treant and the salamander are with them."


    "Jun has been leading the Goblins and are collecting the corpses of the Orcs."


    "It was Eligor''s decision. The reason why he made that decision was because an unexpected resistance could occur."


    Eligor always had a thoughtful reason when taking care of a task.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon, Lucia, continued talking.


    "Eligor is preparing the food for the party."


    "Kobold and the Princess Ant are watching."


    Since he took care of the important tasks, he wanted to register the Princess Ant as a spirit as soon as possible.


    ''I don''t think she needs to be watched anymore.''


    "Should I round up Rikum and the other Orcs?"


    Catalina asked with caution. Yong-Ho shook his head.


    "No, there''s still time until dinner. And I''m sure the living condition between the prison cell and the dorm is different. Let''s not bother them and let them rest."


    "Yes, sir."


    The location wasn''t the only issue. Up until yesterday, they were considered prisoners, so they were probably feeling uncomfortable. Letting them loosen up a bit before eating was the better choice.


    "Right, then let''s go help Eligor."


    "Yes, sir."


    For some reason, her reply this time was much more energetic than the previous one.


    Yong-Ho left the throne room along with Catalina.

 51 Dungeon Reorganization 3

    "For master and the House of Mammon!"


    "Cheers!"


    "Cheers!"


    The spirits'' dormitory.


    Since all the spirits in the House of Mammon gathered, the large dormitory seemed small.


    The spirits either had beer or a cup of alcohol that was available in the dungeon world. Since the salamander didn''t have hands, a bowl filled with beer was placed next to their head and the Treant poured the beer on the roots using their vine.


    Eligor brought out a large amount of goods.


    There was so much that if the goods that Yong-Ho ordered didn''t arrive tomorrow, then they would have to starve for the next couple of days.


    There was meat that they obtained from the hunt and pancakes were made with the milk, egg and flour that was purchased from the dungeon shop and a variety of vegetable stir fry.


    The dishes weren''t that amazing, but there was a large amount.


    The only downside was that compared to the food, there wasn''t enough beer. It''s because there wasn''t a reason to drink it. But Eligor did purchase a case of it for Yong-Ho just in case and if it wasn''t for that, everyone would be drinking water.


    The Orcs were a more exciting race than Yong-Ho had originally thought.


    No, there might a difference in thought, but the Orcs who were new to the House of Mammon clearly displayed their likes and dislikes.


    Foras was the one that attacked the House of Mammon first.


    And Foras and his spirits were trying to kill Yong-Ho and his spirits.


    Rikum and the other Orcs put their lives on the line to kill their opponent and that thought didn''t change.


    Dungeon fight - For owners that only had one dungeon, they had no choice but to be aggressive about it.


    It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that they were putting everything on the line.


    In that fight, Foras lost and Yong-Ho won.


    That was enough. There wasn''t a need to add the words revenge or grudge to a fight that was already over.


    Even though he only drank one cup, the alcohol helped create the atmosphere.


    The Orcs were able to realize that they survived.


    The Goblins were dancing amongst themselves and Kobold was barking while wagging their tail.


    The Princess Ant just sat there and watched everyone. He wasn''t sure if it was because the food was good or because she enjoyed the atmosphere, but a small smile appeared on her face.


    At any rate, out of the spirits in the House of Mammon, the ones that "died" were the egoless Clay Golem and Rock Golem.


    If there was a different spirit that died, then it would''ve been difficult for him to accept the Orcs so easily.


    Yong-Ho happily drank the beer. It''s a given that he''s never tried beer in the demon world, but he never tried foreign beers either. To him, alcohol was alcohol. The beer in the demon world must''ve been stronger because he could feel himself getting a bit tipsy.


    "Sir?"


    When Yong-Ho spoke, Catalina, who was sitting next to him and eating a piece of meat, tilted her head. Instead of answering her, he thought about it in his head.


    ''I thought she wouldn''t be able to drink, but she can hold her alcohol.''


    Even though she drank a large cup, she was fine. He thought she would show her clumsy side again because of the alcohol.


    Yong-Ho felt a bit disappointed and covered his face by raising his glass. Catalina tilted her head several times, but gave up and went back to eating her food.


    And another person was close to Yong-Ho.


    "Skullllll."


    Since they were a skeleton, they couldn''t drink the beer. Instead of rolling on the ground, they poured the beer on Treant''s root. They must''ve drank twice as much as others because they moved their body happily.


    Two hours later.


    When the party was over, Yong-Ho let the Goblin Rangers and the Orcs clean up and dragged the key figures of the dungeon to the throne room.


    Eligor, the butler.


    Catalina, the guard.


    Skull, House of Mammon''s ace.


    Rikum, the leader of the Orcs that recently joined.


    Even though he didn''t drink a lot, he really enjoyed the atmosphere so his body felt relaxed.


    But before the day ended, there were topics he had to discuss.


    Even though he took care of many things throughout the day, there were still many things that he had to take care of as soon as possible.


    "A delivery man from the dungeon shop will come by tomorrow morning. That''s why I would like to talk about the dungeon''s rearrangement before they come."


    Catalina heard the explanation with Yong-Ho and even though they asked Skull to come, they wouldn''t be able to express their thoughts.


    Since Eligor and Rikum were key figures within the dungeon, they already knew what the rearrangement was.


    Through the recent dungeon defense, Yong-Ho realized just how important the layout of the dungeon was when it came to defending.


    The dungeon itself was the stage for the dungeon combat.


    The one defending the dungeon had to create a "battlefield" that was beneficial to them.


    The layout of the land played a big role during combat and since he could rearrange it however he wanted, he couldn''t express just how important it was.


    If he didn''t think about the space and just placed one room after another, they could use Wall Break.


    But if they created a straight pathway, it would weaken the dungeon''s defense.


    And if he focused just on the rooms and rearranged it that way, then it would be uncomfortable for everyone to live in.


    Yong-Ho created a large window of light. After excluding the entrance room, he created a dungeon map that had nothing in it.


    Yong-Ho and the spirits agreed that the throne room and the Heart of the Dungeon needed to be located more towards the back.


    The distance of the armory and the gold mine was greater than the distance between the throne room and the entrance room. By controlling the distance alone, it can increase the defense a lot.


    He decided to fill in most of it with the inactivated rooms that''ve been checked. It was nice to be able to use the empty spaces when needed, but there was a high chance that the enemy may use Wall Break on the walls of the empty space.


    "Out of the inactivated rooms that''re within my control that I''ve ''checked,'' there aren''t any rooms that contains the inheritance of the previous owners."


    The House of Mammon still had a lot of secrets.


    The area that was under the Spirit of the Dungeon''s control was maybe 20% to 30% of the entire first floor.


    For the rooms that were outside of that area, it was impossible for them to detect whether it was an inactive room, a dead end or a room that contained the previous owners'' inheritance.


    During the rearrangement, the gold mine became the reference point because it couldn''t be moved.


    Yong-Ho moved the throne room and the Heart of the Dungeon to the innermost part, which was close to the gold mine.


    The passageway from the throne room to the entrance room was somewhat windy. After obtaining the space to place the dormitory, the warehouse and other facilities the road around the throne became pretty simple.


    "This should cover the basics...Are the new dungeon facilities next?"


    Below are the list of facilities that are currently in the dungeon.


    Gold mine, armory, dormitory, warehouse, prison and torture chamber.


    By waving his finger, he listed the facilities that he could add more of on the window of light.


    A source of water supply and a waterway, dungeon prison, dungeon spirit dormitory, basic dungeon training ground and basic dungeon workshop.


    He really wanted to add all of them at once, but he was limited on mana and material, so he had to choose.


    The facility that the spirits voted on, well, other than Skull since they only said their name, was the water supply and the waterway.


    The waterway was connected to the dungeon layout, so installing the waterway before the other facilities was the right thing to do.


    "There''s a limit to where the water supply can be placed."


    "It can become the center of the dungeon life, so I recommend it placing it in the inner part of the dungeon."


    There were only three areas within their control where they could place the water source. Yong-Ho picked the area that was closest to the throne room.


    After marking the water source on the dungeon map and connecting a waterway, an image of water flowing was added.


    Even though it wasn''t actually installed and he was just seeing it on the map, it made him feel proud for some reason.


    Yong-Ho slightly glanced over at Eligor. It''s because Eligor had to go outside of the dungeon to get the water, so Yong-Ho was sure that with this installation, he would feel very pleased.


    But it was different from what he expected.


    Eligor couldn''t stay still as he looked at the map. It seemed like he was internally conflicted.


    "The pr-prison...but the waterway¡­"


    He was mumbling to himself, but since everyone was quiet, he heard him loud and clear.


    Yong-Ho chuckled and placed the next facility that the spirits recommended.


    Dungeon spirit dormitory.


    The number of spirits were increasing and in order to develop the dungeon, he was going to need a lot more spirits.


    Since he had to provide a separate living space based on their role and race, there wasn''t enough space in the current dormitory.


    After adding the waterway and the dormitory, he barely had any mana and material left.


    Eligor started calculating to see if they could install a prison and Catalina and Rikum recommended on saving it. And like always, Skull excitedly said their name.


    But Yong-Ho didn''t follow their suggestions. There was something he already had in mind.


    "Basic...dungeon workshop?"


    Catalina blinked after seeing a new facility being installed. Eligor and Rikum also had a surprised expression.


    Yong-Ho enjoyed their expressions and spoke.


    "I purchased a spirit that has the ability to create things. They might not be able to create something amazing, but they''ll be able to make items that we need in our daily lives."


    Catalina''s mouth opened when Yong-Ho spoke and Rikum quietly nodded his head because Foras''s dungeon already had those types of spirits.


    And like always, Eligor had tears in his eyes.


    "Oh...a waterway, a workshop and a master craftsman...it seems like the groundwork for the House of Mammon''s dungeon is nearly complete."


    Catalina must''ve felt the same way as Eligor because she looked like she was touched. Rikum asked Yong-Ho.


    "What kind of spirit did you purchase? The price of a master craftsman varies depending on their skill...I heard that there are instances where free spirits ask for a lot more than what they deserve."


    "Among the Rank Three spirits, I chose the Dwarf. Like I mentioned before, we can''t expect something great, but I''m sure they can make items we can use daily."


    And Yong-Ho had the Power of Evolution. The skill of a master craftsman didn''t have any relation to physical development, but if he focused on their talent and attribute stats, he was sure there would be results.


    "In Foras''s dungeon, there is one Dwarf craftsman. Even though they were crude, they were talented. There is a bit of a difference between the Dwarves, but I think you made a great choice."


    After adding in the dungeon workshop, the dungeon map looked a lot better.


    ''I''m pretty proud of it.''


    When he first came here, the only facility the dungeon had was the throne room, making it a very bleak dungeon.


    Eligor managed to return to his normal self and asked Yong-Ho as he turned around.


    "A massive amount of mana and time is required when rearranging the dungeon. After the dungeon shop''s delivery man arrives tomorrow, I''ll make sure to make preparations for the rearrangement."


    It was a task to completely change the dungeon and even though it was a small housekeeping task, there was a need to do it.


    But Yong-Ho shook his head.


    "No, there''s something else that needs to be done before that."


    Before rearranging the dungeon.


    Before the passageway that Yong-Ho saw changes.


    Catalina and Eligor both looked at Yong-Ho with a confused expression. Rikum wondered if it was regarding the pub that he mentioned before. Skull was rolling on the ground as always and was saying their name. It was more fitting because their body was now made out of stone.


    Yong-Ho looked at the silver ring that was on his left hand.


    A wolf that was swallowing a moon.


    A woman with silver hair saying that they''ll rise up again no matter what.


    "The owner from three generations ago. We''ll find Kaiwan''s office."


    Kaiwan''s journal might be there.


    Her records.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes. He recalled Kaiwan''s face.

 52 The Owner’s Office

    In the southern region of the demon world, there hasn''t been an owner in over 1,000 years.


    After Mammon, the King of Greed, disappeared, the House of Mammon quickly fell and they lost most of their dungeons and territories.


    The kings that were hiding under the King of Greed were eating a lion''s corpse greedily.


    The empty southern region was like that corpse.


    For the ones that either had no value, were difficult to devour or couldn''t be devoured, they combined it together.


    Corpses were stacked on the field.


    A foul smell spread due to the wind and the sound of crows cawing filled the night sky.


    Large beasts were sitting in the middle of the field and it was questionable whether they could be called wolves. And a man was standing in front of those wolves.


    They were wearing black armor that covered their body. The color of their hair was as dark as their armor and it was so long that it started dancing in the wind. They had a short mustache on their thin face, but it was messy.


    The demon, Embrio.


    That was their name.


    The battle ended yesterday afternoon. The dungeon wasn''t the only place where battles took place in the demon world. In order to stop them from gaining more power, the owners nearby teamed up and Embrio attacked them by boldly ambushing them.


    The battle lasted all day and in the end, Embrio won.


    There were four owners that teamed up.


    Among the four, two of them lost their lives here. The other two ran away to their dungeons. They probably increased their defenses or reached out to the owners in the south to gather new alliances. Embrio might be attacking the other owners in order to gain a little bit more power.


    It didn''t matter which side it was.


    If he wanted to, he could barge into their dungeons and cut their heads off. But he didn''t do that.


    If his power grew too fast, then it would catch the attention of the "kings."


    An owner that was a bit stronger.


    The one that appeared a few times in the empty southern lands during the past 1,000 years and they were like the darkness within the empty southern lands.


    Being recognized at their current level was enough.


    If the "King of Violence" started making a move, they wouldn''t be able to handle it. If she started moving, then the "King of Gluttony" would abandon Embrio without any hesitation.


    The first thing was to create chaos in the empty southern region.


    To break the peace like when pebbles are thrown on top of a still lake.


    A different smell was mixed into the dry wind.


    The wolves that were peacefully lying on the ground started raising their heads one by one. There were some that started growling and there were others that quietly put their guards up.


    "The king has recognized the victory. It''s an undeserved honor, so be thankful about it."


    The rough and gloomy voice could be heard from the ground. They were the only contact to the King of Gluttony and they have never shown themselves before.


    Embrio bowed his head towards the surface of the ground. He showed his respect through a restrained movement.


    The ground didn''t answer. But he felt a stare that felt like he was being pierced with swords.


    "Embrio. Stay devoted to your role."


    With a deep warning, the presence disappeared. After some time had passed, Embrio was able to fix his posture.


    A follower of the King of Gluttony.


    They were a very good supervisor.


    They didn''t like Embrio and didn''t try to hide it.


    A direct and arrogant person isn''t able to see the things that are right under them. Their suspicion and hasty judgement towards Embrio became the shadow beneath their feet.


    The King of Gluttony was thinking about putting the empty southern region into his hands by using Embrio.


    They started off as a low-rank starving demon and after climbing the ladder, they became the King of Gluttony. They were cautious and persistent and they were probably working on several other plans that Embrio didn''t know about.


    Will they be able to use him?


    Embrio turned around again and looked towards the south. The wolves were like his friends and brothers and they also looked in the same direction.


    The empty southern region was abandoned.


    But it was also a useless region that no one claimed.


    And if they were to unify this land?


    A dry wind blew.


    The wind that was filled with the smell of blood was headed towards the south.


    \u0026


    Strike while the iron is hot was a saying that popped into Yong-Ho''s head often.


    After finishing the meeting with the key figures of the dungeon, Yong-Ho immediately suggested that they find Kaiwan''s office.


    The spirits assumed that the earliest they would leave would be tomorrow morning, so they were surprised.


    But Yong-Ho had his reasons.


    First, he didn''t want to delay the dungeon rearrangement time.


    It was better to rearrange the dungeon as soon as possible. If searching for the office is delayed by a day, then the rearrangement would be delayed by a day as well.


    It was probable that no one knew that Yong-Ho had defeated Foras. But that didn''t mean he could put his guard down. He didn''t know how the other owners would move if they found out. It was better to increase the dungeon''s defense as soon as possible.


    Second, he didn''t need a lot of time to search for it.


    It was more of an assumption rather than a confirmation, but Yong-Ho thought of something.


    Through the dream, he was somewhat able to check the location of the office. Kaiwan was very fond of the gold mine and placed the office near it.


    The group of Crazy Ants that took over the gold mine were wiped out. Thanks to the group of Crazy Ants, he didn''t see any other dungeon monsters, other than the Slimes. There was a high possibility that the area near the office has been taken over.


    Of course, everything was an assumption. But Yong-Ho really believed in those assumptions.


    Rikum agreed with Yong-Ho without any hesitation.


    Even though they were acknowledged as a key member, they didn''t really know about the House of Mammon''s situation. And it''s only been a day since they changed from prisoners to employed spirits, so it wasn''t easy for them to go against Yong-Ho.


    Skull said their name like always and Catalina''s expression told him that she was going to follow him without questioning him.


    Eligor was the only one who was able to decline Yong-Ho''s suggestion, but after looking at Yong-Ho, he ended up agreeing.


    "Please don''t overdo it."


    Since the last agenda on the list was confirmed, the meeting was over. Yong-Ho headed towards the gold mine and Catalina was the only one that accompanied him. Skull was going to follow, but Eligor gave an excuse and dragged Skull with him. And Eligor randomly winked towards Yong-Ho.


    "Even though the Crazy Ant colony has been wiped out, there''s still a small amount of Slimes left."


    "It may be unexpected, but please be careful."


    While listening to Lucia''s voice, Yong-Ho recalled the Slime.


    What kind of difference was there between the spirit Slime that was sold at the dungeon shop and the Slime that invaded near the gold mine?


    Salamander was a dungeon monster that he registered as a spirit, so if he did the same thing to Slime, how useful would they be?


    ''I could create a falling trap and fill the hole with Slimes¡­''


    Even though they all looked the same, the strength of the acidity and battle methods differed immensely depending on the race.


    Most owners would gather a bunch of Slimes and after the battle, they would use the Slimes to either clean up the corpses or trash.


    As he was imagining about different things while walking, he arrived at the gold mine fairly quickly.


    The sleepy Catalina bit her lips a few times to stay awake and Yong-Ho concentrated to remember the sight he saw in his dream.


    It was a sight that would''ve made Eligor release a deep sigh, but both of them were somewhat doing the best they could in the task that they were given.


    The gold mine was as big as the throne room and it was quiet. Like Lucia mentioned, a few Slimes were wondering around in different places, but they didn''t look hostile.


    Yong-Ho looked both ways while standing in the entrance and then walked towards the left wall.


    This was the unknown territory.


    But Yong-Ho had the best guide that was acknowledged by all.


    The power of Greed, which was one of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    Greed responded to Yong-Ho''s will. In order to fulfill his desire, they started sniffing after the item that had value.


    The invisible power stretched out in all directions with Yong-Ho as the center.


    A part of it wrapped around Catalina and another part headed towards the gold mine.


    But what Yong-Ho wanted right now was different.


    Yong-Ho concentrated. He recalled Kaiwan''s face and her office.


    Greed''s energy gathered into one after it split off into different directions. Like a compass, it guided Yong-Ho.


    After carefully walking while placing his hand on the wall, Yong-Ho stopped. Without saying a word, Lucia sensed Yong-Ho''s will. A place that wasn''t blocked. Lucia found an inactivated room and activated it to create a path.


    Yong-Ho maintained his concentration. Catalina breathed as quietly as she could and followed behind him.


    Another room was activated.


    Yong-Ho and Catalina both stopped.


    A crest of a wolf swallowing a moon.


    The same crest that was in the armory appeared on the door in front of them.


    It was shabby and dirty. Unlike the armory, he could feel how much time had passed just from looking at the door.


    After taking a deep breath, Yong-Ho signaled Catalina with his eyes. They each grabbed a handle and after opening it at the same time, they hid their bodies towards the wall.


    Nothing happened. He was worried that there would be a dungeon monster inside, but it must''ve been a baseless worry.


    After exchanging eye contact with each other again, they entered the office. Lucia spoke.


    "I''ll begin the activation process for the office. Please wait a moment."


    Since it wasn''t a big room, it was activated pretty quickly. Yong-Ho''s room was big enough to place a small table and a straw bed, but this room looked two times, no, three times bigger than this.


    Just like the door, the dust in the room showed how much time had passed. On top of that, it didn''t smell good. The Crazy Ants or the Slime must''ve infiltrated the office because things were damaged in different areas of the room.


    Yong-Ho briefly looked around the entire room.


    It had almost the same layout as the dream. There were more documents than books on the shelves and on the desk.


    "Oh."


    Catalina released a sound. When Yong-Ho turned around, he saw Catalina holding up an old teddy bear that was placed on the corner of the desk.


    "Oh...do you think it belonged to Kaiwan?"


    It was a cute teddy bear that wasn''t too different from the ones in the human world.


    Yong-Ho recalled Kaiwan for a moment.


    Her vicious eyes reminded him of a black jaguar or a snake.


    It was more fitting to say that it belonged to the owner from two generations ago. But when he thought about it, Kaiwan had a childhood too. If he assumed that it was a teddy bear that she liked when she was younger, then it wouldn''t be weird at all.


    When thinking about how she hugged the owner from two generations ago, treasuring a doll like this seemed natural.


    "There''s a lot of documents in the study."


    "If you''re going to move it, then I recommend calling the other spirits."


    Yong-Ho shook his head.


    Kaiwan''s office was located outside of the gold mine room. Since he already decided to exclude the gold mine during the rearrangement, leaving the office as is was the best.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and instead of following Greed''s lead again, he followed his memories. He approached the dusty desk and opened the drawer that Kaiwan hastily hid the item in.


    A thick, leather cover that didn''t have any shape and a bracelet that had a small amount of mana greeted Yong-Ho.


    It was the item he saw in his dream.


    It could be a recorded report of the various inheritance that Kaiwan left along with the arena.


    It was Kaiwan''s journal.


    \u0026


    As soon as it was morning, the spirits moved around busily under Eligor''s command. Before the rearrangement, they had to move the various household items into the gold mine.


    It was sad to say, but since the House of Mammon''s dungeon didn''t have a lot of items, it didn''t take a lot of time.


    Rearranging the entire dungeon was an extremely dangerous task.


    The dungeon becomes powerless during the process. Even after the rearrangement process, the traps go missing, so it was still dangerous.


    Like always, the dungeon shop''s delivery man arrived right on time.


    After handing over the war carriage and the valuable items, Yong-Ho received a box that contained various materials and spirits. Instead of heading towards the gold mine room, he turned his back towards the dungeon entrance and met Eligor.


    "I''ll be back."


    "I wish you good luck, sir."


    It''s been three days since he took down Foras.


    Now was the only time he could rearrange the dungeon without gaining attention from others, but now was also the only time where Yong-Ho could go outside of the dungeon and inspect other areas.


    Foras''s successor didn''t have the power to attack the House of Mammon.


    The other owners were more likely to target Foras''s dungeon rather than the House of Mammon since it was closer.


    On top of that, if the owner knew about Yong-Ho and Foras''s dungeon battle, then they''re even more likely to target Foras''s dungeon.


    To the owners, the House of Mammon was considered a mysterious opponent and since Foras''s dungeon lost their owner, they were powerless.


    Sitri said it before.


    He needed to know the method of obtaining information outside of the dungeon shop.


    He couldn''t just stay inside the dungeon.


    He himself had to look at the empty southern region himself, know what the demon world was like, and what the current situation was.


    "I''ll protect you with my life."


    "Skulllll!"


    Eligor couldn''t get rid of his anxiety, so Catalina stood in front of him and spoke.


    With the fist that was holding the hammer, Skull tapped on his chest as if he was saying to leave it to him. Rikum, who had the role of the guide, told Eligor not to worry too much.


    "Let''s hide the fact that I''m an owner and say that I''m a wandering demon. That''ll make it a lot more comfortable and safe. And I''m pretty strong now, aren''t I?"


    Aamon was placed on his waist like a sword and after tapping on them, Yong-Ho started bluffing, which made Eligor smile warmly.


    "I''ll be waiting for you."


    "When you come back, you''ll be surprised by how much the dungeon has changed."


    "You have to register the Princess Ant as a spirit and you have to analyze Kaiwan''s journal as well, so please hurry back."


    "Got it? Hurry."


    Yong-Ho answered both Eligor and Lucia with a smile.


    And during that time, the Orcs must''ve heard something from the Goblins because they became even more obedient and showed their respect towards Yong-Ho and expected great things from him.


    Since the Goblins didn''t know exactly what the Power of Evolution was, they must''ve interpreted as a blessing that allows you to become stronger.


    After talking with all the spirits, Yong-Ho left the dungeon with Catalina, Skull and Rikum.


    "It''s this way."


    They brought out the four horses that were left after selling the rest to the dungeon shop.


    Rikum and Skull took the lead while Yong-Ho and Catalina followed behind them.


    Out of the many free cities that existed within the empty region.


    They headed towards Nuremberg because that''s where the pub was located.

 53 Free City

    Riding a horse was harder than he imagined.


    Since a horse had four legs, just walking made Yong-Ho move around alot.


    On top of that, horses were a lot bigger than humans. So when they moved their body, the smallest movement felt big.


    Because of that, it was the same as sitting on a chair that kept on moving from side to side and up and down.


    And this movement was just the start.


    When the horse started running, the movement became even bigger.


    A horse wasn''t an inanimate object like a bicycle or a car. It couldn''t change directions or stop on its own.


    A connection with the horse was needed.


    Thanks to the advanced saddles that they were using, the difficulty level of riding a horse decreased, but it didn''t mean that it was easy to ride it.


    In order to ride a horse, one needed strong stamina and extreme balance that allowed them to endure the rough movement, the ability to connect with the horse, have the driving force required and the ability to lead so that they''re able to rhythmically balance themselves.


    There''s a reason why people create dieting machines based on horse riding or the rodeo culture that was created.


    Riding a beast was that difficult.


    Catalina sat on top of a flat rock and she opened her mouth while wagging her tail. Yong-Ho was sitting across from her and while he was writing on the ground with a stick, she spoke.


    "You seem to learn everything very quickly, sir."


    When the previous owner was alive, it was true that the House of Mammon was on the verge of falling, but it didn''t completely fall.


    As the guard, Catalina learned how to ride a horse from the previous guard. Because of that, she knew that it wasn''t easy for a beginner to ride one.


    But Yong-Ho was able to ride a horse pretty well for his first time. He was even able to ride it while the horse was running.


    Of course it wasn''t perfect, but for his first time, he was riding it pretty well.


    Yong-Ho raised his head when he heard her admiring voice. He raised his shoulders as if to show that he was embarrassed by her compliment and then replied.


    "Well, even though I never rode a real horse before, I rode a lot of horse-riding machines."


    It''s been several years since his father bought Yong-Ho a horse-riding machine while he was drunk and told him that he''ll have to ride a horse when he becomes a demon someday.


    It was an intense night where his mother slapped his father''s back, but Yong-Ho couldn''t forget about that day.


    It''s because it was the same day where he found out that the blood of a demon was flowing through his body.


    ''I wonder if they''re doing well.''


    Yong-Ho grew up to be a mature son that never ran away from home, so the fact that he left home one day by leaving just a letter was an issue.


    Now that he thought about it, that wasn''t the only problem.


    Since he hasn''t been attending class, he might''ve made the achievement of getting a F for all of his classes.


    Yong-Ho chuckled without knowing.


    Just a month ago, his home and school were his reality. His school was the third most scary place and there wasn''t anything else in the world that was more stressful than the computer major women that he saw in the freshman meeting.


    But everything was different now.


    "Master?"


    "It''s nothing. I think you''re way prettier than Ye-Jin."


    Catalina was surprised by his sudden compliment, but it seemed like she liked it because her lips were going up.


    Yong-Ho turned his eyes to the ground again. The reason why Yong-Ho used the word, "everything," was in front of him.


    The words that he wrote using the stick.


    It looked like those runes that are seen in games.


    Last night, Yong-Ho wasn''t able to read Kaiwan''s journal.


    The reason was simple.


    He couldn''t read the words.


    An author named, the Evil Spirit of the Past, engraved a "World-Class Magic" into the demon world and because of that it was possible for everyone in this world to communicate despite the difference in race.


    It''s all thanks to their magic that Yong-Ho was able to communicate with Catalina and Eligor without any issues when he first came here.


    He noticed after realizing it, but after coming to this world, Yong-Ho didn''t use Korean. Even though he was thinking in Korean, the words coming out of his mouth were the demon world''s language.


    It was possible to communicate.


    In the dungeon Virtual Space, thanks to the magic, he was able to understand the meaning of the demon world words, even though it was his first time seeing it.


    But Kaiwan''s journal was different. Since it was written without the use of magic, he couldn''t read it.


    ''The white is the paper and the black are the words.''


    That''s why, Yong-Ho has been learning the language from Catalina since last night. If he memorized the words of the language, then he''ll be able to somewhat interpret the journal.


    Of course he couldn''t ask Catalina or Eligor to interpret it for him. That''s how they took care of the records that were left by the two previous owners.


    But he couldn''t do that with the journal. Catalina read a bit of the front page last night and after reading it, she confirmed that it was close to a very personal journal.


    Even though they were already dead, he didn''t know what to say. Maybe it''s because he saw her in his dream, but if possible, he wanted to protect her privacy.


    ''They even hid a teddy bear in their office, so who knows what kind of information is in here¡­''


    Both Catalina and Eligor admired Kaiwan and there was a high chance that there was shocking and dreadful information in there.


    That''s why Yong-Ho started learning the words of the demon world.


    To say that the owner was illiterate didn''t make sense. He had to memorize them for the future.


    Using his feet instead of the stick, Yong-Ho erased the words and stood up. The horses looked like they got enough rest, so it was time to start moving again.


    After checking the condition of the horses, Rikum spoke.


    "It would be best for Skull and Catalina to switch horses. I think the horse is exhausted because of the weight."


    Since Skull became a Rock Skeleton Warrior, their weight went way over 100kg. And since they were wearing armor, their weight was close to 200kg, so it was obvious that the horse would be exhausted.


    "Skulll¡­"


    Skull surprisingly became depressed when Rikum mentioned his weight and they mumbled to themselves. It could also be because they felt bad for the horse.


    ''Now that I think about, Skull is good at riding a horse too. Were they a knight in their previous life?''


    Yong-Ho was getting more and more curious about Skull''s life, but there wasn''t a way for him to find out.


    It took about two days by horse to get to Nuremberg from the House of Mammon''s dungeon. Since they had to camp out for at least one day, they had to find a good spot before night came.


    The sight of the demon world was a mess.


    Like in the Western movies, there was a wasteland that stretched out, but a river and forest would suddenly pop out and then a dead zone suddenly appeared.


    The group stopped at the wasteland and among them, they decided to camp out on a small rocky hill that was made up of rocks being stacked on top of each other.


    "Since the living condition in the forest has been built, we''re not sure what kind of evil spirit is living there. It''s not entirely safe to be in the wasteland either, but it''s better than the forest."


    Rikum explained after lighting the wood on fire that he picked up while passing the forest. Just like when they''re in the dungeon, Skull rolled on the ground and became one with the rocky hill and Catalina took out food from her bag.


    Rikum started explaining once they were done preparing for the night.


    "Humans are able to live in the free city. Farming may be possible, there may be a water source or it may have some sort of value, like a mine. Since the demon world is a tough place to live, for a human to live here, it''s safe to say that the area is either owned by a demon or there''s a free city."


    The survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle.


    The demon world''s atmosphere was barren and a mess, so it was hard to say what would happen next.


    Those without power will be used no matter where they go. For weak spirits like the Goblins and the Imps, peace was something they had to give up.


    "Even though a free city doesn''t belong to a specific demon, it doesn''t mean that no one is controlling the city. Those that control those cities can be called owners without a dungeon."


    Rikum used a stick to draw a picture on the ground. They must''ve had a talent for drawing because they created a pretty decent map.


    "Nuremburg is interestingly balanced between the many dungeons. There are about three dungeons where it will take them a day or two to arrive at the city."


    With Nuremburg in the center, Rikum created a triangle and pointed at each of the dungeons.


    "Foras''s dungeon, Angoladian''s dungeon and Shikniel''s dungeon."


    "Are those two dungeons targeting Foras''s dungeon?"


    "There''s a high chance that they are. A couple of days ago, the owner brought their soldier and hasn''t returned yet. It may be difficult to get the exact details, but if they died during a battle, there''s a high chance that that news already spread to the pub. Everyone has become sensitive due to the owner that appeared in the northern region...they''ll most likely work harder than before to get more information."


    Rikum used the stick and pointed to Nuremburg again.


    "A lot of different beings gather at the pub. The owners of the pub put together all the information they''ve gathered from different parts of the world and after they make a decent data, they sell it. And like I''ve mentioned before, it''s also a place to hire spirits. For the wandering spirits, a pub within a free city is a place they have to stop by."


    After hearing that, Yong-Ho briefly looked at Skull. Yong-Ho saw how Skull stayed still like a rock and then asked Rikum.


    "Among the wandering spirits, are there Undead spirits as well? A Lich with magic abilities...no, a Lich is a high-class spirit, but anyways, an Undead below them that is able to use magic."


    A frown appeared on Rikum''s face and when he answered, it lacked confidence.


    "From what I know, there''s barely any Undead among the wandering spirits. Most of them have already been registered. And like you''ve said, if there was one that was on the same level as the Lich, it wouldn''t be odd to control the Undead soldiers, but...hm, it will be difficult to meet one."


    "Well, then there''s nothing I can do about it."


    He answered as if he was okay with it, but he did feel disappointed.


    ''Union Evolution.''


    He couldn''t confirm it since he only had one, but there was a high chance that he would be able to unify two Undead spirits.


    In that case, what would happen if he unified Skull with an Undead magician?


    Items like Mithril or Orichalcum - of course he didn''t know whether those metals existed in the demon world yet - if he could unify the Orichalcum Death Knight Skull, who has already been evolved with a metal, with a Lich, what would happen?


    In that case, wouldn''t a unique and amazing Undead Magic Knight be created?


    "Skull, skull."


    It seemed like it would happen in the distant future after seeing them roll around with that blank expression, but it was definitely far-off. It wasn''t that it was impossible.


    Rikum carefully spoke after observing Yong-Ho''s expression.


    "If you''re looking for a magician or a magic book, then you''ll be able to find them at the pub. Finding an Undead Magician may be difficult, but there are a lot of spirits that are able to use magic. If you''re lucky, you may be able to learn a simple, yet special ability or magic."


    The more he heard about it, the more it sounded like an all-powerful store rather than a pub.


    After giving a simple reply, Yong-Ho raised his head. Night filled the demon world.


    Blue and purple covered the red and yellow light. And then black covered those two colors.


    Yong-Ho was watching the flow of mana that was whirlpooling and after eating some food, he went to sleep.


    The night air was cold.


    \u0026


    As soon as the sun came up, Yong-Ho quickly rode on the horse. Two days or Nuremburg only applied when they were constantly on the move. When thinking about giving the horses a break in between, there wasn''t any time to waste.


    Like Rikum explained, once they got closer to a land that had decent living conditions, he saw more wild animals, no, the number of wild evil spirits increased. There was a large wolf that was curled up and was glaring his way and even though there was a decent distance between them, weak spirits were following behind them.


    ''Should I try raising my level?''


    Yong-Ho recalled the quest that he had to do in a classic game he enjoyed playing and glared at the weak spirits that were glancing at him.


    Even though they were weak, if he took them down, then his development rate may increase a little and he may obtain items.


    Even though it was small, it adds up.


    They were short on money anyways, so if they were to take them down, it might help. Even in the game, fighting rather than doing part-time jobs was more effective when trying to make money.


    ''Stop it. This isn''t some kind of game.''


    Even though they were weak, it was an actual battle. An unexpected situation can occur. It was best to avoid unnecessary problems.


    "Skuullll."


    Yong-Ho nodded his head when Skull said their name as if they agreed. Skull used their thick, boney finger to point somewhere far instead of saying that they were near the free city.


    It was an extremely large bone. Seeing as how he could make out the form from afar, it was probably over 10 meters long.


    Rikum spoke.


    "It''s the remains of a Land Worm. It''s been a while since I''ve seen one that big."


    But Yong-Ho couldn''t hear anything.


    Even though he encountered large ants and Orcs after arriving to the demon world, it was shocking for him to see an evil spirit with a body that large.


    Catalina started talking when the shocked expression was displayed on Yong-Ho''s face.


    "Large, evil spirits like the Land Worm tend to avoid places where there''s a lot of people. The free city is just up ahead, so you don''t have to worry."


    She even displayed a friendly smile at the end.


    Like she had stated, the free city that was surrounded by a low fortress was not too far from them.


    Yong-Ho coughed to hide his embarrassment and then nodded his head.


    And then.


    The ground started shaking. It was weak at first, but a few seconds later, it got stronger that they were able to really feel it!


    "Sk-Skulll?"


    Skull released a shocked voice. The horses flinched as they released a worried cry and Rikum quickly looked around.


    The vibration was getting near. Since it was approaching from a distance, it couldn''t be an earthquake.


    There was something that popped into Yong-Ho''s head.


    He didn''t even think it was impossible anymore.


    "Ca-Catalina?"


    "N-no way."


    Gullible-lina, no, Clumsy-lina spoke because she was surprised. During that time, the vibration was getting closer and they heard a commotion coming from the free city. They saw them quickly closing the gates.


    Yong-Ho yelled.


    "Run!"


    But it was too late. Before they could calm down the horses that were filled with fear, there was a boom. It burst out as if the ground exploded.


    "Roaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!"


    A loud roar was released between the dust and the rocks that were falling down. Their body was over 10 meters long as they stood up straight.


    The horses were paralyzed so they couldn''t move. The large, evil spirit - Land Worm, was shaking their head while roaring and looked at one particular spot.


    Gulp.


    Yong-Ho gulped.


    The Land Worm opened its large mouth.


    That moment felt like an eternity.


    It was a horrendous eye contact.


    The ground exploded again.


    The Land Worm was rushing towards Yong-Ho.

 54 Free City 2

    A rushing dump truck, no, it felt like he was seconds away from getting hit by a rushing train.


    The Land Worm instantly filled his entire sight and their presence was enough to paralyze his mind.


    His life didn''t flash in front of him. In between that short time, his instinct was the only thing that reacted.


    Boooooooom!


    The Land Worm hit the ground with its head. The surface broke. Within the dust, pieces of rock flew like grenade fragments.


    "Ack!"


    "Master!"


    "Skullll!"


    Between the screams, bones and flesh were being crushed. Like a frog that was in front of a snake, a horse froze in front of the Land Worm and their corpse rolled on the ground. There wasn''t any blood flowing out and it was difficult to make out the horse''s corpse.


    The Land Worm was covered in red, dead skin and just from one look, over 10 eyes were attached to them. Within the dust, those eyes were moving all at the same time.


    "Catalina!"


    Even though it was dangerous, Yong-Ho jumped off the horse and screamed. He yelled even though the dust made it difficult to see and there was a meaning behind his scream.


    They moved at the same time.


    Rikum first got on the horse and rode outside of the dust and Skull turned the horse around and went in the direction where he heard Yong-Ho''s voice. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that they were pulling the horse by force.


    The Land Worm released a bizarre sound and slightly raised their head. They moved their eyes at the same time and all looked at one direction. They weren''t just rushing in. It was as if they had a goal and found a target for it.


    The dry wind blew the dust.


    After that, the fire that appeared dug into that empty spot. A vivid green colored the Land Worm''s sight.


    Kyahhhhh!


    The Land Worm flinched at the fire and raised their head again. The part of the body that was out of the ground was almost 20 meters long, so they were overpowering.


    He didn''t even have time to curse. Yong-Ho used Aamon again to release the fire. Skull rushed to Yong-Ho and after extending their hand out, Yong-Ho sprayed the fire all over the place and grabbed SKull''s hand.


    "Skullll!"


    Skull used their superhuman strength and lifted Yong-Ho. The horse was already having a hard time with carrying Skull, but now that he was carrying Yong-Ho, they cried out in pain, but now wasn''t the time to stop. The Land Worm''s eyes were busily moving around.


    Skull pushed the horse to go faster without looking back. Even though they felt like their legs were going to break, they continued running with everything they had. Yong-Ho looked back. He could clearly see their teeth and it reminded him of a shark''s teeth. Even though there was some distance between them, it felt like he could feel their breathing on his back.


    Catalina jumped off the horse and landed on the Land Worm''s back. Her mobility was so unique that it looked like she kicked off the wall and the ground.


    The moment the Land Worm hit its head on the ground to attack Yong-Ho, Yong-Ho called out her name and Catalina understood.


    Yong-Ho didn''t call out her name to ask her to rescue him.


    What Yong-Ho wanted.


    It was a command that she understood because her body, heart and soul were all dedicated to him!


    Can they run away from the Land Worm?


    It''s impossible.


    Can they make the Land Worm give up?


    That was also impossible.


    Then there was only one answer.


    To fight and win!


    The moment the fire dispersed, Catalina didn''t look back. She placed her feet on top of the horse''s saddle and leaped as if she was flying.


    The moment the Land Worm''s body was enveloped in fire, Catalina ran up their body.


    The Land Worm wasn''t just a monster with a long body. Their body looked like a trapezoid rather than a cylinder and it had small hair and bumps. There was dead skin on their legs as well and they were all great supports for the Land Worm.


    The Land Worm turned its head to avoid Yong-Ho''s fire. Their movement was definitely big and Catalina used that movement. The moment their body started moving, Catalina jumped into the air and then quickly ran up the Land Worm''s back.


    The Land Worm saw Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho also saw the Land Worm.


    By making another horrible eye contact, he raised Aamon. Just like the time he went against the Crazy Ants, he created Greed''s magnificent fire.


    The Land Worm kept its mouth shut. After closing their eyes, they rushed towards the fire. The green fire broke and dispersed. The fire caught on to their dead skin and flew away. The Land Worm''s head hit the ground again.


    It made the ground shake a lot. Skull used a mysterious magic and managed to avoid the Land Worm''s attack, but the horse couldn''t endure it any longer. The horse let out a sad cry as if their legs broke and collapsed. Once again, the dust broke through the remaining fire and pushed forward.


    Skull couldn''t maintain their body and fell to the ground. Yong-Ho quickly threw his body and rolled on the ground and after getting back up, he looked at the Land Worm.


    The Land Worm''s head was on the ground and the eyes that were closed all opened at the same time. There were over 10 eyes and all of them were looking in the same direction. They were all looking at Yong-Ho and it was a horrible experience.


    But Yong-Ho looked straight at them. Catalina managed to endure the shock by grabbing onto the bump that was on their head and instead of turning their attention on her, Yong-Ho gave her an opportunity to attack.


    Yong-Ho kicked off the ground. His movement was different from the other times because it looked like he was targeting the Land Worm''s side.


    Skull got up after rolling like rocks and Rikum, who managed to escape, was watching from afar and didn''t know what to do. But he decided to use the bow and arrow he brought with him.


    The Land Worm raised their head. Yong-Ho didn''t stop. He yelled out once more.


    "Catalina!"


    And Catalina responded. It looked as if she was doing acrobatics, because she twisted her body on top of the Land Worm''s head and while holding the bump with one hand, she unsheathed the dagger with her other hand. The smallest eye was the size of a human''s head and the biggest one was as big as an adult''s upper body and Catalina stabbed them without any hesitation.


    Even though the tough dead skin was protecting their entire body, it couldn''t protect their eyes. The moment the sharp dagger stabbed their eye, the Land Worm experienced a pain they''ve never experienced before and released a horrible scream while twisting their body. On top of that, Catalina''s dagger had poison on it. It wasn''t much when comparing to the Land Worm''s body, but it wasn''t good for the eye that was stabbed.


    The poison couldn''t kill the Land Worm. But it was enough to give them a lot of pain.


    "Kyahhhhh!"


    They were moving around crazily. Catalina gave up on attacking and was hanging onto the Land Worm''s head. Yong-Ho was targeting the Land Worm''s side and to prevent himself from getting crushed, he quickly moved his feet. During that moment, he thought about the next move.


    He didn''t think about why the Land Worm suddenly appeared and why it was targeting Yong-Ho out of everyone. The most important task right now was to fight it off.


    Rikum was watching all of this with an agitated look and instead of pulling the arrow back, he put it down. Instead of wasting time on useless attacks, he headed towards the free city. He wasn''t abandoning his owner and running away. Rikum was doing his best in trying to find a way.


    He knew that there was an area where the Land Worm lived.


    But it was odd. Like Catalina had explained, they don''t purposely appear in places where there''s a lot of people.


    On top of that, the Land Worm ignored Rikum and Skull and only targeted Yong-Ho.


    Rikum didn''t look back. He only looked straight ahead. As of right now, the only place he could ask for help was the free city. It seemed impossible to ask for their help after seeing how they closed and locked the gates, but he couldn''t give up.


    Skull grabbed the leather string that was attached at the end of the hammer. They swung the hammer and targeted the Land Worm. It was hard to say whether the hammer will be effective on the giant Land Worm, but Skull thought about attacking.


    Yong-Ho kept on running. He wasn''t moving just to dodge. Yong-Ho called out Catalina''s name once more, hoping that she would get his message.


    "Catalina!"


    Yong-Ho''s request wasn''t as simple as attacking the Land Worm. An owner and their spirit couldn''t communicate telepathically, so it was hard to say whether she understood him.


    But Yong-Ho trusted Catalina.


    Catalina desperately thought about it. She was the guard of the owner. She was the one that needed to understand Yong-Ho the most during battle.


    Instead of avoiding it, Yong-Ho closed the distance between him and the Land Worm. In that case, what was Yong-Ho expecting?


    The Land Worm''s movement became weaker. It seemed like they were either going to open their eyes again or move violently to throw Catalina off of them.


    Catalina didn''t hesitate any longer. It was difficult to endure with both hands, but she made a decision. She let go of one hand. She reached for her belt and untied the rope that was tied near her butt. Since she was preparing it in case of an emergency, one end of the rope was tied around Catalina''s waist.


    The Land Worm moved violently. During this moment, Catalina said Yong-Ho''s name like some sort of spell. She let go of her other hand and quickly tied the dagger sheath to the end of the rope. Before her body was pushed off because of the Land Worm''s violent movement, she stretched out her hand and grabbed the dead skin.


    It felt like her body was going to break. But she had to endure it. The Land Worm managed to open their eyes again. Blood and discharge was flowing out of the eye that Catalina stabbed.


    The Land Worm moved. There was a large amount of dust and the Land Worm started moving its head around again. It moved its body at the same time and hit the ground. It looked like it was intentionally trying to wipe out the entire ground.


    Yong-Ho kept on running. He located Catalina through the dust and he was rewarded for his trust. The rope that had the sheath tied to it was flying through the dust.


    He grabbed it.


    The Land Worm hit the ground. He barely managed to avoid the attack, but it ended up in a nasty fall.


    "Kyahhhhh!"


    The Land Worm screamed again. It raised its head as if to say they weren''t going to miss anymore. And during that moment, Yong-Ho''s body jumped up. Catalina was enduring it by holding on to the dead skin with both of her hands. The rope around her waist made her feel like her waist was going to snap at any moment, but she endured it by gritting her teeth. Blood was starting to seep out of her skin due to the rope.


    Yong-Ho was desperately swinging like a pendulum. The moment the Land Worm raised its body, his body was lifted into the air, so he swung his body and crashed into the Land Worm''s body.


    Aamon was in his mouth. He grabbed some dead skin with one hand and let go of the rope. The Land Worm was confused because Yong-Ho had suddenly disappeared and the moment they stopped moving, he started climbing up their back.


    It was worth investing in agility. He wasn''t as fast as Catalina, but Yong-Ho was pretty fast. Thick and sturdy dead skin filled the Land Worm''s back and it didn''t realize that Yong-Ho was on top of their head.


    "Skullll!"


    Skull yelled out. The Land Worm''s eyes were looking around to find Yong-Ho, but saw Skull instead. Skull didn''t run away or step back. They continuously swung their hammer and stood their ground. Skull looked straight at the Land Worm and fire appeared within their eye socket.


    The Land Worm changed their target. Yong-Ho was now right next to Catalina.


    The owner and the spirit didn''t look at each other. They understood each other and at the same time, did almost the same thing.


    "Kyahhhhhh!"


    Aamon and the dagger stabbed different eyes. And this time, they didn''t just stop at stabbing them. By using Aamon, Yong-Ho released fire.


    The Land Worm started jumping up and down. The Land Worm was so big that the part of the body that was out of the ground was 20 meters long and two people were able to get on top of their head. So when they started jumping, that power was amazing.


    The Land Worm now knew that Yong-Ho and Catalina were on top of their head. They were able to figure that out through their instincts. Despite the fact that the eye was in danger due to the fire, the Land Worm hit its head onto the ground and got back up again. When comparing it to a human, it looked as if someone was banging their head.


    Since they used so much power and speed, Yong-Ho and Catalina couldn''t endure any longer. They were thrown into the air like pebbles.


    The Land Worm''s remaining eyes followed those two.


    Because Catalina was out of stamina, she couldn''t handle her body while in the air. Yong-Ho reached out his hand and grabbed her. They were thrown up so high that the ground was far away. And underneath their feet, they saw the Land Worm''s mouth. The way that the Land Worm opened their mouth reminded him of the abyss and it seemed like they were planning on swallowing them all at once.


    Sharp teeth were all around their mouth. Their bodies would probably be shred to pieces and then mashed all together. Yong-Ho wrapped his hand around Catalina''s waist. Catalina wrapped her arms around Yong-Ho despite being exhausted. The Land Worm opened their mouth even wider.


    "Skullll!"


    Skull yelled. Yong-Ho answered their tell. He aimed Aamon below his feet and released a big, beautiful fire.


    He didn''t plan this impossible task of using the fire to thrust into the air. The large fire crashed into the Land Worm''s mouth and because of the heat, the Land Worm couldn''t close their mouth.


    Within that short moment.


    Yong-Ho and Catalina used that small opening. They were sucked into the Land Worm''s mouth and when they closed their mouth, Yong-Ho and Catalina had already passed the sharp teeth.


    It was dark. They couldn''t see anything. And if they went through the "digestive" process, then they would definitely die.


    Yong-Ho pulled in Catalina closer. He enveloped their bodies with Greed''s fire. While burning the insides of the Land Worm, he protected himself and Catalina from the Land Worm''s bodily fluids.


    There was a reaction. This was the Land Worm''s most violent movement. They slammed their body onto the ground as if they were trying to break it or trying to commit suicide.


    That shock was delivered even to the bodily fluids. Yong-Ho gritted his teeth as the Land Worm was writhing in pain. He desired it rather than giving up. He raised Greed''s energy.


    Yearning for it.


    Desiring it.


    Wanting to obtain it!


    A part of Greed enveloped Catalina. And the remaining all extended out towards one area. It found the most valuable item within the Land Worm''s body.


    A lump of mana.


    The location where the spirit was condensed to. The Worm Heart! With just that, it can already be considered as a powerful marble stone.


    Yong-Ho followed Greed''s guide.


    The Land Worm''s violent movement could be felt from the inside as well. And they arrived. The red heart. And the mana that was pulsating within it!


    He pierced it with Aamon. He gathered his remaining energy and released the fire. The Land Worm''s heart was beginning to break, so he inserted his other hand.


    A last shock.


    The vibration was probably caused by the Land Worm that weakly collapsed.


    Within the darkness, Yong-Ho saw a lump of orange mana.


    The bracelet on his left hand, the one he found while searching for Kaiwan''s journal, released a silver mana and like a net, it embraced the orange mana. It could be all in his head, but it was as if the two different mana were responding to each other.


    Yong-Ho didn''t hide his greed.


    He consumed the Land Worm''s spirit.

 55 Free City 3

    Yong Ho had already experienced mana absorption several times before: the wandering group of demons, the Orc Warrior Terak and the spirit of the Crazy Ant Queen from the Dungeon.


    It was similar to the situation with the mana of the ice demon Foras, the spirit of the Land Worm was again different from all of them. However, the Queen of Ant''s spirit had a similar feeling, but it was just a close resemblance.


    It felt different in essence.


    The purity, power, and quality of the spirit wasn''t very good. However, there was a far larger quantity of mana within it.


    The pleasure of the absorption of the mana penetrated his spine. It felt like a flowing waterfall.


    Meanwhile, Yong-ho also had a different feeling. To be specific, it was the consuming power of greed.


    The silver mana seeped from the bracelet and infused with the orange mana from the spirit of the land worm. Stimulating it and causing it to pulsate with a greater magnitude.


    Yong-ho exhaled harshly. The ''bowl of mana'' itself, which had grown from the absorption of mana, only had a small amount of empty space remaining. The absorption of more mana was meaningless.


    However, he still felt pleasure. Greed continued to ravenously consume the mana, even if it were to cause him to vomit.


    Yong-Ho firmly controlled his appetite. Reigning in his wild avarice. He speculated that the magical power of the bracelet was responding to the mana of the toxic land worm.


    The bracelet came from Kaiwan''s office. Perhaps it was an artifact that Kaiwan had found in the arena, apart from some stored mana there was nothing particularly unusual about it.


    Eligor said that it was like a battery that stored mana.


    The mana that was stored in it wasn''t from Kaiwan. It was different from the power remaining on Kaiwan''s ring, and it was also different from Yong-Ho''s own mana.


    "It resembles the worm''s."


    It was more similar to the mana of the land worm. Perhaps the magical power of the bracelet was not from a ''demon'' but a ''beast''.


    The Land Worm seemed strangely obsessed with him. Until he had climbed over the head of the Land Worm and was out of sight, the Land Worm wouldn''t even look at Rikum or Skull.


    Maybe this was because of the bracelet''s mana.


    The magical power that responded to the mana of the Land Worm was clearly from some unknown beast of the arena.


    Yong-Ho shook his hand. He stopped inhaling the useless mana and took a deep breath.


    Then reality struck. The inside of the Land Worm''s body was dark and it was difficult to breathe. His body was covered in unknown fluids and felt heavy.


    Yong-Ho swallowed down dry saliva and placed his hand back into the heart of the Land Worm. There he found a hard rock about the size of a fist after following the traces of orange mana.


    Was it a worm heart or a worm stone?


    After igniting the flames of greed, Yong-Ho put the worm stone in a leather pouch hanging on his waist. The flames burned the bile stuck to his body, and at the same time illuminated his surroundings so he could find Catalina.


    Catalina was on the verge of death, after being in the middle of the violent struggles of the Land Worm. He felt like she couldn''t breathe properly because of the bile covering her face.


    No matter what anyone said, Catalina was the greatest contributor to this battle.


    Yong-Ho briefly stabbed Aamon into the floor before lifting Catalina with his hands. He felt sorry for Catalina, but no matter how light she was, she was too difficult to carry with just one hand. Yong-Ho positioned Catalina on his left shoulder as if she were a heavy load, and then firmly held onto her waist and back. He then pulled Aamon out and stood up.


    The Land Worm was now dead, but how should he get out? Part of the Land Worm''s body was still underground, so there wasn''t any exit except from its mouth.


    Fortunately, a relieving voice was heard.


    "Skull!" "Skull!"


    It sounded quite muffled, but it was enough to give a vague sense of direction. Yong-Ho lowered his posture and then began to move forward. Not long after, specks of light could be seen from far away.


    "Skull!"


    Skull used the power of his Rock Golem body to prise open the Land Worm''s giant mouth. Yong-Ho then cheered up after seeing that he was nearly out. Still, he carefully handed Catalina over to Skull to avoid the threat of the Land Worm''s teeth, and then he himself came out of the Land Worm.


    "Kuh"


    The air itself had completely changed. Yong-Ho sat on the ground, and took a number of deep breaths. There was still remaining lingering mana to absorb, however he felt like taking a break and going to sleep.*


    However, Yong-Ho raised himself up again. He saw Catalina lying on the floor next to Skull.


    She was in bad shape. She was covered in bruises and the rope had peeled away the skin around her waist and caused her to bleed profusely. Her head was also cut, bleeding over one of her eyes.


    Yong-Ho tried to stay calm. After putting down Aamon, he pulled a dagger from his waist and cut the rope. He could hear a loud noise coming from far away, but decided to only focus on Catalina for now.


    Catalina had gained lots of experience after fighting against the land worm, recapturing the gold mine and through the dungeon battle against Foras. Yong-Ho desperately hoped for success as he invoked the power of evolution.


    [Development Rate 100/100]


    He only checked one stat, without looking at anything else and felt relief.


    Yong-Ho placed his palms upon Catalina''s stomach. He grasped her gently and then injected his mana.


    As he had already talked with Catalina before, he promoted her to ''Shadow Runner'' which had a mix of the characteristics of both Dark Elves and Succubuses.


    The green mana penetrated Catalina''s body. A series of black silhouettes appeared over her body, and a bright light shone over her abdomen. Yong-Ho absorbed all the mana of the land worm, and then drained nearly half of his own power.


    The light suddenly disappeared. Yong-Ho swallowed fresh dried saliva, and then looked at Catalina. Her face and stomach were still covered in blood, but her wounds had disappeared completely.


    Large changes in her appearance weren''t immediately visible - after the evolution - but he could definitely feel a significant increase in her mana. At first glance, he could see that a haze of black mana was swirling around Catalina''s body.


    When the dungeon master became stronger, the servants also became stronger, and the reverse was also true. Yong-Ho was thus confident of the growth of Catalina.


    "Fua"


    Yong-Ho exhaled as he almost fell atop of Catalina. He felt like he had to take a breather.


    Skull laughed and rejoiced gleefully in front of Yong-Ho. He swung his hammer as if to express his joy.


    ''Which reminds me''


    Yong-Ho, raised himself up, and pulled out the worm stone out of his leather pouch. He tried to activate the power of evolution again.


    He laughed unknowingly. Thin lines appeared in the green light. White lines of light stretched from the worm stone and connected to Skull and Catalina.


    ''Union Evolution''


    No, this was not the union of two spirits, it was more like ''reinforcement'' rather than ''union''.


    He felt that it was intuitive to merge either of them with the worm stone, even though the characters of light did not emerge in his mind, as in the case of the ''Union Evolution'', since their development rates were not at 100.


    ''Good''


    Although their lives were in danger due to the unexpected fight with the land worm, they had gained plenty from it at the same time.


    Yong-Ho consciously turned the bracelet around his left arm. When the mana of the land worm was completely absorbed, there was almost no mana left in the bracelet.


    ''Bracelet from the Arena''


    According to Yong-Ho''s prediction, it was highly likely that records existed related to Kaiwan''s diary. If the bracelet''s mana really did attract a nearby Land Worm, there must be someway to utilise it.


    Yong-Ho, after using the power of evolution, stood up and squeezed the worm stone back into his pouch. Meanwhile, the distance noise was getting closer and closer.


    "Captain! Captain!"


    A group of people came rushing in, causing a whirlwind of dust. And it was clear that Rikum was leading them.


    Yong-Ho was initially puzzled why he called him ''Captain'' instead of ''King'' but could soon understand why. It was to hide that fact that Yong-Ho was a king from the people of the nearby free city.


    Yong-Ho put Aamon back into his belt and embraced Catalina with both hands. While Skull watched the incoming crowd, while firmly clutching his battle hammer.


    Rikum, the first to arrive, jumped off his horse as soon as he had come to a halt.


    His face appeared to be a mixture of joy, urgency and absurdity.


    He couldn''t believe that the huge land worm before him, had really been taken down. Even Foras could not of done such a thing.


    However, instead of pouring out words of joy and amazement, Rikum quickly narrowed the distance between Yong-Ho and himself.


    "Dismantlers from the Free City are coming. They''re coming to trade for the body of the Land Worm."


    "Dismantlers?"


    "They''re involved in the business of trading bodies of beasts There are lots of parts of the Land Worm that they can use. Right now, they can sell the skin, keratin, teeth and meat of the Land Worm."


    After all, it was human to skin a bear or a tiger and then pull out its teeth and claws to make something. People didn''t really differ that much.


    Yong-Ho squinted his eyes and could see the dismantlers running towards him. There was goblins and ogres, as well as dwarves. The group was made up of a variety of figures both big and small, for a total of twenty.


    It was the law of the jungle in this world.


    Yong-Ho did not relax. He then spoke out, while staring at the dismantlers.


    "How likely is it that they''ll try to rob us?"


    Skull grabbed his battle hammer, and was ready to fight. Rikum laughed and replied.


    "They might in the usual case, but don''t worry. No one would dare to rob someone who''s taken down a giant land worm like this, right before their eyes."


    His face was full of pride. Yong-Ho must of looked very impressive when they saw him take down the Land Worm with Catalina and Skill.


    Orcs were a warrior race. It was natural to pay homage to a powerful warrior who has achieved great accomplishments.


    Too much had happened in such a short time. Yong-Ho greeted the dismantlers, after picking up the unconscious Catalina. Since there was no way to bring the body of the Land Worm back to the Dungeon, it was very beneficial to Yong-Ho to hand over the body to the dismantlers and just collect the payment.


    Rikum started negotiating with the dismantlers, instead of Yong-Ho. The dismantlers seemed somewhat disappointed when they realised that the worm stone had already been taken out, but as the body was in such a good condition, they actively proceeded with the negotiations nonetheless.


    Yong-Ho, who took a step back from the negotiations, by entrusting it to Rikum, looked towards the free city. The unexpected encounter with the Land Worm had drawn far more attention than was necessary.


    Will the attention from his encounter with the Land Worm be short lived, or will it turn into a long-lasting scar.


    Another demon then approached from the free city. It was a Harpy, similar to the one he had seen in the Dungeon catalog.


    With black hair and brown wings, the Harpy showed his politeness as soon as he had approached Yong-Ho. He whispered with a beautiful expression.


    "The pub owner wishes to see you."


    He must have caught their eye.


    Yong-Ho looked towards the free city again, instead of answering right away.


    He replied with a nod.


    ***


    The free city could be called a ''Dungeon-less land''.


    Like a Dungeon, their were demons and beasts who all lived in one place and maintained their own order.


    It was the three ''Dungeon-less Kings'' who ruled the free city.


    The three Kings had power equal to one another and divided the free city into three parts, reigning as kings in each of their districts.


    Of course, they did not have dungeons. So in reality they were not true kings, and the power under their command was not as strong as that of Dungeon masters.


    But even so, they were the ones that ruled the free city.


    A three-man team.


    Among them, it was the owner of the pub who had asked Yong-Ho to meet with them.


    The red demon Ophelia.

 56 The Demon King of Fire

    Thanks to the involvement of the Harpy, an envoy of the pub, the deal between Rikum and the dismantlers was concluded quite quickly.


    The dismantlers tried to lower the price by taking advantage of the fact that they didn''t have anyone else to sell it to, but it was of no use. Even though the dismantlers weren''t under the pub''s management, they couldn''t ignore the power that the pub had.


    The dismantlers didn''t want to take any risks. Instead of using tricks on a guest that the pub''s owner had specifically called for, they decided to complete the deal through a reasonable offer.


    Other than the horse that Rikum was riding on, the others had either died or ran away, giving Yong-Ho and his group no choice but to walk to the free city.


    Yong-Ho got on the horse ridden by Rikum and laid the unconscious Catalina in front of him. After letting her lean against him, he wrapped one arm around her waist and used the other to somewhat ride the horse.


    ''It''s not because I have other intentions.''


    Since Skull was too heavy, he wasn''t able to ride the horse with Catalina.


    Whereas ordering Rikum to ride the horse while carrying Catalina made him feel uncomfortable no matter how he thought about it.


    That was why Yong-Ho decided to instead ride the horse himself while carrying her which Skull and Rikum agreed with.


    Skull was content regardless of the situation, but Rikum didn''t forget the fact that he was now a spirit of the House of Mammon. It would be extremely disrespectful for him to ride a horse while his master was walking.


    Yong-Ho, who was a beginner to horseback riding, found it impossible to ride a galloping horse while holding someone. Due to that, Yong-Ho just slowly controlled the horse. It wasn''t because he just wanted to hold Catalina for a long time.


    ''She feels really soft.''


    Of course, he made sure not to express his inner thoughts.


    As they got closer and closer to the free city, Yong-Ho realized that it was bigger than what he had first imagined. When he first heard about it, he had thought that it was like one of those small villages that appear in western movies, but that wasn''t the case. It was too much to call it a city, but it was at least the size of two ordinary villages put together.


    On top of the stone walls, surrounding the free city, were numerous guards. The guards were composed of a variety of different races, all donning unique uniforms. However, there must''ve been abiding some sort of universal rule because each of them were inspecting the group from their assigned position.


    The sturdy gates were wide open. He expected there to be someone actually guarding the gates, but no one was there. It seemed like anyone could enter and leave whenever they wanted.


    "This way."


    The inside of the free city looked complicated.


    The way the buildings were built looked chaotic because the size and scale were all different. Looking at them would make anyone feel dizzy. On top of that, the buildings all being different sizes, the space between the buildings was complicated as well, because the alley looked like a maze.


    Those that were either drunk or high from drugs were lying at the entrance of the alley and everyone possessed a weapon, regardless of their size.


    There were a lot of Goblins and Orcs and he saw Dwarves and Ogres every once in a while.


    The pub was located at the west side of the city and it was different from what Yong-Ho had imagined.


    It was a wooden building and there weren''t any drinkers that were holding a beer mug. The huge building was almost five stories tall and two Orcs in black suits, who were the gatekeepers, greeted the group.


    "I''ll take the horses to the stable."


    A small Imp appeared out of nowhere and spoke while bowing their head towards Yong-Ho. It happened after Catalina barely managed to regain consciousness, so Yong-Ho handed the horse over without any hesitation and followed the Harpy.


    Another free city appeared inside the building.


    It was complicated and unbalanced.


    It reminded him of a gambling table at a casino.


    Different shaped bars and tables were placed all over the bar and there was a variety of races, all drinking alcohol. On one side of the room, some were quarreling and others were using that to raise the stakes on the gambling table. On the other side, there was a group that was selling items, but they looked like stolen items.


    It was a chaotic room.


    Saying that it was like a market wasn''t enough to describe it.


    Within the chaotic atmosphere, the Harpy walked straight towards the pillar in the center. The pillar stretched up to the highest level, but the ceilings around the pillar were cut out, so Yong-Ho was able to see the roof as well as each of the levels.


    Harpie stood on top of a board that was placed right next to the pillar. It was a pretty big board that was about three meters long on all sides and when everyone in the group stood on top of it, the board rose into the air. It must''ve been the substitute for an elevator.


    Catalina was busy looking around with her large eyes, but Yong-Ho, who was beside her, remained calm and looked around by moving his eyes.


    The second floor was an official gambling house. While the Slimes were racing against each other, small spirits were fighting against each other and were putting their life on the line. Some were dealing the cards and there was an actual roulette too.


    Catalina''s eyes were sparkling as she looked at the second floor, but when they reach the third and fourth floor, she couldn''t contain herself. Her ears turned red and as she covered her face with her hands, her eyes moved around really fast.


    The third and fourth floor were prostitution houses.


    Rather than saying they were wearing clothes, there were women in each of the rooms that were taking off their clothes and posing seductively.


    Since there were a lot of races in this city, there were a variety of prostitutes as well. There were Orcs, Goblins, Harpies and Dryads. There were women that Yong-Ho thought were beautiful. Among them, a female Dark Elf that had their arms on the handrail and was looking down caught Yong-Ho''s attention.


    The board moved slowly and it took a while for them to pass the third and fourth floor. Yong-Ho didn''t have a choice but to look at those women for a long time. The female Dark Elf that caught Yong-Ho''s attention winked at him and lightly licked her lower lips.


    "Cough."


    Even though he coughed, no one looked at him. Even the serious Rikum waved at a female Orc and greeted her and Catalina didn''t stop looking through the gap between her fingers. Skull was the same as before, but only when they were rolling on the ground with a blank expression.


    Thankfully, Yong-Ho was behind the Harpy and they didn''t turn around.


    Unlike the other floors, there was a wall around the pillar on the fifth floor, so they couldn''t see what was inside.


    And lastly, the sixth floor.


    The board moved horizontally and stopped in front of a place that looked like a dock.


    Just like the fifth floor, other than the dock, there was a wall all around it, so they couldn''t see the inside.


    "We''re almost there. This way."


    The Harpy led the group through an empty hallway. Because of the white walls and the red carpet, it felt like they were in a totally different space.


    At the end of the hallway, there was a luxurious, black door. And surprisingly, a small crest of a wolf swallowing the moon was engraved in one of the doors.


    "Please head inside. The master is waiting."


    The Harpy opened the door before Yong-Ho could ask questions. They stopped in front of the door as if they were saying that their job was done.


    Yong-Ho suppressed his surprise and looked inside. There was a bar that filled one side of the wall and in the center, a female wearing a bartender outfit was standing by herself.


    No one rushed him. But he couldn''t delay it.


    Yong-Ho walked into the room.


    ***


    Other than the bar, there was nothing else in the room. The woman in the bartender outfit immediately caught Yong-Ho''s attention. It wasn''t because she was simply a beautiful woman.


    She had red skin and two black horns on her forehead. Grey was mixed into her blonde hair and it was tied back.


    Yong-Ho instinctively activated the Power of Evolution. He checked the woman''s race.


    [Race: Red Demon]


    [Class: Red Demon - Strider]


    As soon as he checked her race, he deactivated the Power of Evolution. Her race was the same as Eligor''s, which he originally assumed.


    Maybe she was connected to the House of Mammon since Kaiwan''s crest was engraved into the door.


    During that short time when Yong-Ho was observing the woman, she was doing the same with Yong-Ho. When green flames rose out of his eyes for a moment, she quietly exclaimed and asked the group to sit down with a bright smile.


    The only thing between the bartender and the group was the bar. They were that close and didn''t have a choice but to see her face.


    After placing down the drinks in front of the group, she smiled brightly and spoke.


    "My name is Ophelia and I''m the owner of this bar. I''m honored to meet you, owner of the House of Mammon."


    The bartender - Ophelia''s eyes and lips were smiling.


    She didn''t give Yong-Ho the chance to think. Like someone that gives the question and immediately reveals the answer, she turned her attention to Catalina and spoke.


    "I knew after seeing Catalina. There aren''t a lot of Dark Elves around here. No, I honestly knew right when you left."


    "The crest of a wolf swallowing the moon."


    Yong-Ho spoke. Catalina was surprised because she was pointed out, but was even more surprised when Yong-Ho spoke. Ophelia still had a smile on her face.


    Yong-Ho instinctively tightened his grip on the cup.


    He imagined himself becoming a demon many times and even though he was used to it, it hasn''t been that long since he became one. But his conversation with Sitri helped.


    The woman in front of him was beautiful, but Catalina was more beautiful. And it wasn''t like she was as charming as Sitri.


    No, that wasn''t the point. Yong-Ho had gotten used to this type of pressure without him knowing.


    Yong-Ho recalled Sitri. He looked straight into Ophelia''s eyes and spoke.


    "Were you a spirit in the House of Mammon?"


    "I was a long time ago. Of course I''m not one now."


    Ophelia answered clearly. She pulled the chair that was behind the bar and sat in front of Yong-Ho. She made sure she was on the same level as Yong-Ho.


    "My father was Kaiwan''s right-hand man. He respected those with power and because the new owner was weak, he left the House of Mammon."


    The owner from two generations ago.


    Eligor was a spirit that entered the House of Mammon after that owner ascended to the throne. In that case, even though she was the same race as Eligor, there was a high chance that they didn''t really know each other.


    Ophelia continued talking.


    "But, there''s nothing you can do about regret. My father said that he was always worried about the House of Mammon. I''m not sure if that was regarding Kaiwan''s return or the new owner that ascended the throne. Anyways, my father felt that way until he died and he even asked me to look over the House of Mammon in his will. Of course that wasn''t the only thing he left for me in his will."


    Kaiwan''s right-hand man.


    The daughter of the man that adored Kaiwan.


    He naturally pictured a strong spirit that left the House of Mammon and ruled over the free city after experiencing many hardships.


    Despite evolving, Eligor was still closer to being a noncombatant spirit, but for Ophelia, despite having a thin body, he didn''t think she was weak at all. Red Demon could be a fighting race.


    Why was Ophelia talking about this now?


    He somewhat had an idea.


    And when she mentioned her father''s will about wanting her to "look over" them, he understood that he shouldn''t expect much.


    When the owner from two generations ago died, the House of Mammon was neglected. She didn''t help them.


    And the one who was originally the House of Mammon''s spirit was her father. It wasn''t Ophelia.


    She lightly lifted the drink. After taking a sip, she took a bite of a cherry that was sitting on a plate.


    "I think that''s enough for introductions. Would it be okay if I asked why the owner of the House of Mammon decided to visit the free city?"


    "I wanted to hear stories of how everyone was living."


    Yong-Ho raised his cup as well.


    Ophelia didn''t meet with Yong-Ho because she was curious about the House of Mammon.


    She was thinking about giving information and obtaining information at the same time.


    If she really was watching Yong-Ho since the day he left, then she probably saw Foras entering the dungeon as well.


    Did Yong-Ho defeat Foras?


    If he did, what kind of demon was he?


    What''s the House of Mammon''s current situation?


    Yong-Ho drank the alcohol. Ophelia spoke.


    "It''s my first time seeing Catalina up close like this, but I was honestly shocked. I was wondering if she was really the Catalina that I knew. There''s only one case where the spirit experiences a huge change."


    She wasn''t talking about the Power of Evolution.


    There wasn''t a reason to make a big fuss or provide clues.


    If the owner becomes stronger, then the spirit becomes stronger as well. Ophelia was probably referring to how the owner was strong enough to take down a Land Worm and because of that, Catalina became stronger.


    Ophelia wasn''t observing just Yong-Ho.


    It was admirable how Catalina knew about herself really well. The clumsy guard wasn''t giving any information through their diverse expressions and instead, she closed her eyes tightly and acted like a cold female guard.


    Ophelia laughed.


    "The world is noisy. If you look at just the empty southern region...someone said it''s the start of a revolution. I think the revolution already started though."


    Embrio, the demon of the northern region.


    It was what Yong-Ho wanted to hear. But Ophelia knew that as well. That''s why, instead of revealing more information about it, she looked into Yong-Ho''s eyes.


    "How about being more open-minded?"


    A seductive smile appeared on Ophelia''s face. Her red hand was on top of the bar and then she gently wrapped around Yong-Ho''s hand. She closed the distance between Yong-Ho and her yellow eyes shined bright as she looked into Yong-Ho.


    Mana.


    It was a type of attack that Yong-Ho hadn''t experienced before.


    It wasn''t exactly an attack. Ophelia''s mana invaded Yong-Ho''s mind. She tried to look into Yong-Ho''s mind by looking into his eyes. The eyes were the window to one''s soul.


    It was a magic that a Succubus would use. Rikum and Skull assumed that Yong-Ho and Ophelia were holding hands and just looking at each other up close since they couldn''t see anything. Catalina, who had the blood of a Succubus, had her eyes shut, so she didn''t know what was happening.


    Ophelia slowly licked her lips. When Rikum and Skull felt that something was odd, she had already invaded into Yong-Ho''s mind.


    The House of Mammon''s new owner.


    A strong figure that took down the Land Worm.


    The one that helped Catalina grow so much that she couldn''t be recognized.


    But he was still a rookie.


    What kind of a person was he?


    What kind of name did this demon have?


    Ophelia''s mind invaded Yong-Ho''s. Yong-Ho and Ophelia''s faces became a lot closer and it looked like their lips were going to touch.


    And their lips met. Ophelia opened the door to Yong-Ho''s mind. All she had to do was read his mind.


    But then, Yong-Ho grabbed Ophelia''s hand. He tightened his grip so that she couldn''t run away.


    Ophelia was surprised because of Yong-Ho''s movement. But it was too early to be surprised.


    Looking into another''s mind meant that they were revealing their own mind as well.


    It was the same thing as putting her entire mind into Yong-Ho''s.


    And he was waiting for her.


    One of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    An enormous being.


    Greed smiled.


    And swallowed Ophelia''s mind.

 57 The Demon King of Fire 2

    She was completely overpowered.


    She couldn''t even mount an ounce of resistance against its enormous size.


    It felt like she had been swept away by a giant wave. No, it was more like she was buried underneath by the heavy rain falling from the sky.


    She was trampled on.


    She felt that the word ''conquered'' was the best expression for her situation. But that was only for a moment. Soon she felt that her life was completely worthless, which made her question whether such an expression was even adequate.


    In the center of the chaos, she just stared blankly at her surroundings.


    Her thoughts had stopped and she became disconnected from reality.


    Her whole being was analyzed in detail.


    In front of the power of desire.


    In the face of the great power of Greed, her original plan was reversed on her.


    She couldn''t even feel a strong will from her opponent. Like a child rolling a piece of candy in their mouth, Ophelia''s mind was being toyed with.


    She struggled desperately. She managed to come back to her senses but not through her own efforts. Perhaps the enormous being, in front of her, purposely gave her a break so she could be further toyed with.


    She cried out. Her survival instinct kicked in and her desire to live erupted within her.


    However, it wasn''t easy. Dozens or perhaps hundreds of tentacles entangled around her body. The more Ophelia struggled, the more tentacles shot up from darkness as if mocking her efforts.


    Her position as the pub''s owner couldn''t be maintained purely through the right of inheritance. Having the ability to look into the minds of others meant that she had the confidence to protect her own.


    But she was powerless. Every time she tried to even peek into his mind, a bigger wall greeted her.


    Ophelia ran desperately. Before she knew it, the tentacles had disappeared. Though she still continued to run through the unfamiliar world.


    Her face was a mess, covered in tears and strewn hair. But she didn''t have the luxury to fix herself. Even though she was breathless, she didn''t dare stop and continued to run.


    She had survived.


    She was alive.


    The ridiculously enormous overpowering feeling felt far away. She was happy about the fact that she escaped an overpowering despair and that joy filled her head.


    But when she took another step forward.


    The world was on fire. The sky, ground and everything in that world was enveloped in fire.


    She was in the center of that fire. Her body was on fire. The pain she felt from the fire was the most painful feeling she had ever experienced.


    But she wasn''t even allowed to release a painful scream.


    Does an ant have the ability to tell the difference between a human adult and child?


    Even if that was possible, was that meaningful to them?


    She felt indifferent about the eye.


    Ophelia had a hunch that this was her last moment. The fire that was on her body became larger.


    She wasn''t given the chance to look back at her life and the moment she was about to become extinct.


    The fire disappeared. The tentacles appeared again and replaced the fire that was on her body. She heard the voices of great beings above her head.


    This is mine.


    That body, spirit and hair.


    That''s why it''s not allowed.


    This useless woman''s life and death is now all mine.


    It wasn''t the voice. The actual being was emitting the power.


    The red eye didn''t look at Ophelia. Even if it was only for a moment, Ophelia thought that the eye was smiling.


    Do just that.


    My inexperienced king.


    The fire disappeared. Night replaced the fire that filled the entire world.


    Ophelia felt calm within it. She unconsciously closed her eyes and lowered her head as if to say that she was ready to accept everything.


    The tentacles that were wrapped around her body turned into green flames. At the same time, instead of hearing a voice that was far away, a friendly voice filled her ears.


    "Found you."


    Ophelia opened her eyes. She turned around.


    ''Ack!''


    It was a mental groan. Her lips were closed all this time. Like a Succubus that desired a spirit, her tongue and saliva was like that. When she opened her eyes, she didn''t see a rookie with a dumb expression.


    It was an owner that tightened their grip on her hand and their other hand was on her collar while green flames rose out of their eyes.


    That''s when Ophelia realized it. The being that was in front of her and what she was trying to do.


    Her body was shaking. Her legs became weak. Yong-Ho let go of her collar and as Ophelia lost her only support, she collapsed to the floor.


    Her body was trembling. Her face was a mess.


    When Catalina quietly opened her eyes a little, the sight of Yong-Ho and Ophelia kissing shocked her and she couldn''t understand what was happening. Even in Rikum''s point of view, Ophelia suddenly fell to the floor after kissing Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho stood up from his seat and looked down at Ophelia, who was currently on the floor. Ophelia saw Yong-Ho and quickly bowed her head. Her voice started trembling.


    "K-king of Greed."


    She recognized it as soon as she said it. The Red Lotus''s flame that burned the world.


    The red eye that had an extremely overpowering presence.


    The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon.


    The item that represented Mammon, the King of Greed!


    Joy and fear were mixed together.


    Everything was falling into place.


    Foras''s death.


    Catalina suddenly becoming stronger.


    The House of Mammon suddenly rising up.


    Mammon, the King of Greed, was one of the Seven Deadly Sins and he had disappeared without a trace.


    ''Greed'' has returned.


    At the same time, Aamon woke up after being asleep for a long time and was now together with the King of Greed, who was back.


    The revolution that Embrio created.


    The empty southern region was in a chaotic state.


    Who was that for?


    The answer was obvious. Ophelia shuddered.


    She placed her trembling hands on the floor. She kneeled on one knee. After lowering her head, she showed respect. She tried her best to control her trembling voice. It wasn''t just because of fear. She was moved and was filled with joy. She recalled her father''s face.


    "Endelyon''s daughter, Ophelia. I humbly present her to the King of Greed who has returned."


    A sentence made of light was created above Ophelia''s forehead. It was the House of Mammon''s spirit crest that was passed down from her father.


    Yong-Ho extended his hand out towards her.


    He accepted her.


    ***


    Yong-Ho was led to a VIP room and sat on an expensive-looking sofa. Since it was a large sofa, Catalina sat to his right and Skull sat to his left. Rikum sat on the single sofa chair that was next to the large sofa.


    As the one that guided the group, Harpy tried to remain calm, but a confused expression filled her face.


    What kind of a person was Yong-Ho that Ophelia commanded Harpy to obey them no matter what?


    Even though the Harpy was really curious, they weren''t stupid. Since they knew that unnecessary curiosity will only cause anger, they politely left after guiding Yong-Ho to the VIP room.


    Since meeting Greed and Aamon caused her to urinate, Ophelia needed time to wash up and change her clothes.


    After swallowing the saliva, he touched his lips with his finger.


    ''I got lucky.''


    Who knew Ophelia would try to invade his mind? It was something he never experienced and an attack method he had never thought about.


    It was a relief that Ophelia ended up destroying herself in front of Greed. Even if Greed didn''t appear in front of her, Aamon would''ve probably stopped her.


    ''Is my mind defense close to unconquerable?''


    Realistically, he couldn''t completely control Greed and Aamon yet, but it didn''t mean that he didn''t have access to their essence.


    Greed was one of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    Aamon, the Red Lotus Demon Lance could set the whole world on fire with a single swing.


    He could feel the presence of both.


    He realized how great of a power pulsated within him.


    The fact Ophelia was found within Greed because of her will and the fact that she surrendered to Aamon were good enough results to make him happy. Even though it was a power he couldn''t control yet, they were both his.


    ''Now that I think about it.''


    Yong-Ho was unconsciously touching his lips and moments later, stopped.


    ''Fi-first kiss.''


    Yong-Ho had attended an all-boys middle and high school and had also majored in engineering. It was obvious that he didn''t have a girlfriend, but all this time, he didn''t even have friends that were girls.


    Even though he didn''t plan it, it was still his first kiss. And it was even a sexy french kiss.


    ''I don''t remember it.''


    Because of the situation he was in, he couldn''t remember how her lips felt and the feeling of getting that first kiss.


    He thought it was unfair. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t remember it and it made him go crazy.


    ''Relax.''


    Now wasn''t the time to think about it.


    Right now, he wasn''t the human Chun Yong-Ho that majored in engineering or the son of a man that owned a chicken restaurant.


    He was the owner of the House of Mammon.


    The Demon King of Greed, one of the Seven Deadly Sins!


    ''Dammit! But, still!''


    Yong-Ho unconsciously let out a sigh and turned his head to the side. Catalina was biting her lower lips while displaying a blank expression. She was surprised so she flinched.


    "Catalina?"


    "I-if that''s what you want, sir! B-but I need time to prepare¡­"


    As her ears were hanging loosely, her tail was up high. Catalina stuttered and then looked down.


    Yong-Ho wondered what Catalina was saying and then quickly turned his head back. He kept on calculating it in his head.


    ''Relax.''


    Now that he thought about it, both Catalina and Rikum didn''t know anything about the current situation. After Ophelia suddenly kissed Yong-Ho, she collapsed to the floor and then pledged her loyalty right after.


    Being devious was a natural human characteristic and after suppressing it, he coughed. In order to fix the odd atmosphere that Catalina created through her comment, he summarized what happened between him and Ophelia.


    "Oh! That''s why!"


    Catalina must''ve understood because she nodded her head. Skull even laughed happily.


    Rikum didn''t know that Yong-Ho had Greed and Aamon and even though it looked like he didn''t completely understand, he accepted because of the things that happened right before his eyes. He thought that Ophelia called Yong-Ho the King of Greed because he was the owner of the House of Mammon.


    When he finished explaining, they heard a knock and Ophelia walked in. She was wearing a bartender outfit that was similar to the previous one.


    "My behaviour in front of the great king was a disgrace. I, Ophelia, humbly ask for the King of Greed''s forgiveness."


    Ophelia kneeled before Yong-Ho and politely spoke to him. This was the first time someone spoke to Yong-Ho like this, so he was surprised, but he didn''t show it. He spoke with ease.


    "I forgive you. Please stand and take a seat Ophelia. There''s a lot I wish to hear from you."


    "Thank you, King of Greed."


    Ophelia showed her respect once more and gracefully sat on the soft seat that was across from Yong-Ho.


    Ophelia was the owner of the bar and was also in charge of part of the free city.


    After swearing allegiance to Yong-Ho, she became the House of Mammon''s spirit.


    He got lucky because she volunteered to become one.


    As the owner of the pub, she had wealth and information. She also had subordinates that she controlled.


    Just the thought made him feel excited. It was the same type of joy he felt when he found the gold mine and armory.


    The warriors, prostitutes and gamblers that were under this level.


    All of them weren''t the House of Mammon''s spirits. They were employed under Ophelia to be exact.


    But their employer, Ophelia, was Yong-Ho''s.


    Yong-Ho tried to suppress his excitement. He recalled the first objective.


    He asked Ophelia.


    "I want information regarding the owners around this area. And also the demon king that appeared in the northern region."


    Ophelia immediately opened her mouth as if she was expecting that question. Yong-Ho was thirsty for information, and the information that she had was worth a lot to Yong-Ho.

 58 The Demon King of Fire 3

    Ophelia unfolded a map on top of a small glass table placed between them. There wasn''t a need to ask what kind of map it was. It was obviously a map of the empty southern region.


    Yong-Ho examined the map and tried to pinpoint the location of the House of Mammon. It was easy to find its location because it was at the most southern point of the demon world and behind it, existed the giant mountain, Encantro Pagnium.


    Since the map belonged to a group that handled information, dozens of other dungeons, as well as Mammon''s dungeon, were marked down.


    The House of Foras''s dungeon was the one that was the closest to the House of Mammon''s dungeon.


    Two other dungeons, together with the House of Foras, created a triangle. With the free city, Nuremburg, located in the center.


    Yong-Ho widened his view a bit. The triangle that he saw only covered a small area and didn''t even take up one tenth of the entire empty region.


    Ophelia softly smiled when Yong-Ho studied the map on his own. She lifted her finger and pointed to the areas located in the northwestern region. The area was far from the free city.


    "Embrio, the Demon King of the Wolves, is active in this area. They have already destroyed over seven dungeons. And we haven''t confirmed it yet, but they most likely won a recent battle against a joint army."


    "Joint army? Are you talking about an allied force?"


    Yong-Ho asked because of the unfamiliar phrase. Ophelia promptly answered.


    "Yes. In order to defeat Embrio, four owners around the area have joined forces. Within the empty southern region, they''re considered to be quite powerful."


    Ophelia pointed to four separate dungeons. Embrio must be continually increasing his power, since with each conquest he was venturing further from his dungeon.


    "Embrio defeated the joint army in open warfare rather than inside a dungeon. Of course, they did so by ambushing an unprepared enemy¡­ in a way, it can be considered more as a tactical victory, but that doesn''t mean we should underestimate Embrio''s raw power. I believe we should highly rate their boldness, drive and raw fighting power that enabled them to defeat the joint army."


    Ophelia''s voice was filled with life. Perhaps it was due to the atmosphere, but it looked like her eyes were shining too.


    It could be because she actually enjoyed obtaining information and analyzing it. The fact that she was the owner of the bar probably wasn''t the only reason.


    Due to her excitement, Ophelia kept on talking and when she lifted her head, she looked at Yong-Ho and Catalina as if she was asking for their consent.


    And she became flustered when she realized her mistake.


    "Oh, well...there''s really no need to praise them so much¡­"


    Yong-Ho waved his hand.


    "It''s fine. It''s better than giving them a low rating and suffering from it later."


    And if what Ophelia said was true, then they were definitely strong.


    Even though it was only once, Yong-Ho experienced the dungeon combat. The advantage that the defending side had was amazing.


    But Embrio was able to destroy those four powers even without the advantages.


    It was a military strategy that couldn''t be looked down upon and it was a power they shouldn''t look down upon.


    Ophelia felt relieved and happy at the same time when Yong-Ho reacted.


    Her new master wasn''t an immature and emotional being.


    Well, he was the King of Greed after all. She was sure that the king''s position fit him very well.


    Ophelia became motivated, so she resumed her explanation by pointing to the map again.


    "It isn''t an exaggeration to say that with Embrio in the center, the empty southern region has been hit by a typhoon. Embrio''s area and the owners that are located far away are filled with anxiety, which is causing them to either group up or attack a dungeon. There are some in various parts of the region that are known as "Little Embrio" and are causing a stir."


    Ophelia pointed at various parts of the map. Some of the owners that were provoked by Embrio began dungeon battles.


    Foras attacking the House of Mammon was a part of this movement.


    "The empty southern region wasn''t always peaceful. During the past 1,000 years, this kind of issue occurred several times. But no one has been able to unify this region."


    Ophelia raised her head and looked at Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho knew Ophelia was trying to imply something through the information she provided.


    The thing she wanted to say.


    Yong-Ho asked again.


    "What are your thoughts?"


    Embrio''s potential.


    They were probably different from all the other owners.


    Ophelia closed her eyes. Even though it was only for a moment, she organized her thoughts and spoke.


    "I''ve never seen them and only gathered information that I obtained, but...I believe it''s different from all the other times."


    As the one that handled the information, this was what she sensed.


    From yesterday, no, until this morning, Ophelia thought that Embrio was the one that would unify the empty regions after 1,000 years.


    But not now. Because of that, a bright and joyful smile appeared on her face.


    "However, I realized that Embrio is still in the preparation stages. I''m talking about the preparations of unifying the southern empty regions and you, the King of Greed, will achieve this."


    It seemed like her eyes were sparkling. That side of her made him realize that she was the same race as Eligor.


    Ophelia was excited and her voice was filled with energy.


    "If the King of Greed rose up right now, then the owners in the empty southern region will kneel on their own. Embrio is an unworthy opponent compared to you. The empty southern region will be under the House of Mammon''s control again after 1,000 years and it will become the House of Mammon''s greatest era!"


    She stopped talking as she opened her arms.


    Within her sparkling eyes, it seemed like Greed and Aamon were smiling.


    But the ones listening had a different reaction.


    Catalina had an awkward expression and she was neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Rikum looked at Ophelia, wondering if she was fishing for compliments or if she was just crazy. Skull leaned back on the sofa and opened their mouth wide. It seemed like they weren''t thinking about anything.


    Yong-Ho saw Ophelia''s sparkling eyes and slightly turned his head. Even though he couldn''t escape her praise since she was in front of him, he was relaxed enough to release a cough.


    He had an idea.


    He understood why Ophelia had such a big misunderstanding.


    He cleared his throat through the cough and instead of looking at Ophelia, who was looking around with a flustered expression, he looked at Rikum. He spoke in a low, but gentle voice.


    "Rikum. Sorry, but do you mind spending some time downstairs?"


    Yong-Ho gently ordered him to leave and Rikum wasn''t shocked by it. He immediately stood up from his seat and spoke as if he was being considerate.


    "Understood. Thank you for caring, sir. You don''t have to worry too much."


    Rikum wasn''t a spirit that belonged to the House of Mammon, like Catalina and Skull. Yong-Ho and Rikum''s minds never connected like how Yong-Ho and Ophelia''s minds were connected. And they didn''t handle the information either.


    Since it hasn''t been that long since he registered, he understood why Yong-Ho asked him to leave when they were talking about something really important.


    When Yong-Ho nodded his head, Rikum looked at Ophelia. Instead of spacing out, she said everything she needed to say.


    "When you exit, Harpy will lead you to a place where you''ll be able to rest."


    "Then, I will see you in a few."


    Rikum left the room after bowing politely.


    The fact that he sent Rikum out meant that the things they were going to talk about were important. She had a slightly nervous expression on her face. Catalina also gulped.


    Even if it was only for a moment, Yong-Ho and Ophelia mentally shared each other''s feelings.


    He wasn''t sure how much information had been shared during this time, but after seeing her expression, it didn''t seem like much.


    How much was he going to tell Ophelia?


    Yong-Ho quickly made a decision. He was able to decide after considering how much Ophelia currently knew and the things she had to do at the House of Mammon from now on.


    "Ophelia."


    "Yes, King of Greed."


    Ophelia answered seriously. Yong-Ho unsheathed Aamon, who was placed on his belt like a sword, and placed them on top of the glass table.


    "This is Aamon."


    It was slightly quiet.


    Catalina gulped again and looked at Ophelia and Ophelia looked at Aamon with a blank expression. It was a shapeless skewer that was about one meter long and she was trying her best to see how extraordinary it was and then carefully opened her mouth.


    "The shape...is a lot...different...from the legend."


    She tried her best to smile. But Yong-Ho shook his head. He told her the truth.


    "Aamon shrinked themself to match my level."


    The word, shrinked, was very direct. Yong-Ho continued talking.


    "I''m currently growing. And I need time to grow."


    Instead of using the word, weak, he used grow.


    Ophelia blinked her eyes because the things she saw inside Yong-Ho and what Yong-Ho was saying now were different.


    A bitter smile appeared on Yong-Ho''s face. As the one that handled information, Ophelia had to know the House of Mammon''s exact situation, so he was being honest.


    "First."


    "First¡­?"


    "The number of spirits in the House of Mammon is less than 20. That includes you as well."


    ***


    "I''ve been robbed."


    After Yong-Ho left the room, Ophelia spoke after lying down on the sofa.


    Harpy couldn''t suppress her curiosity any longer, so they cautiously called Ophelia.


    "Mas...ter?"


    "I''ve been robbed."


    Ophelia spoke again.


    The House of Mammon''s current situation was really bad.


    They had less than 20 spirits and the money they saved up was almost gone. No, they were actually indebted to the dungeon shop.


    When comparing just the dungeon''s power, it was a lot worse than Foras''s dungeon, who lost their dungeon and main power.


    And Yong-Ho, who was the King of Greed, was weak. There was a high chance that they would get defeated by the powerful owners first before Embrio gets to them.


    At this point, she wondered if the pub''s power was a lot stronger than the House of Mammon''s.


    In a situation like that, she told him that the empty southern region would be unified if he revealed that he was the King of Greed.


    Harpy was surprised by the sensitive words and looked at their master''s expression. They became flustered.


    Ophelia was smiling. And it was a genuine smile too.


    "The King of the South has returned."


    It was definitely shabby and weak.


    But the Greed and Aamon that she saw were real.


    After 1,000 years, he was the demon king that inherited Greed''s power.


    And even the Red Lotus Demon Lance Aamon shrunk on their own to assist them.


    Yong-Ho himself said that he was growing.


    That''s right. There wasn''t any other expression that was fitting.


    And his power.


    The power that he had.


    The Power of Evolution was perfect for a king that was growing!


    Ophelia''s thoughts were wrong.


    But her hunch was on point.


    The revolution that Embrio spoke of will create a new king in the southern region.


    The chaos that they created will provide enough time for growth.


    And the thing that Ophelia had to do for that king.


    First, Greed and Aamon had to be hidden. She had to make the competitors, the kings of the Seven Deadly Sins, think that the House of Mammon was a joke so that they wouldn''t put their guard up.


    It wasn''t hard. A small rumor will make that happen.


    "The Demon King of Fire."


    Ophelia spoke. With a warm smile, she explained to Harpy, who was still flustered.


    "It''s the nickname of the House of Mammon''s new owner. They''re a demon king that can control fire."


    Many from the free city saw him take down the Land Worm with fire. Even though Harpy had a confused look on her face, she just acknowledged like the loyal secretary she was and recorded the information in her notebook that she always carried with her.


    Ophelia stretched her shoulders. And then snickered like a fool.


    ''The House of Mammon will rise again. No matter what.''


    Her father became lively every time they talked about Kaiwan.


    Ophelia shook her head. She always disagreed with that statement after her father passed away but for the first time, she agreed.


    ***


    "Is it okay to return so soon?"


    Catalina was sitting inside the carriage that was heading back to the dungeon and asked worriedly as she looked back at the free city.


    Yong-Ho was sitting next to her and as he leaned further back into the chair, he answered.


    "We took care of everything we needed to. Ophelia will be visiting the dungeon soon. Why? Do you want to rest more?"


    "No. I''m okay."


    Catalina quickly declined. From the way her ears flapped, she was probably flustered because she thought she was getting criticized.


    Yong-Ho patted her head and spoke.


    "We have a lot to do. I need to register the Princess Ant as a spirit and evolve salamander and the Treant. I also need to strengthen the dungeon as well."


    The salamander and Treant''s development rate was almost at 100. Once he returns, he might be able to evolve them.


    Ophelia gave Yong-Ho a two-horse carriage that had a marble attached to it. She also provided him with necessary supplies, a bit of money and information he needed before leaving.


    Bringing the power that the pub had to the dungeon would only make him stand out.


    As of right now, increasing his power discreetly was the best choice.


    Skull was a talented spirit and they were driving the carriage. Rikum followed the carriage by riding on his own horse and Catalina looked at the free city one more time.


    Yong-Ho raised his hand and looked at Kaiwan''s ring and the bracelet he didn''t know the name of.


    Kaiwan''s inheritance.


    And out of their inheritance, the arena was probably the most valuable.


    It was what he told Ophelia.


    Yong-Ho was currently growing.


    "Skullllll!"


    Skull was having fun driving the carriage. Despite the carriage shaking a lot, Yong-Ho closed his eyes.


    The House of Mammon''s dungeon was close.

 59 Private

    Neutrality.


    The act of being fair and not taking sides.


    It was a comforting idea because no one would attack since they were neutral.


    To the weak, neutrality was an idea they could only dream about.


    The strong pressured them to either side either them or the enemy, so this was an exit where they could be freed from it.


    It was the best shield that allowed them to increase their strength peacefully.


    ''Right, it''s like a dream.''


    A powerless neutrality didn''t exist.


    All they had to do was destroy the weak that chose to be neutral.


    Power was required in order to protect neutrality.


    Sharp teeth and claws that even the strong couldn''t ignore and could actually counterattack them.


    The dungeon shop was the only one in the demon world that was neutral.


    No demon king could ignore the dungeon shop''s neutrality. The rulers that had a sin and superhuman strength in the demon world. It also applied to the six kings.


    The most intelligent one within the dungeon shop. Bifrons''s existence was art itself and they were looking at a chessboard and various artwork.


    It was different from an ordinary chessboard. It was a game that Bifrons created and it was called Encantro.


    The game starts with 60 horses and the idea of x, y, z axis was added to it. On top of that, the horses were able to advance in rank and even change and the idea of having support and ambushing the enemy was added to it.


    Since there was about a dozen rules that were added, it was useless to compare the difficulty level to that of ordinary chess.


    The more one plays, the more complicated and difficult it gets, so it''s difficult for someone with an ordinary mind to enjoy this game. In the entire demon world, there were only about 10 people that enjoyed this game. Bifron, the creator of this game, was included in that number.


    But Bifron didn''t care. They created this game so that they could enjoy it. And if this game was revealed to the demon world, then the number of players will probably double. The demon world was that big and there was a variety of races.


    Bifrons looked across.


    Even though the seat was empty, they were able to see someone. A character that they created a long time ago.


    They were Bifrons''s old friend.


    Their old friend made a move. They spoke while looking at Bifrons.


    ''I knew that giving you the nickname ''Most Intelligent'' was too much.''


    Bifrons made their move. They nodded.


    "You''re right. I just like analyzing and I just happen to be talented in calculating. On top of that, I''m using my calculating skills to operate the dungeon shop''s system...I''m probably below average when it comes to scheming and knowing about worldly affairs. No, that''s most likely it."


    ''Samael looked like he had been thinking about a lot of things lately.''


    His friend made a move. With that one move, over 100 different possibilities were created.


    But those possibilities were only within the set rules.


    Instead of making his next move, Bifrons took a step back. He replied as he looked at the entire board.


    "He''s always been like that. He''s probably worried about the balance breaking within the demon world. The conflict between the King of Pride and the King of Envy is something he''s never experienced during his short life."


    His friend didn''t push them to make the next move. He touched his chin. The friend could be considered as Bifrons''s alter ego, but his physical appearance wasn''t the same. Today, he was filled with darkness, making him look like a Nightshade.


    ''Are those two really risking their lives? Do they really want to take away each other''s sin and power?''


    It was a different question of whether the other kings were just going to spectate.


    Bifrons smiled after hearing his friend''s question.


    "Mammon, the King of Greed...in the history of the demon world, he was the strongest and he left a lesson that hasn''t been forgotten."


    He finally made a move. The silhouette of this friend didn''t move. He just moved his eyes within the darkness and looked at the board.


    The soldier killed the knight and took away the sword and shield. In order to rise up to the knight rank, they were looking for a horse.


    Bifrons spoke.


    "The moment they obtain both the sin and power, they''ll become the enemy of the entire demon world."


    The demon world already experienced Mammon, the King of Greed.


    The other kings won''t allow anyone to stand above them ever again.


    ''Does that mean everyone is just a coward? The highest king in the demon world. I know they want to be a god, but are they scared of being the enemy of all the other kings?''


    His friend made a move. It was an impulsive move. This kind of "impulsive" move actually made it difficult for Bifrons.


    Impulse.


    No calculations.


    That''s why it couldn''t be predicted.


    "It was like that all this time. But there''s no law saying that it would remain this way. That''s the nature of the world."


    If everything could be calculated and if everything happened according to that calculation, they would be able to predict the future.


    But in reality, "Laplace''s Demon" didn''t exist.


    Bifrons used impulse to go against impulse. He spoke as he tasted the pleasure of breaking away.


    "I think this balance will last a little bit longer."


    ''Because I''ll have to kiss peace goodbye?''


    "Yeah, it should be so that we can stay in and play with games like this."


    His friend made another move. It was an impulsive move again.


    Bifrons made another impulsive move as well.


    ***


    The advantage of having a carriage was that you could do anything you wanted even while it was moving.


    Catalina was wrapped up in her cape and was asleep. Yong-Ho was next to her and kept on falling asleep and waking up.


    Skull was really skilled at driving the carriage. Despite the fact that the carriage was running on an unpaved road, it didn''t shake as much as when riding a horse. Even if the carriage had a function where it controlled the shaking, his driving skill was amazing.


    ''Maybe he was a driver and not a knight in his past life.''


    It was a common idea in the human world, not in the demon world, but a good knight could become a good leader. It would be difficult for them to become a horseman.


    Yong-Ho glanced out of the window. The landscape was mixed with a variety of different things and looked familiar. It meant that the dungeon wasn''t far.


    ''I do have to make a decision.''


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes again and fixed his posture. He touched his chin and started thinking.


    When he informed Ophelia of the dungeon''s current situation, Rikum was downstairs, not in the room. It''s because he hasn''t told Rikum about Greed and Aamon.


    Greed and Aamon''s existence.


    Hiding it wasn''t hard. There was a high chance that he would continue hiding it from the other spirits.


    ''I need to make sure the others don''t say anything.''


    Catalina, Eligor, Skull and Ophelia were the only ones that knew about Greed, but not Aamon.


    When he first obtained Aamon, the spirits that were with them were the only ones that knew.


    He didn''t think too much about it. The Treant couldn''t talk and the Goblins, Jon and Ron, didn''t even know what Aamon was. There was even a possibility that they had already forgotten.


    Yong-Ho was thinking about something else and not about Greed or Aamon.


    As a demon king, what was he going to do with the Power of Evolution?


    When the Power of Evolution was used, it was considerably noticeable. But if it was only used on himself and on some of the spirits, then its effects would decrease. Especially now when they were short-handed.


    Of course not all demon kings were able to completely hide their power.


    With Foras, the spirits that participated in the fight knew about his power.


    They only knew that it created a cold atmosphere and froze the enemy.


    ''Is there a way to make only a few know about the details and for the rest to have a general idea? Or maybe something else...or lie by saying that I borrowed the power through an artifact.''


    The latter sounded much better.


    On top of that the ''evolution'' could become a motivational factor for the spirits. Just hiding it without any reason wasn''t proper.


    ''Okay.''


    Yong-Ho somewhat made a decision and after opening his eyes, he stuck his head out the window. As expected, he saw the House of Mammon''s entrance.


    ***


    "Welcome back, sir."


    The dungeon meerkat must''ve told everyone because when the carriage reached the entrance, Eligor and the other spirits were all waiting there.


    They looked surprised because the group left with horses, but came back in a carriage. Since Eligor was an experienced butler, he greeted Yong-Ho with a smile.


    Yong-Ho happily looked at the spirits. The spirits that he looked at first were the salamander and Treant.


    He immediately activated the Power of Evolution.


    ''Oh, I knew it!''


    They must''ve either trained or helped with the construction because their development rate was now at 100.


    The development rate didn''t fill up at the same rate. If the spirit was already skilled or experienced the development several times, then the rate slowed down.


    The salamander was already strong when they first met, and despite the fact that it participated in every battle after he obtained it, its development rate was only now at 100.


    Since it took so long to fill it, he should''ve really thought about what kind of skill he was going to develop, but Yong-Ho immediately made his decision. He already thought a lot about it ever since the salamander became his.


    Instead of going into the dungeon, Yong-Ho looked at the salamander and Treant happily, so the other spirits naturally focused on them. The Goblins and the Orcs were watching with interest.


    "Grr?"


    The salamander must''ve been a bit anxious because it let out a nervous sound.


    Yong-Ho came back to his senses after hearing it and smiled again. After raising his hand up, he took out a ring from the pile of items that he received from Ophelia. It was a gold ring that had a complicated message engraved into it, but other than that, it was an ordinary gold ring that didn''t have any functions.


    The way Yong-Ho slid the ring into his middle finger made it seem like he was in a musical. He approached the nervous salamander.


    [Race: Salamander (M)]


    [Type: Monster Spirit (Mid Rank)]


    [Element: Fire - Level 2]


    [Individual Trait]


    [Simple and honest]


    [Individual Skill]


    [Physique / Strength]


    [Development Rate : 100/100]


    [Physique Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï (2)] -\u003e [Advancement route revealed upon development]


    [Agility Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)] -\u003e [Advancement route revealed upon development]


    [Mana Level 2 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Strength Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    This was the salamander''s current stats and it was going to change.


    Yong-Ho placed his hand on top of its head. The salamander nervously closed its eyes and the other spirits, especially the Orcs, gulped and tightened their fists.


    Yong-Ho purposely gathered his mana around the gold ring. He released the mana that contained the Power of Evolution into the salamander''s forehead.


    He chose agility.


    Yong-Ho also closed his eyes. Based on the image that he created in his head, he released more mana.


    Light enveloped the salamander. Because of the large amount of mana, the Orcs were close to passing out and Rikum kept on gulping. The spirits that had already experienced the Power of Evolution before watched excitedly.


    "Roaaaar!"


    The salamander roared. And at the same time, the strong light disappeared as if it exploded.


    And then it was revealed.


    It was different from before. The ordinary-looking lizard was no longer there.


    Its legs were longer. It now looked more like a Griffon than a lizard and similar to an amphibian, its smooth head was now covered in scales and it also had a shell. Moreover, a horn that wasn''t there before had now appeared, making it look like it was wearing a stylish helmet.


    But that wasn''t the biggest change. The other spirits were all looking at that one area as well.


    Large wings.


    They were red wings and looked similar to a bat''s wings. The salamander later realized that it had wings and its eyes widened due to the shock.


    Out of all the evolutions in the past, this one had the greatest change.


    "Whew."


    There was such a large change because Yong-Ho had used a lot of mana. After releasing a deep sigh, he took a step back. After taking a look at the salamander''s entire body, he looked through its stats.


    [Race: Salamander (M)]


    [Type: Monster Spirit (Mid Rank)]


    [Element: Fire - Level 2]


    [Individual Trait]


    [Simple and honest]


    [Individual Skill]


    [Physique / Strength / Agility]


    [Development Rate : 0/100]


    [Physique Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Agility Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Mana Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Strength Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Salamander - Assault Type] | [Salamander - Swift Type]


    The new route that appeared was significant. When Yong-Ho lightly touched the window of light, a new silhouette appeared above the salamander.


    The assault type made it look more aggressive while the swift type looked like it would become much faster than it was now.


    ''It might really become a dragon.''


    Feeling satisfied, Yong-Ho took a few steps back and kept his distance. The salamander was looking at him with a flustered expression, so Yong-Ho smiled and pointed towards the sky.


    It was obvious what he was trying to say.


    ''You can fly now since you have wings!''


    Yong-Ho thought that a chicken or an ostrich might become sad if they heard it, so he pointed to the sky again. The salamander must''ve made up its mind because suddenly its expression changed and it nodded its head. After flapping its wings, it quickly crawled on top of the hill, located above the dungeon entrance.


    Everyone looked at the salamander.


    The salamander looked at the sky and started to run as if its mind was set. It suddenly threw its body towards the bottom of the hill.


    "Fly!"


    Someone yelled. And the salamander reacted to it. It flapped its wings and created a fire. It flew within the remnants of the fire.


    The Goblins jumped up and down excitedly. The Princess Ant reacted to it as well and the Kobold couldn''t stay still as he barked excitedly.


    And the salamander turned around. The fire spirit created a red path in the demon world''s sky and after creating a strong wind, it landed back on the ground.


    Was this the end? No. He wasn''t planning on just sending them away after the salamander got a taste of flying. After making a cheerful sound, Yong-Ho shook his head.


    The salamander reacted to his hand movement and Yong-Ho quickly reacted. Before Catalina or Eligor had the opportunity to comment, Yong-Ho sat on the salamander''s back. Its spine was sticking out like a handle, so he tightly grabbed onto it.


    ''But why did something like this appear? Did I affect its evolution because I thought about riding it?''


    If that was the case, then he felt bad, but Yong-Ho stopped thinking about it. After feeling satisfied by how nice the handle felt, he yelled.


    "Let''s fly!"


    The salamander reacted. Instead of climbing up the hill, it now just flapped its wings. After releasing its flames once again, it soared up towards the sky.


    Private plane. No, a private dragon!


    If his friends heard him say that, they would start to cringe. But Yong-Ho laughed out loud thinking about the ridiculousness of it. He looked far ahead while feeling pleasure from the thrill.


    The demon world''s sky.


    And the demon world''s ground.


    The flow of mana that looked like it was swirling.


    A cool wind blew through all of that.


    The wind was blowing from the other side of the demon world.

 60 Private 2

    Flying through the sky while riding the salamander had an incredible feeling.


    He wanted to continue flying like this forever.


    But it was obvious that the salamander was tiring.


    It simply wasn''t used to flying yet and the evolution process itself had used up a lot of its stamina.


    The salamander lowered itself and returned to the dungeon entrance and rather than being selfish, Yong-Ho decided to let the salamander rest for a while.


    The salamander landed on the ground. Since it didn''t have any experience flying, it landed quite roughly, but no one really cared.


    The Orcs were the first ones to clap and then some of the spirits followed and clapped as well.


    The salamander must''ve felt embarrassed because it groaned and then shook its head.


    Yong-Ho patted the salamander on the back and then got off. Since a handle was already there, if he could get a nice saddle from somewhere, then it would be perfect.


    ''But.''


    Because of his excitement, there was something that he missed.


    Was it too much?


    He wasn''t referring to the salamander''s evolution. He was talking about the fact that he had evolved the salamander outside of the dungeon.


    Because she observed around the House of Mammon''s dungeon, she realized that Yong-Ho was the owner.


    The fact that Ophelia knew what Catalina looked like was a big hint.


    The other owners and the pub''s information agents closely observed Foras''s dungeon, so they knew that Foras wasn''t coming back.


    Yong-Ho turned around.


    Ophelia said that other than her, there wasn''t anyone else that was watching around the House of Mammon''s dungeon.


    She was able to watch them through the artifact that her father left. He left it in an alleyway within the House of Mammon in case Kaiwan returned.


    Since the dungeon entrance and the area around it were protected by mana, installing a monitoring magic or artifact was difficult. Those that monitored the area were usually spirits, like the Dungeon Meerkat, that monitor and sense the surroundings.


    ''I don''t think there was anyone that saw it, but¡­''


    But it was a bit overboard. It was something he had to refrain from doing next time.


    ''I need to be more careful''


    When Yong-Ho turned back around, he noticed that the spirits were looking at him, so he smiled awkwardly.


    Their eyes were really sparkling.


    Catalina was looking at the salamander with an uncomfortable expression and it seemed like she wanted to ride it, but was stopping herself from asking. The way her tail and ears were drooping looked cute, but at the same time, he felt bad.


    The Orcs excitedly talked about how everything that the Goblins said were true and the Goblins and Kobold were busy jumping around. Skull also cheered while waving around his hammer.


    But among them, the Treant was the most excited.


    ''The Treant is aware of it.''


    The fact that it was next.


    Yong-Ho turned around again. And he thought that using the power again wouldn''t hurt since he''d already done it once, so he approached the Treant.


    When Yong-Ho got closer to the Treant, the other spirits closed their mouths and looked at the both of them. The spirits looked like spectators watching a magic show.


    Yong-Ho slightly glanced over. The Princess Ant, who was standing next to the Kobold, was blinking her eyes. Even though it had only been a couple of days, it seemed like she had developed emotions.


    He couldn''t push back on registering her as a spirit. But today would end with Treant''s evolution.


    "Okay. Don''t be nervous and just relax."


    As it relaxed, the Treant''s branches stopped shaking. Yong-Ho raised his left hand again so that the spirits could see it clearly. Yong-Ho used the Power of Evolution to look at the Treant''s stats.


    [Race: Treant (M)]


    [Type: Monster Spirit (Low Rank)]


    [Element: Earth Level 1]


    [Individual Trait]


    [Naive]


    [Individual Skill]


    [Vines / Stamina]


    [Development Rate: 100/100]


    [Vines (Tentacles) Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)] -\u003e Advancement route revealed upon development


    [Stamina Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Agility Level 0 | ¡ï (1)]


    Since it was originally a Rank Two spirit and had only evolved once, it was a lot weaker than the salamander in many ways.


    Yong-Ho had already thought about the Treant''s development route, so he chose Vines without hesitation.


    Light enveloped the Treant this time too. The Treant''s silhouette transformed within the light and the other spirits stopped breathing and focused on the Treant.


    The light disappeared. Yong-Ho released a long sigh and pulled back his hand that was on top of the Treant''s body. He took a few steps back and examined its entire body.


    Its body grew bigger and the number of vines increased. It was safe to say that there was around twice as many.


    The spirits excitedly clapped this time too.


    But after evolving, the Treant looked at itself for a moment and with a sad face, its vines fell to the floor.


    It seemed like it was expecting to obtain wings too.


    ''I''m sorry. That''s impossible.''


    Even though the salamander had obtained wings it previously didn''t have, he thought that change was possible because it was within an acceptable range.


    But he couldn''t imagine wings appearing on a tree and giving it the ability to fly.


    Yong-Ho tapped the Treant''s vines as if he was telling it to cheer up and then looked at the advancement route.


    [Treant - Assault Type] | [Treant - Defensive Type]


    Both of them looked slow as usual, but the assault type had pine cones along with the vines and also thorns. For the defensive type, the leaves were bigger and thicker.


    After checking the advancement route, Yong-Ho looked back at Eligor. He walked into the House of Mammon''s dungeon along with the spirits.


    ***


    "Seriously! Why didn''t you come in when you arrived?!"


    "Did you do that to worry me?"


    "But you''re back safe and sound."


    Lucia greeted Yong-Ho by making a fuss in the beginning and then talking softly afterwards.


    The way she acted was pretty cute, so after he chuckled like Skull, he looked around the dungeon entrance room. Even though they had reorganized a large part of the dungeon, there wasn''t a big change to the entrance room.


    "We''ve finished reorganizing the inside passageway, like you''ve instructed. We''re currently reinstalling the traps and building the workshop."


    Eligor explained after reading Yong-Ho''s mind. Yong-Ho nodded his head and looked at the ceiling. He spoke as he waved his finger into the air.


    "Lucia, is it possible to register the Princess Ant as a spirit now?"


    "It''s possible."


    "From the way you acted outside, it seems like you''re in a hurry today, Master."


    "I''m not done. I have a present for you too."


    Lucia didn''t reply right away. If she was a human, she would probably be blinking her eyes in excitement.


    "A present for me?"


    "You brought me a present?"


    "Let''s start the registration. Support me."


    Yong-Ho spoke slowly as if he was trying to change the subject and then looked at the Kobold and the Princess Ant. When Yong-Ho lightly waved his hand, the Kobold understood and immediately brought the Princess Ant in front of him.


    Yong-Ho imagined Lucia pouting with an unsatisfied look. That''s what she must''ve been doing because she spoke in a slightly sulky tone.


    "Preparations are complete. Please begin."


    "Like I''ve mentioned before, registering the Princess Ant as a spirit will take a lot more mana than usual."


    "Please keep that in mind."


    She must''ve created a line between public and private matters because her voice was calm again.


    After nodding his head, he placed his hand on top of the Princess Ant''s head.


    Because she saw what happened outside, she slightly flinched, but then closed her eyes and didn''t push back his hand.


    Like Lucia warned earlier, the amount of mana that it took to register them was similar to when he evolved the salamander.


    The Princess Ant groaned and a white magic circle appeared on her forehead.


    "The registration is complete. The Princess Ant is now the House of Mammon''s spirit."


    "Whew."


    When looking at the amount of mana he had consumed, it was like he had evolved a spirit three times, so he let out a deep sigh and pulled his hand back. The Princess Ant then opened her eyes and after looking at herself, a disappointed look appeared on her face as her shoulders dropped. She probably thought she was going to transform.


    Yong-Ho patted her head. Maybe it''s because she had now been registered, but he felt closer to her.


    And it was the same for the Princess Ant. She was like an inanimate object before and now was starting to show a bit of emotion.


    ''Let me push my limit a bit more.''


    The spirit registration felt like an annual event.


    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution.


    [Race: Crazy Ant (F)]


    [Position: Princess Ant]


    [Type: Monster Spirit (Low Rank)]


    [Element: Coldness - Level 0]


    [Individual Trait]


    [Innocent]


    [Individual Skill]


    [Charm / Mana]


    [Evolution Rate : 0/100]


    [Charm Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Emotion Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Mana Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Stamina Level 0 | ¡ï (1)]


    [Attribute Strengthening Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    ''Good.''


    Yong-Ho touched the window of light that displayed the evolution route. There was a faint silhouette above the Princess Ant''s body, but none of them showed any dramatic changes. It just felt like when a 10 year old turned a year older.


    ''Will there be a Queen Ant advancement when she becomes an adult?''


    "Usually, the Princess Ant needs anywhere from a few years to over a decade in order to become a Queen Ant."


    "Since she''s lost her colony, there''s a possibility that she might choose to grow quickly in order to create a new one."


    ''I wonder.''


    Yong-Ho nodded his head and looked at the Princess Ant again. After lowering himself so that he could be on the same level as her, he spoke.


    "I look forward to working with you. Starting today, your name is Yuria."


    Maybe it''s the effects of the spirit registration, but it felt like the Princess Ant actually understood what he said. Even in the spirit list, Yuria was added to it.


    The Kobold, who was always accompanying the Princess Ant, barked as he jumped around. It seemed like he was congratulating her, but at the same time, it was like he was signaling Yong-Ho to give him a name as well.


    ''How about Spot or Puppy?''


    It might be too much to name all the spirits that he was going to register from now on, but he felt that he should at least give the Treant and the salamander a name.


    ''For the salamander, maybe Lamborghini, Diablo or Porsche...no, that''s a bit too much. Maybe Salami?''


    Anyways, he decided to think about it later. He had to discuss with Eligor regarding the things that happened at the free city and he had to understand the new dungeon layout.


    After Eligor dismissed the spirits, Yong-Ho spoke with a relaxed expression.


    "I know it''s a bit late, but it worked out great."


    "It seems that way."


    Eligor smiled warmly. Yong-Ho gathered Eligor, Catalina and Skull and walked towards the inner part of the dungeon. After checking how the passageways have been reorganized on the dungeon map, he asked a question.


    "Where''s the Dwarf now?"


    The Dwarf had manufacturing skills and in the future they would be in charge of the workshop.


    Eligor answered Yong-Ho''s question with a warm smile.


    "Of course they''re in the prison."


    Why did he say "of course" in the beginning?


    Yong-Ho asked again with a confused look.


    "Just out of curiosity, you didn''t torture them, right?"


    A sulky expression appeared on Eligor''s face and Yong-Ho released a sigh of relief.

 61 Kaiwan’s Journal

    While Yong-Ho was in the free city, the House of Mammon was going through major reorganization, so the passageways and the facilities had changed a lot.


    That was why, as they were walking towards the prison, Eligor was busy explaining the new layout.


    "This is a single path that has the dungeon''s first defense facility. Since we were so focused on making the length of the winding road longer, we missed the fact that the walls between the passageway became weak. To fix that, we fixed the thickness of the walls between the roads so that an entire room is almost able to fit in."


    Since most of the inactivated rooms were completely empty, it''s natural for it to be weak against Wall Break.


    After he turned the corner on the newly reorganized passageway, he noticed that the walls between the passageway were stronger than before. As they filled the inactivated rooms, they created strong walls.


    But that didn''t mean they filled every room. In order to use the same tactics they used before in the activated rooms, they left some of the inactivated rooms empty.


    Unless the enemy had the ability to see through walls, it would be impossible for them to tell the difference between filled rooms and empty rooms.


    ''I feel like someone like that will appear later on though.''


    Magic existed within the demon world. ''See Through'' magic would be useful and it probably did exist.


    But that was something he could think about later. And even if someone did have that magic, it would be difficult for them to break through a wall that was several meters thick.


    "We''re planning on installing the traps that you purchased from the dungeon shop in the passageway. We also created a guard post in a corner so that those that are on guard duty can rest."


    Since they were near a corner, Eligor opened a door that was attached to the wall. It was a small room that could fit two, maybe three guards. There was a makeshift bed and some chairs.


    The Orcs that were already in the room stood up from their seats and showed their respect to Yong-Ho. They were armed with the weapons that they didn''t sell to the Dungeon Market.


    Before, there were three corners and now, there was only one corner. Even though the passageway was shorter than before, they didn''t have to worry about the walls breaking like before.


    As they walked down the path, a large room that was probably the size of five rooms appeared.


    Eligor spoke again.


    "It''s the first interception area that you requested for. It will be empty and while the enemy is delayed on the passageway, the spirits will be placed here."


    The interception area wasn''t just a large room. It was still incomplete since it was created based on the dungeon''s defense, but there were traps installed within the room. It felt like they created a small castle inside the room.


    "Since the Treant is the only spirit that tends to remain in one spot, that''s where it''ll be standing. And you might also know this, but...the Treant is currently returning."


    Since the Treant''s movement was slow, despite the group looking thoroughly at the passageway, it still hadn''t reached the group.


    Catalina smiled awkwardly and Skull stood on top of the magic circle with his arms spread out. It was as if he was trying to act like the Treant.


    After passing the first interception room, an intersection appeared.


    A dungeon was an "unknown space" for the enemy. Because of that, having a slightly winding road can confuse the enemy and it can even lead them to split up.


    If they made the dungeon an actual maze, then it would make it difficult for them to live there, but creating a winding road would increase the dungeon''s defense.


    Eligor was standing in the middle of the intersection and pointed both left and right.


    "With you in the center, the right leads to the warehouse. The warehouse is located on both sides of the passageway. It''s filled with wood and stone, which will be useless to the attackers."


    Yong-Ho just nodded his head. He did ask Eligor to fill it with items that the enemy would find useless and it seemed like Eligor took care of it.


    "The road on the left is just a long passage. We can install something new later...For the spirits that are part of the intercepting group, I created a room where they''ll be able to drink water and also use the restroom."


    It meant that the real road that leads to the inner part of the dungeon was just a straight passage.


    ''Hm, I did order it, but I feel a bit nervous.''


    When people are confronted by a situation they have no information on, they usually have the same reaction each time.


    If they were to choose between one and two, they would usually choose one or if they were at an intersection, they would usually go straight.


    If our purpose was to confuse the enemy, even if we have to twist the path more, shouldn''t one of the paths connect with the real path?


    ''Well, it can be fixed later.''


    Instead of looking at both sides, he walked forward. Even though he should''ve thoroughly looked through the dungeon, he had to go to the prison.


    As he moved ahead, the second interception room appeared. The size was similar to the previous one, but it seemed more like a vacant lot.


    "As of right now, the second interception room is the final defense line. We''re thinking about adding more defense mechanisms based on your orders, sir."


    They planned this dungeon reorganization for a long time. Since there''ll be a lot more fighting spirits later on, so it was only right to create a lot of interception rooms like this.


    When they passed the room, their living spaces finally appeared. The spirit''s dormitory and storage were located on the left and right side of the intersection.


    They created two dormitories because of the spirits that will join later on, but it was also made to separate the Orcs and the Goblins'' resting area.


    There''s nothing more important than sleeping well. Also, the dormitory had to be a place where the spirits could comfortably rest after working hard all day.


    Even though he hadn''t seen the Orcs bother the Goblins, the two races had different personalities and tasks. It was better to provide separate spaces before there were any issues.


    Near the storage, the restroom, a drinking fountain and a cafeteria for the spirits were located.


    ''I should hire a cook as well.''


    Even though he instructed them to build it, the cafeteria and the kitchen were pretty big. Out of all the spirits in the House of Mammon, about a dozen spirits actually had "meals."


    He couldn''t just let Eligor prepare food for that many spirits. Yong-Ho felt the need to hire a professional cook sometime soon.


    ''So that''s why there''s a lot of employees at a mansion.''


    Yong-Ho recalled the British films that showed the lives of 19th century nobles and nodded his head.


    Even though there wasn''t much, Eligor was happy just looking at the large kitchen and when they moved on, he continued guiding Yong-Ho.


    When they passed the second intersection, there was a third interception room that hadn''t yet been installed and empty spaces that would be used later on.


    After stopping at a crossroad, Eligor spoke.


    "If you continue down this path, a passageway that''s connected to the throne room will appear. It''s a crossroad and it won''t just appear like before. If you go to a different crossroad, a passageway that connects to the armory, gold mine, a storage for the gold and a bathhouse will appear."


    Catalina, who was quiet all this time, became excited when she heard ''bathhouse''. He knew how she was feeling just from looking at the way her tail wagged.


    Instead of Eligor guiding him to it, he just explained it because Yong-Ho urgently had to visit the prison.


    Following Eligor, Yong-Ho entered the passageway where the prison and torture room was located.


    When they entered, Eligor''s face became lively. Since it was a newly built prison, the usual heavy and dirty smell wasn''t there. Yong-Ho took a deep breath as if the air was different here.


    Like the other facilities, the prison was also big as well.


    They split the one prison into four rooms. They placed all the rooms on one side of the wall so that the prisoners couldn''t see each other and the torture room was located across from them. It was Eligor''s dream palace.


    Eligor opened the door to the first cell.


    Inside the clean cell, a hairy Dwarf was lying on the ground. Yong-Ho looked at him from the entrance and then turned his attention to Eligor.


    "I thought you said you didn''t torture him."


    "I swear on Master Mammon that I didn''t. They were like that from the start."


    Yong-Ho looked at the Dwarf again.


    Besides the fact that he didn''t have any energy, his eyes looked as dead as a fish. He didn''t move even when someone walked into the room which seemed unusual.


    "He''s not...dead, is he?"


    "He''s not. He must''ve given up out of despair. If possible, I recommend returning them."


    Eligor whispered.


    Yong-Ho didn''t answer right away and started organizing his thoughts.


    Most of the spirits that he purchased from the Dungeon Market were simple.


    The Goblins liked Yong-Ho and the House of Mammon because he had evolved them, gave them food and a place to sleep. For the Treant, having a place to plant its roots was enough.


    The Golems were inanimate from the beginning and even though Yong-Ho didn''t know what Skull was thinking, he seemed happy.


    Even though Eligor and Catalina were spirits, they were originally a part of the House of Mammon and they were proud of that.


    The newly recruited Orcs were free spirits, not servants. Even though they were kind of forced to join because they lost the battle, they weren''t dissatisfied with the current situation.


    But the Dwarf inside the cell was different.


    According to the information that he read at the time of purchase, the Dwarf wasn''t even born in the demon world. Like Yong-Ho, he was born in a different world and after losing a dungeon battle with a demon king, he became their servant.


    Yong-Ho used his imagination.


    The warriors he had fought alongside had all died.


    After barely surviving, he was then thrown into an unfamiliar world and because he became a servant, he was then sold to different places.


    It was a really depressing thought. There were probably people that would just follow along, but like Eligor stated, he probably gave up and became disabled.


    ''But.''


    He wasn''t going to give up right away.


    On top of that, in the list of spirits that Sitri personally picked out, the word, "Recommended" was written on top of the Dwarf.


    Of course there was no guarantee that Sitri helped without expecting anything back from the House of Mammon. But when he thought about their relationship, she probably wasn''t recommending a useless, disabled spirit just to get rid of him.


    Yong-Ho walked inside of the prison. Catalina changed to her fighting stance in case something unexpected happened and even though Skull was dragging himself along, he didn''t leave Yong-Ho''s side.


    Even though Yong-Ho walked closer to him, the Dwarf didn''t move at all. Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution. The information displayed before and after registering was different.


    [Name: Bugrim]


    [Race: Dwarf (M)]


    [Class: Not a demon]


    [Element: Earth Level 3 | Fire Level 4]


    [Individual Trait]


    [Simple-Minded / Diligent / Suspicious]


    [Individual Skill]


    [Stamina / Mana / Talent]


    [Development Rate : 0/100]


    [Stamina Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Strength Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2)]


    [Mana | - ] - Damaged | Upon development, a greater development rate is required


    [Talent Level 5 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    Before registering, part of the stats and level didn''t show, so Yong-Ho just blinked his eyes.


    It was high. They had potential and most of his stats were already well-developed.


    Bugrim, the Dwarf, had outstanding skills.


    ''His talent is level five?''


    It was a level he had never seen before. Even Yong-Ho''s mana was just level four.


    Just from his stats, it was obvious why Sitri recommended him.


    ''Now the question is, what do I need to do to motivate him?''


    Yong-Ho looked at the stats again. He looked between the "damaged" mana and the mana that was showing under Individual Skill.


    Yong-Ho tried to recall the Dungeon Market''s short introduction he had read when he purchased Bugrim.


    "A Dwarf from another world."


    "He was part of the party that invaded the dungeon of a demon king, Aiduson''s dungeon. The dungeon was connected to the other world."


    "All of the members of the party were killed."


    "Aiduson sold him to the dungeon shop and according to their description, the Dwarves that exist in his hometown are very skilled at creating weapons. They''re more skilled than the Dwarves in this world."


    "The Dwarves that were from the same world confirmed this product."


    Compared to his skill, he was sold at a pretty low price.


    He became a disabled servant after the dungeon fight.


    Dead eyes.


    The same race confirmed that he could create magic weapons.


    Yong-Ho lowered himself. He spoke as he looked at Bugrim.


    "You''re unable to use your mana. I don''t think it''s completely impossible for me to heal you."


    It was more like he was talking to himself.


    But within that moment, Bugrim''s eyes started to shake. The light of expectation was filled within his dead eyes, even if it was just a little bit.


    Yong-Ho looked at Bugrim again.


    This time, Bugrim turned his head and looked back at Yong-Ho.

 62 Kaiwan’s Journal 2

    Yong-Ho didn''t rush.


    The importance of playing hard to get didn''t just apply to people in romantic relationships.


    "My name is Chun Yong-Ho and I''m the owner of the House of Mammon. You''ll be working here from now on."


    Bugrim didn''t reply immediately to his introduction. Yong-Ho wasn''t skilled at reading another person''s feelings, but even he was able to tell that Bugrim was feeling anxious, but he sat up nevertheless.


    He hesitated for a moment but showed respect towards Yong-Ho.


    It was a better reaction than when he was just laying still like a rock, but Yong-Ho wasn''t satisfied.


    Eligor approached Yong-Ho and whispered to him.


    "After he stepped out of the spirit preservation box, he hasn''t said a word. It could be that he doesn''t know how to talk."


    The "World-Class Magic" made it possible for them to communicate with each other and Bugrim didn''t have any issues understanding Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho was going to ask whether he could talk or not, but decided not to.


    Bugrim''s bearded face looked pretty calm, but his eyes told a different story.


    Different emotions were mixed together. Even in his current condition, Bugrim didn''t ask whether his mana could be recovered. There was a possibility that he couldn''t talk.


    Yong-Ho spoke calmly.


    "We''re currently building your very own workshop. If you provide good results, you''ll be rewarded for it."


    He purposely let him imagine it.


    Instead of telling him exactly what he was going to do, he let Bugrim think about it.


    Bugrim gulped. Since they were inside a quiet prison, the sound of him gulping was really quite loud.


    Yong-Ho spoke again.


    "We''ll probably move you to a dorm in the workshop tomorrow. Until then, I would like it if you stayed here, even if it''s a bit uncomfortable. I''ll take my leave."


    When Yong-Ho finished talking, Bugrim stood up from his seat and looked at Yong-Ho desperately. Instead of saying something, Yong-Ho nodded his head once and exited the prison.


    Bugrim was probably busy thinking about different things.


    Yong-Ho couldn''t guarantee that this was the best for him. But it was a lot better than lying down with dead eyes.


    Yong-Ho didn''t stop walking after he exited the prison cell. After closing the hallway door that led to the prison, he stopped and looked back at Eligor and Catalina.


    Eligor read Yong-Ho''s mind and asked first.


    "Does the Dwarf have issues with his mana?"


    "Probably. Do you happen to know anything about Dwarves? That Dwarf...about the Dwarves from a different world that Bugrim was a part of."


    "Hm...so his name was Bugrim."


    That was Eligor''s reaction after hearing the Dwarf''s name for the first time. It seemed like he didn''t know much about Dwarves.


    "Catalina?"


    "I...there''s something that I heard from the previous guard. Since there''s an issue with his mana...it probably is about the Dwarf race that I heard about."


    Yong-Ho signaled her to continue on and Catalina cleared her throat. She spoke after gulping.


    "In the other world, I heard that there''s a race that has an engine that produces and manages the mana. Like the Land Worm that you took down, instead of gathering mana into one area, they have an engine that creates and releases mana. It''s like a heart that produces blood."


    "So, if that engine fails, does that mean they''re unable to use mana?"


    "Yes, that''s what I heard. For ordinary demons like us, even if our core has been damaged, we can still use mana even if it''s been weakened. And if we''re given plenty of time, we can recover our mana. But, for the race that I mentioned, if that engine no longer works, then they''re unable to use mana. If I were to make a comparison...it''s like losing hands and feet that used tools."


    "I wonder. Is it like diaphragmatic breathing that appears in martial arts novels?"


    "Master?"


    When Yong-Ho mumbled to himself, Catalina blinked her eyes in confusion.


    Yong-Ho vaguely answered her.


    "It''s similar to what you just said. Anyways...if what Catalina had said is true, then it makes sense."


    Because the lower abdomen was damaged, he couldn''t use mana.


    ''Did he want to give up not only because he had lost his comrades and was later sold as a slave but also because he had lost his mana?''


    He couldn''t forget about the description about how he specialized in creating items that had mana in them.


    For Bugrim, losing his mana was probably the same thing as losing his life.


    ''All his life, he was forced to walk this road¡­ of course it was possible for him to feel that way. Was it the same thing as losing the will to live¡­?''


    It could be just his dramatic imagination. But instead of denying it, he recalled Bugrim''s emotional eyes.


    ''A life with no meaning.''


    In that case, what was Yong-Ho living for?


    Was it to grow the dungeon as much as possible?


    If not that, then was it possible to revive the House of Mammon?


    Struggling to live.


    He didn''t feel that way. He believed that he was pursuing something more than that.


    When Yong-Ho remained silent for a while, Eligor signaled Catalina with his eyes and when Catalina saw how Skull was rolling on the ground, she pursed her lips. She carefully called Yong-Ho.


    "Master?"


    "Oh, right. Uh. Okay. I think there''s a possibility that it may be similar to what Catalina said."


    Yong-Ho erased the thoughts that filled his head. Eligor asked in a low voice again.


    "With your power¡­"


    "Yeah, probably. It might be a possible cure for him."


    If that wasn''t the case, then there would be a sign that said evolving them was impossible.


    On top of that, the advancement had somewhat of a curing effect on the body. It might be possible to cure them through such an advancement.


    "Dwarves are known to be suspicious and have trouble trusting others. But once they trust someone, they carry that trust with them even through death."


    Yong-Ho nodded at Catalina''s comment. If Yong-Ho could really treat his mana, then Bugrim will most likely become as loyal as Catalina or Eligor.


    ''Now that I think about it.''


    Yong-Ho smiled when he looked back at Catalina and Eligor. The two spirits were confused by Yong-Ho''s sudden smile, but he rushed them out of the prison.


    ***


    After leaving the prison, there wasn''t much to explain.


    Eligor was standing in the hallway and spoke while pointing to the throne room that was connected to the Heart of the Dungeon.


    "Your bedroom and Catalina''s bedroom are connected to the throne room just like before."


    Eligor looked like he didn''t really want to guide him there, so Yong-Ho decided to pass on it. It''s because they were planning on looking at the newly reorganized gold mine, armory and workshop. They were the dungeon''s core areas.


    But when Yong-Ho turned his back towards the throne room.


    "Cough, cough."


    "Cough!"


    "Cough, cough, cough!"


    Lucia, who had been quiet before now, started making noises.


    Despite the fact that she didn''t have vocal chords, she was coughing, so it was probably important.


    Why was she coughing all of a sudden?


    After tilting his head, he realized it. Yong-Ho chuckled and shook his head.


    ''Still a kid.''


    The present that Yong-Ho promised.


    ''Is she just a little girl?''


    In his mind, she was still a little girl. She probably didn''t know how Yong-Ho was feeling because Lucia rushed him again.


    "Cough!"


    "Cough!"


    Yong-Ho thought about teasing her a bit longer, but he turned around. Catalina, Eligor and Skull couldn''t hear Lucia, so he took them along with him to the throne room.


    The throne room looked exactly the same as before. That was why Yong-Ho was able to confidently walk to the secret door that led to the Heart of the Dungeon and open it.


    "Oh my, you''re here."


    She shyly spoke despite the fact that she was begging him to come before.


    Yong-Ho was already tired from his encounter with Bugrim earlier, so instead of playing jokes on her, he went straight to the point. After standing in front of the Heart of the Dungeon, he raised a pouch that was on his belt.


    "Thump, thump."


    "Thump, thump."


    Lucia quietly imitated the sound of a heartbeat. It seemed like she had high expectations.


    Even though he was feeling burdened, Yong-Ho took out the item that was inside of the pouch.


    "A lump of...mana?"


    It was the Worm Stone.


    "I heard that the Heart of the Dungeon grows by absorbing a spirit or mana. I haven''t given you a proper spirit to absorb yet...think of it as a delicacy and accept it."


    His instincts told him what to do. Or, it could be that Lucia sent him a sign since they were mentally connected.


    Yong-Ho placed the Worm Stone in front of the Heart of the Dungeon. And the hard Worm Stone became soft like jelly and the Worm Stone was absorbed. Absorbed was the perfect word.


    Since this was his first time, Yong-Ho nervously looked at it. Catalina and Eligor also stopped breathing as they watched the Heart of the Dungeon.


    "Skullllll!"


    The moment that Skull yelled out, a bright light was released from the Heart of the Dungeon.


    "It''s delicious!"


    Lucia yelled. Her voice was filled with joy.


    "It''s good! It feels like a large portion of the mana for my next growth has been filled!"


    "Thank you, Master."


    It didn''t seem like she was lying just to make Yong-Ho feel good.


    Yong-Ho was relieved and a smile appeared on his face. It felt like he was finally finishing the task that he had begun in the free city.


    But Yong-Ho realized that he was mistaken.


    It''s because Catalina, who was smiling along with Yong-Ho, and Eligor, who was surprised by the Worm Stone, were the only ones left.


    "Now that I think about it, I did procrastinate a bit."


    After asking Skull and Catalina to bring chairs, he sat in front of Eligor. He was suddenly envious of the sofas that were in Ophelia''s office.


    ''I should buy one the next time I visit the Dungeon Market.''


    But that would be later.


    Yong-Ho focused on Eligor. He explained the things that happened in the free city.


    "Wow, it''s surprising that Ophelia was the owner of the pub."


    That was Eligor''s first comment after listening to Yong-Ho. This time, Yong-Ho asked because he was confused.


    "Do you know Ophelia?"


    Eligor was a spirit that joined the House of Mammon when the owner from two generations ago was alive. The moment they had a new owner, Ophelia''s father left the House of Mammon, so they probably never had the chance to meet face-to-face. Or did they meet for a short time when her father was making preparations to leave?


    Eligor looked like he didn''t know what to say because he hesitated for a moment.


    "I do know her, but only through documents. She was on the list of spirits when the owner from two generations ago was alive."


    "I''ve also heard a lot about Ophelia''s father, Endelyon, from the previous guard. They said that he was the strongest spirit under Kaiwan."


    Catalina spoke after Eligor.


    If she was able to become the owner of a pub that was part of one section of the free city, then it meant that she was definitely strong. She might be stronger than he was.


    ''Ophelia definitely didn''t look weak.''


    Even though the free city was a lawless city, it didn''t seem like she was able to keep that position just because she was the daughter of Kaiwan''s guard.


    It could be that the "Red Demon" was a race that was highly specialized in combat, like he had originally assumed.


    Eligor spoke again.


    "I remember her because we''re the same race, but...ha ha...you''re really amazing for being able to obtain the free city''s pub owner as a spirit. It''s a big blessing for the House of Mammon."


    The most valuable thing that the pub had was information. The reason why he even went out of the dungeon was to obtain information.


    After telling Eligor that Ophelia was going to visit the dungeon soon, he headed towards the Heart of the Dungeon''s room and went straight to his bedroom. There were a few rooms that he wanted to check, but he was filled with exhaustion while he was sitting down, so he desperately wanted to rest.


    Since all the urgent tasks had been taken care of, Eligor left after saying he would find Yong-Ho when it was time to eat. Catalina also left to her room after respectfully bowing to Yong-Ho.


    Now that Yong-Ho was alone, he lied down on top of the familiar and comfortable straw bed.


    It really felt like he was back "home."


    ''Home.''


    He recalled the thoughts he had when he saw Bugrim.


    The head of the House of Mammon.


    The owner of the dungeon.


    Even though Yong-Ho closed his eyes, he opened them a minute later. He must''ve been filled with motivation, because he couldn''t stay down.


    Yong-Ho took out the demon world''s alphabet chart that Eligor made from the jacket he took off. After opening an old alphabet book on the desk, he grabbed the most important item that was in the Heart of the Dungeon.


    The owner from three generations ago.


    Kaiwan''s journal. The Demon King of Distortion.


    Yong-Ho opened the first page. He began translating it.

 63 Kaiwan’s Inheritance

    There are many types of power.


    When people mention power, many think of physical strength.


    An overwhelming violence that lets one fulfill their desire, even through force.


    The law of the jungle was used in the demon world.


    That''s why violence alone was enough to go against most powers.


    But it was not all power.


    It couldn''t be applied to everything.


    Physical strength and mana was included in the violence.


    Powerful strength.


    Supreme mana.


    In that case, what other powers were there?


    To Embrio, having power meant being able to fulfill whatever you desired.


    Imposing your will onto others. And then fulfilling it.


    Beauty was another amazing power.


    There''s a lot of stories of men acting foolishly in order to capture the heart of a beautiful woman.


    It''s being able to instigate the other''s desire and make them follow.


    It''s being able to accomplish your own desire through beauty.


    Being intelligent and having the ability to speak well was another power.


    They were like sharp fangs and they were more than enough to stab the opponent.


    Embrio acknowledged it.


    Those were definitely powers. But they were low-class powers.


    They were bound to fall in front of overwhelming violence.


    They weren''t worth much when going against violence.


    It could sound really ignorant and simple-minded. But that was reality. Embrio watched so many strong figures fall because of violence.


    The power that was in front of them was like that too.


    Embrio was standing on a destroyed free city. And he was inside a small and cozy house that was located in the center of the city.


    A really old woman was sitting in front of him. She had the power of wisdom and experience. She lived a very long time and during that long time, she made her wisdom and experience her power.


    She was an advisor and was like a library of knowledge that knew the world''s secrets.


    She didn''t have a way of resisting Embrio''s violence. It was because she didn''t have any knowledge that could make Embrio kneel or anxious.


    No, even if she did have something, Embrio wasn''t the type to easily surrender.


    The demon world was large and there was a limit to her knowledge. The old woman lived in the free city in the southern region and there was probably another who had just as much knowledge as her.


    The old woman knew that very woman. That''s why she didn''t rush in making a deal. She surrendered in front of Embrio''s violence and told him everything he wanted to know.


    "The Seven Deadly Sins. The seven sins. Some call it a fragment of the demon kings and others say that it''s the demon kings themselves."


    "The one that controls the demon world has always been the one that had one of the sins. But in that case, what is sin? What kind of power did it have that the ones that had it were called kings?"


    There was no need for an answer. The large wolves that were circling around Embrio started growling and the old woman quietly laughed.


    "Each of the sins have a power that goes along with the name. But no one knows in detail what kind of power they are. They only make assumptions. For example, lust has the power to tempt the other person and wrath has the power to make others mad."


    Wrath, Pride, Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Envy, Sloth.


    "But that''s not all. Depending on how it''s used, the skill can provide an immense amount of power, but the Seven Deadly Sins...their real power is a lot more pure and essential."


    The old woman stopped talking for a moment and looked at Embrio. Many fortune tellers used this method in order to raise the listener''s expectations.


    Embrio looked at the old woman with an indifferent expression. She closed her wrinkly eyes.


    "The King of Violence...they''re a great king that exists in the demon world and out of the dragons, he can be considered as the most powerful being. Because of that, he''s able to stand next to the other kings despite not owning a sin. It''s because he has the Dragon Heart, which is a large and powerful lump of mana in the demon world."


    Out of the six kings that ruled the demon world, he was the only one that didn''t own a sin.


    Despite just having superhuman powers, he was able to stand next to the other kings.


    The old woman predicted the end. It was a future that had already been decided right when Embrio entered and destroyed the city. She couldn''t go against Embrio''s violence with the power that she had and as someone that lived a long life, she chose to have a neat ending.


    "Embrio, you''re the King of Violence. You''re not a dragon. You also don''t have a sin. That''s why...you can''t be a king. You won''t be able to sit on the throne."


    The old woman placed a small pipe in her mouth. She inhaled the smoke and Embrio left the house. The wolves gave her her last moment.


    He couldn''t become king because he didn''t have a sin.


    Embrio shook his head. He wasn''t sure if it was a useless resistance, but he denied it.


    There was someone that became a king even though he didn''t have a sin.


    The fact that he was the greatest dragon in the demon world wasn''t important.


    Embrio looked towards the south.


    He gazed at the edge of the demon world.


    ***


    "Sugar, I need sugar¡­"


    After interpreting Kaiwan''s journal all night, Yong-Ho lay down on top of the desk.


    He definitely obtained results.


    First, his reading comprehension had improved a lot.


    There was a saying that it''s best to learn a language in bed. Learning from the opposite sex isn''t the best. It meant that in order to quickly learn a language, one needed to have the will and interest to learn it.


    Interpreting Kaiwan''s journal was pretty fun.


    Peeking into another, especially a girl''s journal, wasn''t the fun part. Yong-Ho wasn''t that low. Never, never.


    It was a strong denial, but regardless, Kaiwan''s journal was pretty entertaining.


    Yong-Ho thought of Kaiwan''s journal as a treasure map. The more he interpreted it, the more he learned of the location of the treasure, that was the thought he had, so of course it was entertaining. On top of that, it was a journal, not some document.


    It was funny how he was trying to interpret the sentence, despite not knowing much about the alphabet, but Kaiwan had quite nice handwriting. There wasn''t really a reason to write long sentences, but since she mostly wrote short sentences, it was very readable. And the various comments that popped up were refreshing and witty. Unlike her outer appearance, she actually might''ve been a cheerful woman.


    ''And she cherished her little brother the most.''


    It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that half of her journal was about her little brother. If he didn''t know before, then he would''ve mistaken Kaiwan as his mother, not an older sister.


    After Kaiwan went missing...How would''ve Kaiwan reacted if she found out about her little brother''s life?


    She was like his mom and as someone he looked up to, he was losing her inheritance day by day.


    The disease in his weak body would die with him and he didn''t even get the chance to resist.


    Kaiwan was younger than he had imagined.


    Saying that she was more like a child was fitting.


    ''Same age as me...Maybe one or two years older.''


    Kaiwan didn''t write in her journal every single day. Sometimes she would write every day and other times, she would write a few times a week.


    After reading the information on the first page, he realized that this was her fifth and last journal.


    If he assumed that one journal contained two years worth of entries, then it meant that she disappeared in her early 20''s.


    A little girl in her teens became the owner of a falling family. And for 10 years, she managed to overcome all sorts of difficulties and helped the family rise up.


    He was able to get an idea of how strong Kaiwan was. But he was sure that Kaiwan was a lot stronger than Yong-Ho''s current power.


    Yong-Ho looked at Kaiwan''s ring, which was on his left hand, and raised his upper body. He only managed to interpret the beginning of the journal and after closing it, he placed a large piece of paper in front of him.


    Yong-Ho used the map that was drawn in the journal as the base and drew Kaiwan''s journal.


    He stopped midway and since it was a blueprint that would contain his future plan, there was no rule that said that the sections that were currently hidden would appear on the map. On top of that, the layout of the dungeon changed because of the two previous owners and since Yong-Ho reorganized the dungeon, it was safe to say that the dungeon was totally different.


    But Yong-Ho still found a way.


    No matter how much he reorganized the dungeon, there are parts that he couldn''t change.


    The dungeon''s entrance, water source and gold mine were fixed locations.


    Yong-Ho used the distance between the entrance and the gold mine as the base and drew the dungeon map so that it was the same scale as Kaiwan''s map. And by overlapping the two, it filled the dungeon map''s empty space.


    The spirit training ground.


    Library.


    Magic research laboratory.


    The official torture chamber and large prison that Eligor loved so much.


    The arena that Yong-Ho wanted wasn''t drawn on the map. But Yong-Ho remembered the information about how Kaiwan targeted more than 80% of the first floor.


    There weren''t a lot of empty spaces in Kaiwan''s blueprint.


    If the arena existed on the first floor, then that meant that the arena entrance was located somewhere in the empty area.


    A general outline of the map and the directions.


    He had a good idea of what he needed.


    "Sorry."


    When she died, no, disappeared, she was about the same age, so he spoke as if he was talking to a friend.


    Yong-Ho lightly tapped the journal on the palm of his hand. Instead of reading more of Kaiwan''s secrets, he stood up from his seat.


    "Please call Eligor, Catalina and Rikum into the throne room."


    "Yes, Master."


    "And...at least wash your face before leaving. You have a handsome face."


    Lucia spoke and Yong-Ho chuckled. He touched the prickly beard on his chin.


    ***


    "So...what you''re saying is that you''re going to explore...your own dungeon?"


    Rikum thought it was strange and his expression showed it.


    It was understandable because it was like the house owner wanted to explore his own house.


    Yong-Ho felt embarrassed, so he spoke after clearing his throat.


    "Rikum, as you know, the House of Mammon''s dungeon is old. The facilities that Kaiwan created are hidden in the darkness. What I''m saying is that I need to find those."


    There were only four people that knew the truth about how the House of Mammon''s dungeon was a labyrinth.


    It was Yong-Ho, Catalina and Eligor.


    And Sitri as well since she''s the one that told him the truth.


    There wasn''t a need to tell Rikum about the secret. And he felt bad for thinking this, but he didn''t trust Rikum as much as Catalina or Eligor.


    "Oh, so that''s what you meant. Understood. Then shall I call the others?"


    Kaiwan was sort of like a free pass. Rikum nodded after understanding Yong-Ho''s goal and then asked.


    Yong-Ho shook his head.


    "No, it''ll only be me, Catalina, Skull...and Salami and Spot. Rikum, take the others and help with the dungeon''s defense."


    Exploring a dungeon gave them the opportunity to fill the development rate. Catalina and Skull were the main guards of the dungeon, so he couldn''t leave them behind.


    Yong-Ho decided to take the Salamander, Salami, because he wanted to quickly evolve it, his personal greed was involved in the decision making. He decided to take Spot to use him as a messenger and scout.


    "Understood, Master. As you wish."


    Rikum showed respect towards Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho looked back at Eligor.


    "The Princess Ant...Yuria will be fine without Spot, right?"


    "It''ll be fine. She mostly spends her time in her room anyways. She has been learning small tasks from Jun, but...even though she''s good with her hands, she does tend to space out a lot."


    Yuria spent her time in the breeding farm, which was located near the gold mine.


    Since she was still young, she wasn''t able to create a colony of Crazy Ants, but after mining all the gold in the gold mine, Yong-Ho was planning on building a new colony.


    ''The problem is that I don''t have a way of filling her evolution rate.''


    This was an issue that he could resolve after the training ground was successfully built.


    Yong-Ho talked to Eligor once more.


    "After moving Bugrim to the workshop...give him something to do. We need to check to see if he has the will to work."


    "I understand. I''ll ask him to create shelves or chairs."


    He hadn''t confirmed it yet, but it seemed that ever since a professional had entered the dungeon, Eligor, the housekeeper of the dungeon, looked quite happy.


    They had managed to complete the urgent tasks.


    After recalling Ophelia and Endelyon, Yong-Ho wanted to take Eligor with him as well, but he managed to stop himself. For Eligor, there were far more important things than him evolving.


    "Okay. Let''s prepare for the exploration and meet back here in 10 minutes."


    After Yong-Ho spoke, Catalina quickly answered and stood up. After Skull answered, he started rolling on the ground as if he had nothing to do.


    Ten minutes later.


    He let Spot, who was overfilled with excitement, lead the way and Yong-Ho walked out of the throne room with the rest of the spirits.


    The official exploration to find Kaiwan''s inheritance had begun.

 64 Kaiwan’s Inheritance 2

    Even if it was a simple exploration, it was a lot better than when they were exploring the armory and gold mine.


    During that time, they didn''t even know where anything was and had to assume the direction, but this time, they had a map.


    Even though the owner from two generations ago inherited the throne, the gold mine was taken from him by the Crazy Ants. He even had to give up his loving sister''s belongings, so he was probably in quite an urgent situation.


    It meant that the areas after the gold mine room remained the same as Kaiwan''s time.


    Of course, the map Yong-Ho found in Kaiwan''s journal was more of a blueprint, including her future plans.


    However, the areas around the gold mine were built during Kaiwan''s time, so he was sure that the accuracy of the map remained high.


    After arriving in front of Kaiwan''s office, he waved his finger and displayed both the dungeon map and Kaiwan''s map in the air.


    Before starting the exploration, he looked back at Catalina.


    "How are you with using your shadow? Have you gotten used to it?"


    Catalina hesitated for a moment and then answered with her ears slightly drooped.


    "I haven''t perfected it yet. The more I use it, I feel like there''s more to it...I think I''ll have to use it as an additional attack for now. Um...would you like to see it?"


    He had no reason to decline, so after taking a few steps back, he nodded his head. Spot quickly caught on, so he grabbed Salami''s tail and pulled him back.


    Catalina kept her distance from the others and after taking a deep breath, she unsheathed the dagger on her belt. She then quickly cut through the air.


    It was definitely one movement.


    But after Catalina cut the air, something black appeared behind Catalina''s arm and it cut the air again. The shadow cut the exact same spot as Catalina''s first cut and then disappeared like smoke.


    After advancing to a Shadow Runner, it was a new skill she had learned.


    The skill required her to use dark elemental mana, but it was more of a martial arts technique than magic.


    ''Will she be able to manipulate it once she gets used to it? Or will the number of additional hits increase?''


    Since there wasn''t any information about it, she had to figure it out by studying.


    ''But she really looks like a demon now.''


    It wasn''t enough to describe Catalina''s movements as just acrobatic and she was still quite far from fitting the image of a demon. She didn''t really use mana all that much.


    "Good job. I''m looking forward to your growth."


    "Thank you."


    After hearing Yong-Ho''s praise, Catalina became really happy and sheathed her dagger. Spot also looked excited after seeing something amazing again.


    [I''ll start activating the inactive passageways.]


    "Nice."


    The gold mine and the training ground weren''t that far apart and monsters didn''t appear on the newly developed passageway that was between those two areas. There were only about two Slimes.


    It was expected.


    The inner part of the dungeon past the gold mine was used to store the core facilities of the dungeon rather than used to block the enemy''s attack.


    Since the facilities were placed to make the living conditions better, the distance between the facilities was close and since they weren''t far from the gold mine, other dungeon monsters weren''t there.


    [I''ll begin the activation process for the spirit training ground.]


    Once mana was poured into it, light appeared and showed a room that was as big as the throne room. A few of the Crazy Ants that were in there started crawling across the ground and walls as if they were trying to run away.


    Yong-Ho signaled with his eyes, Salami flew towards the Crazy Ants, with Spot on his back, to kill them.


    Since it wasn''t a dangerous fight, Yong-Ho turned his attention to the inside of the training ground.


    It was similar to an old gym. The ceiling was a bit higher than the other rooms and the floor was covered with dirt.


    Beside the rectangular section, which was probably a fighting arena, the puppets that you see in games were standing there.


    Skull started hitting the puppets with his hammer as if to show an example. For some reason, Yong-Ho felt that Skull''s evolution rate was increasing every time he hit one of the puppets, so he instinctively activated the Power of Evolution.


    ''Wow, it really is increasing.''


    Skull had already evolved several times, so even if he hit the puppets a lot, he would most likely only get one point. Regardless, the important thing was that the evolution rate did increase.


    Out of all the spirits, Eligor popped into Yong-Ho''s head.


    From the possible advancement routes that were displayed, Yong-Ho was interested in the Red Demon - Beast.


    Since the word, beast, was next to it, Yong-Ho was excited to see what kind of skill Eligor would obtain.


    ''I''m sure they''re a fighting race. A fighting race.''


    Yong-Ho smiled and opened the dungeon map again by waving his finger. He was planning on discovering the other facilities like this.


    And then.


    Skull stopped hitting the puppets and looked around. On top of that, Salami, Spot and Catalina were all looking in the same direction.


    Yong-Ho as well.


    They felt the flow of strong mana beyond the wall, but it wasn''t that far.


    [There''s an unusual amount of concentrated mana in the air.]


    [This isn''t a good sign.]


    [Comparing data from the Dungeon Market with the current situation indicates...distortion!]


    Lucia''s calm voice changed to a high-pitched tone at the end.


    Lucia spoke as if she was shooting her words out.


    [The unusual amount of concentrated mana is causing a distortion.]


    [There''s a high chance that dungeon monsters will pass through the opening that''s caused by the distortion.]


    [It''s difficult to tell what kind of monsters will pass through. Please get to a safe location for now!]


    It must''ve been a really urgent matter because instead of notifying only Yong-Ho, she created a message of light and notified Catalina as well.


    Yong-Ho recalled Eligor''s explanation from the past.


    Distortion was one of the reasons why dungeon monsters appeared!


    The Crazy Ants and Salami also appeared through this method. If they appeared while Kaiwan was the owner, then they would''ve been killed, but the past two owners weren''t able to do anything. In the end, the gold mine and armory were taken from them.


    The same thing could happen again.


    Catalina looked at Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho quickly made a decision.


    "Lucia! Tell me where the distortion is being created!"


    [According to Kaiwan''s map, it''s in a vacant area located right next to the training ground¡­ Master?]


    Yong-Ho took out Aamon. Catalina understood Yong-Ho''s intentions and she immediately unsheathed her weapon and Skull nodded his head.


    He wasn''t going to run.


    After the distortion opens, he was planning on getting rid of the dungeon monsters.


    The spirits here were currently the strongest soldiers in the House of Mammon. If the monsters couldn''t be stopped with this group, then there was a high chance that the dungeon monsters couldn''t be stopped in the future.


    Lucia understood Yong-Ho''s thoughts. That''s why she groaned as if she was hesitating, but it didn''t last long. Lucia immediately activated the passageway that led to the area next to the training ground.


    [Dungeon monsters will soon appear through the distortion.]


    [If you''re going to do it, please hurry! And don''t get hurt!]


    Yong-Ho smiled and then ran. With Catalina in the lead, the other spirits ran as well.


    [Because of the excess amount of mana caused by the distortion, I''m unable to activate the area.]


    [I have notified Eligor and Rikum of the current situation.]


    [Rikum will shortly be arriving with reinforcements.]


    Yong-Ho saw darkness beyond the passageway. Within the darkness, there was a whirlpool of mana.


    Spot got off of Salami''s back and took out a stick-looking lighting device from his bag and threw it onto the ground. White lights appeared from the sticks, causing a portion of the darkness to disappear.


    Catalina and Skull couldn''t read the mana''s color and element, but they were able to see the distortion. It looked like a heat wave that was spinning unusually fast. It was swaying in the air and released an unusual energy.


    Distortions can appear in any dungeon. The important thing was how it''s handled after it appears.


    The area itself wasn''t that big. It was only a quarter of the training ground they were just in.


    Yong-Ho stood near the entrance with the spirits in case they needed to escape. He ordered Salami to aim at the distortion.


    The moment dungeon monsters appeared out of the distortion, Salami was going to shoot out fire. Depending on the situation, Yong-Ho was going to add Aamon''s fire as well.


    Using fire to deal with the situation was better than fighting them.


    Salami gathered the fire and glared at the distortion.


    Yong-Ho looked at the mana''s color and element again. Different colors made up the distortion, but it turned into one color.


    Red.


    The distortion stopped. The mana that was whirlpooling exploded and a strong light lit the area!


    "Swoosh!"


    The moment the light was in his sight, Yong-Ho yelled. Salami opened his mouth while closing his eyes and shot out the fire he had gathered.


    The fire that he released was a lot stronger than Yong-Ho''s. The fire overpowered the light. Even though Yong-Ho didn''t hear any screams, he smelled something burning and heard the sound of wings flapping powerfully.


    Yong-Ho was able to clearly see again. Yong-Ho widened his eyes and looked straight ahead. Even though it was only for a couple of seconds, Salami''s fire was still in the room.


    He saw a large bug. The distortion hadn''t closed yet, so there were many bug-like monsters coming through and being greeted by Salami''s fire.


    The plan was a success. Since Salami was getting tired, Yong-Ho immediately raised Aamon.


    But during that moment.


    Salami''s fire was split into two. A strong fire was released from the distortion and it broke through Salami''s fire.


    Yong-Ho recalled his first battle with Salami. He overpowered Salami''s power by using Aamon''s fire and this was a similar situation.


    "Djinn! It''s a fire Djinn!"


    Catalina yelled. The fire that shot out of the distortion made it difficult to see the figure, but they were able to see that it was the body of a large male.


    He could tell through his senses. Fire didn''t work on it. They needed another method.


    "Skulllll!"


    Skull bravely charged and swung his hammer, but it was useless. It was impossible to hit fire with a hammer. The Djinn ignored Skull''s attack and looked at the tired Salami, Yong-Ho and Catalina. The Djinn unified the fire in its hands and just like Salami, it created a large fire.


    It was a moment of life and death.


    Catalina grabbed Spot''s waist, who froze in place, and kicked off the ground. Despite being tired, Salami looked at the fire and Yong-Ho stood in front of Salami to protect him and then released Aamon''s fire.


    Both fires clashed. While holding Spot in one arm, Catalina kicked off the ceiling and wall and ended behind the Djinn. With her shadow, she threw the dagger.


    It was useless this time too. It looked like the shadow made a small impact after the dagger was thrown, but all it did was slightly push through the fire.


    But Catalina wasn''t trying to take down the fiery Djinn. By attacking from behind, she was trying to turn its attention away from Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho pierced through the fire. The fire that Aamon released enveloped the enemy''s fire and headed straight towards the fire Djinn.


    The Djinn quickly turned its attention back to Yong-Ho after Catalina distracted it. But when it did, the distance between Yong-Ho and the Djinn had closed.


    The Djinn violently swung its arms. A wave of fire was shot from the sky towards Yong-Ho''s head and it was a horrible sight.


    But Yong-Ho didn''t close his eyes. Aamon released more fire and Yong-Ho closely watched the fire Djinn.


    The wave of fire enveloped Yong-Ho''s face. It mixed with Aamon''s fire and it dispersed into the air. Despite what was currently happening, Yong-Ho took a step forward.


    It was hot. The sight of the flames caused his eyes to water. He thought Aamon''s fire would be enough to defend against the fire, but the way his instincts reacted to the fire was something he couldn''t control.


    Flames were shot down from overhead. Aamon''s flames and the Djinn''s flames clashed once again. The flames exploded and Aamon''s fire that enveloped Yong-Ho''s body disappeared.


    The temperature increased. He wanted to close his eyes. The fire that was created by the Djinn was blazing in front of Yong-Ho.


    Aamon''s fire wasn''t all-powerful.


    When he first fought Salami, he used Aamon''s fire to defend and he was only able to win because Skull kept on attacking Salami''s body.


    Then where?


    Where was he supposed to attack when the Djinn was made of fire?


    Yong-Ho looked at the flow of mana. Despite the dangerous situation, he concentrated really hard.


    He saw another color within the fire. The thing that was swirling was the core of the Djinn.


    Yong-Ho released another fire. He pushed his left arm into the fire instead of Aamon.


    The flames exploded again. The Djinn and Yong-Ho couldn''t hurt each other. But Yong-Ho didn''t care. He read the Djinn''s mana flow and extended his hand towards its core. Instead of Aamon''s fire, he released the mana that was stored inside the bracelet!


    It wasn''t fire.


    It was ice. It was the mana that he obtained by absorbing the spirits of the Queen Ant and Foras!


    He found the bracelet with Kaiwan''s journal and it allowed him to store mana in it. During the fight with the Land Worm, he used all the mana that was stored in it and filled it with ice mana. Yong-Ho had a hard time controlling his mana, so it took him a long time to store mana inside it, but it didn''t matter. From the free city to the dungeon, the only thing he had left was time.


    Yong-Ho still didn''t know how to use magic. He was merely pouring out the icy air. But that was enough. The icy air drove out the fire. He made it so that the core of the fire Djinn would free.


    The Djinn screamed out in pain. Yong-Ho ignored it because it sounded like the wind. With all his might, he grabbed the frozen core!


    Like a weak piece of ice, the core broke. As the Djinn screamed, the fire that formed its figure dispersed and nothing was left. Just the heat from the fire proved that the fire Djinn had existed.


    "Pant, pant¡­"


    Yong-Ho stumbled as he started to breathe heavily. Catalina quickly supported him.


    [There are no more signs that show that more dungeon monsters will appear through the distortion.]


    [Good job. You did a great job!]


    [I''ll notify Eligor and Rikum about the current situation.]


    Yong-Ho tightly closed his eyes after hearing Lucia''s calm voice. He felt mana from the remaining core, even if it was really weak. It might be too much to absorb it, but it wouldn''t be a problem to give it to Lucia as a snack.


    He didn''t think an enemy who wasn''t affected by fire would appear.


    But he killed them in the end. Catalina couldn''t contain her joy and smiled brightly.


    [The distortion will naturally disappear.]


    [But you never know what might happen, so I suggest you keep your distance from the distortion.]


    It was a reasonable argument.


    But instead of backing out, he fixed his stance by leaning on Catalina. Even though the swirling distortion shrunk, he closely observed the mana''s flow.


    Distortions appear when an unusual amount of mana is gathered.


    It meant that the distortion itself was a huge lump of mana.


    "Master?"


    [Master?]


    Catalina and Lucia both called out. Instead of answering the two, Yong-Ho extended his hand out towards the distortion.


    And naturally.


    The Greed within Yong-Ho opened its mouth.

 65 Kaiwan’s Inheritance 3

    He wasn''t consciously doing it.


    Yong-Ho was mentally and physically exhausted and that''s why his instincts really kicked in.


    Greed.


    It was one of the Seven Deadly Sins and it was guiding Yong-Ho. There was no end to its desire and it wanted the swirling lump of mana that was in front of him.


    The demon world was created through mana.


    The air, rock and soil. Mana was inside everything that was in this world. Of course the amount of mana was different. Like the wind, mana flew around the demon world. That neverending flow created difference.


    This flow of mana was a phenomenon created by the distortion.


    Like a small whirlpool that''s created in a river. A different flow that''s been created in an unexpected section.


    The distortion was dangerous. It was something that shouldn''t be dealt with carelessly.


    But Greed didn''t care. It seemed like it wanted it even more because it was dangerous.


    Catalina gulped. She wasn''t used to mana and because of that, she was incapable of understanding just how dangerous the distortion in front of her was. Since it became smaller, the only thing she could assume was that it was less dangerous than before.


    But Lucia was different. Even if the Dungeon Market hadn''t given her any information, she was the Spirit of the Dungeon. She was able to really feel the flow of the mana within the dungeon.


    Even if it became smaller, it was still a distortion. The mana was spinning at a fast rate and it wasn''t any different from a lethal weapon. If Yong-Ho placed his hand on it, his body might break because he''s unable to endure the distortion.


    But he didn''t hear any voices.


    It hasn''t been that long since Lucia had been born, so she wasn''t sure how to describe the current situation. It was rare for a Spirit of a Dungeon to be able to feel this much emotion.


    Was she supposed to tell him to depend on her?


    Her owner performed impossible tasks before. She was sure that her owner would surprise her this time too.


    No, she shouldn''t think like that. It was really dangerous to have vague expectations.


    [Master!]


    Lucia managed to speak. But Yong-Ho didn''t stop. He wasn''t simply being controlled by Greed. Yong-Ho also wanted the distortion that was in front of him. And he wasn''t being forced to stretch his hand out.


    Yong-Ho was able to see the flow of mana. And at the tip of his hand, he was able to feel Greed''s energy follow the mana''s flow.


    Yong-Ho didn''t go against the flow. Greed naturally joined the distortion''s flow.


    "Ah."


    Catalina exclaimed unconsciously. The distortion caused the space to look like a heat shimmer and unexpected colors started pouring out of it. Catalina and Skull also saw the same thing that Yong-Ho had seen before.


    Greed wasn''t Gluttony.


    If it couldn''t handle it, then it wouldn''t eat it.


    The colorful vortex completely stopped and it was now being sucked into Yong-Ho''s right hand. Yong-Ho saw how Greed transferred the lump of mana and it was similar to how he absorbed spirits.


    It was different from when Greed absorbed spirits.


    The mana had more "variety" than the spirits and Yong-Ho was able to feel it.


    For the spirit, it only contained the owner''s demon power.


    For the Queen Ant and Foras, the spirit provided coldness.


    But the distortion was nature''s mana. It was a lump of mana that''s been collected from the demon world.


    The mana had different qualities and the demon world''s natural mana was circulating inside Yong-Ho''s body.


    It was refreshing.


    He felt the same fullness as when he finished a delicious dish. The colorful mana pleasured his eyes and the different attributes woke the senses that had been asleep inside Yong-Ho.


    Seven colored stars.


    A spirit has a color and attribute and this didn''t only apply to humans. It applied to any being that had a spirit.


    The attribute and color of the demon world''s mana didn''t completely fall into the seven colored stars. However, there were some that resembled them and Yong-Ho was able to feel his spirit.


    The distortion didn''t increase Yong-Ho''s mana a lot. However, for the spirits that he absorbed before, the distortion made them completely his. It''s like it cleaned up the messy lego blocks that were stacked on top of each other. For the attributes that he originally had, he felt them grow.


    Yong-Ho opened his eyes.


    He felt refreshed, not tired. The exhaustion that he felt a moment ago seemed like it was all in his head, because his body was now filled with energy.


    "Mas...ter?"


    Yong-Ho turned his head towards where the voice was coming from and saw Catalina with her ears dropped. Behind her, he saw Eligor and Rikum as well.


    [Are you okay?]


    [It''s been over 30 minutes since you absorbed the distortion''s mana.]


    [And this might seem unexpected, but...your mana recovery rate has increased tremendously. Even though it''s a small amount, your mana capacity has increased as well.]


    Yong-Ho nodded his head when he heard Lucia. It sounded like he fell into a trance.


    "Master?"


    Catalina didn''t hear him answer, so she carefully called out once more. Yong-Ho smiled to reassure her and petted Catalina''s head.


    Catalina was relieved, which caused her to let out a sigh of relief. Eligor, who was standing behind her, felt the same way as her.


    "We ran over here because we were told that a distortion appeared. Thankfully, you were able to take care of it, Master."


    Yong-Ho felt safe when he saw Eligor''s warm smile. When he looked around, Yong-Ho noticed that the Orc warriors were here as well.


    When Yong-Ho''s eyes met Rikum''s, Rikum flinched and hesitated for a moment, but he ended up talking. He carefully asked.


    "Um...if I may ask...did you absorb the distortion''s...mana?"


    "Not all of it. Just a little."


    Yong-Ho smiled and massaged his shoulders. He then asked Eligor.


    "Looks like I caused a commotion...anyways, how much of it did you hear?"


    It was kind of an odd question, but Eligor immediately understood what Yong-Ho asked.


    "It''s been 20 minutes since we arrived. Catalina told us about the battle. It''s a relief that it had been taken care of before things got worse."


    Since Eligor served the past two owners, dungeon monsters were horrific disasters to him. Laigin were insect type monsters that appeared together with fire Djinn. Since the Laigins lived in volcanic regions, they were highly resistant against fire, but it seemed like they didn''t have the ability to endure the fire that was shot right into their faces.


    [Distortions can appear anywhere within the dungeon. But the House of Mammon''s dungeon has a higher chance of distortions appearing than the other dungeons.]


    Even though it was a bit late, it sounded like Lucia''s intention was to inform him about the distortion as much as possible.


    [Usually, the Spirit of the Dungeon controls the dungeon. That''s why the flow of mana is more stable than outside of the dungeon and it lowers the chance of distortions appearing.]


    [However, the House of Mammon''s dungeon is too large for me to control.]


    [And because of the Encantro Pagnium, mana flows a lot faster and more violently here than other regions.]


    [Sometimes, distortions can cause larger distortions to appear. There''s a high chance that dangerous dungeon monsters are living in the underground area of the House of Mammon.]


    It meant that Mammon''s spirits weren''t the only ones that were in danger.


    The House of Mammon''s underground area was like a pandemonium.


    Since no one knew what kind of demons or monsters lived down there, it was obvious as to why the previous owners gave up on developing it.


    ''But.''


    That wasn''t the case for Kaiwan. And Yong-Ho was the same as well.


    When Yong-Ho remained silent, Catalina looked at him worriedly. After patting Catalina''s head again, he sheathed Aamon and looked around. He commanded Lucia to activate the empty lot.


    [I''ll begin the activation. Please wait a minute.]


    She really only took a minute. After a minute, mana was flowing into the empty room and like the other rooms, the mana powered the light hanging from the ceiling.


    When the darkness disappeared, Yong-Ho was able to get a better look at the room.


    A room made out of stone.


    But it was different from the ordinary, inactive rooms. There were complicated looking letters on the ground and wall and the remains of an unknown being was scattered all over the place.


    Yong-Ho quickly opened Kaiwan''s map in the air. But this room couldn''t be found on the map at all.


    Lucia spoke.


    [Dungeon Facility: The Gate of Space. It looks like they stopped building this midway.]


    "The Gate of Space?"


    Eligor and Catalina reacted to Yong-Ho''s voice. Their expression was a bit awkward to say that they were just surprised, but Yong-Ho didn''t have the energy to notice small changes like that. He unconsciously became excited and asked Lucia.


    "What do you mean stopped midway? Then does that mean it''s possible to finish building it?"


    He didn''t know why Kaiwan was trying to build the The Gate of Space. He didn''t know if she cancelled it for some reason or if she disappeared while it was being built. It was impossible to know.


    The possibility of completing The Gate of Space was what was important to Yong-Ho right now.


    In the beginning, Yong-Ho''s goal was to build the dungeon to the point where he''s able to build a door that allowed him to return to the human world.


    Lucia hesitated after hearing Yong-Ho''s excited voice and then cautiously answered.


    [It''s impossible.]


    [I''m currently not able to maintain and operate The Gate of Space and on top of that, it''s impossible for me to install it.]


    [But once I grow a bit more, it will be possible. It''s not entirely impossible, so don''t be too disappointed.]


    "I see...it''s impossible right now."


    Since he had expectations, his voice was filled with disappointment.


    Catalina and Eligor reacted sensitively this time too. Catalina quietly released a sigh of relief and Eligor released his fist.


    Yong-Ho couldn''t focus on those two. After he shook his head to get rid of his disappointment, he looked at the spirits.


    "Anyways, it worked out great. Thanks for running all the way here, but I think it''s alright for you guys to go back."


    After showing their respect to Yong-Ho, Rikum and the Orc warriors exited.


    Eligor asked Yong-Ho.


    "I think it would be best if you stopped here and rested as well, Master."


    Even though the group only found one facility after they started exploring, it was a pretty fierce battle. It was only natural for Eligor to suggest that Yong-Ho rest for the remainder of the day.


    But Yong-Ho shook his head.


    Time wasn''t on Yong-Ho''s side yet.


    It wasn''t as urgent as when they were preparing for Foras''s attack, but at this moment, the owners in the empty region were moving.


    "It doesn''t mean that I''m going to overdo it. I''ll return after securing a bit more of the passageway, so don''t worry."


    "Yes, Master. I''ll make sure that the food and bath are ready when you return."


    "That would be great."


    After showing his respect, Eligor left the empty room. Yong-Ho felt kind of weird about exploring his own home.


    "Anyways, shall we continue?"


    Yong-Ho spoke and Catalina and Skull answered. Salami and Spot looked energetic as well.


    But an unexpected interference occurred.


    [Master, the Dungeon Meerkats have sent an urgent report.]


    [There''s someone approaching the dungeon at high speed. I believe it''s Ophelia, the spirit from outside you spoke of.]


    "Ophelia?"


    It was Ophelia. She did promise to visit the House of Mammon soon. But it had only been two days since Yong-Ho arrived at the House of Mammon''s dungeon. She came faster than he had expected.


    After contemplating a bit, Yong-Ho made his decision. He turned around.


    "Let''s stop here."


    Yong-Ho couldn''t stop thinking about how quickly Ophelia decided to visit. It''s possible that the other owners had made a move.


    Spot was in the lead and Catalina and Skull protected Yong-Ho by staying beside him.


    ***


    "Ophelia, the daughter of Endelyon, would like to have an audience with the owner of the great House of Mammon."

 66 Kaiwan’s Inheritance 4

    "Ophelia, the daughter of Endelyon, meets the owner of the great House of Mammon."


    The throne room.


    Ophelia kneeled in front of Yong-Ho, who was sitting on the throne. Catalina was standing on the left side of the throne room and Eligor, Rikum and Skull were standing at the bottom of the steps, which were created during the reorganization.


    Out of all the spirits that were currently in the House of Mammon, Ophelia was the strongest. On top of that, since she was the leader of a group for a long time, there was a certain dignity in her movements.


    ''No, perhaps it was class?''


    Seeing Ophelia show her respect towards him reminded him of the "demon" that he imagined when he was younger and felt like he was one step closer to becoming that demon he dreamed of.


    But now wasn''t the time for him to be happy about fulfilling his desire. Yong-Ho was curious as to why Ophelia suddenly decided to visit him, but he hid his impatient side by speaking calmly.


    "Thank you for coming this far. You visited a lot sooner than expected."


    "It''s because I became the House of Mammon''s spirit. I need to understand the happenings of the dungeon and, most of all, the situation outside of the dungeon is changing fast."


    Ophelia was wearing the same bartender outfit that she had worn at the bar and was straightforward about her visit. Yong-Ho actually preferred this method since he didn''t know much about the complicated etiquettes.


    Yong-Ho was also straightforward.


    "What''s the situation like with the other owners?"


    "It seems like they''ll start moving within a few days. Foras''s death and defeat has now become a fact. It''s been a while since they left to invade the House of Mammon and haven''t returned yet."


    This was something that Ophelia and Yong-Ho spoke about before at the pub.


    In order to attack a different dungeon, an owner needs at least a few dozens of units and a unit of that size is bound to stick out no matter what.


    "The House of Abigail, In the northwest region of Foras''s dungeon, seems to have unusual movements. Not only did they visit the pub yesterday to gather information, but they even hired a mercenary group that was within the free city."


    It was obvious what they were trying to do.


    A frown appeared on Yong-Ho''s face.


    "How''s Foras''s dungeon?"


    "The spirits have started leaving."


    It''s natural for soldiers to leave an army that was losing.


    Even though spirits live inside the dungeon, they know what''s happening outside of the dungeon.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon died and a new owner ascended to the throne.


    The owner that protected the House of Foras for many years no longer existed.


    "Out of the free spirits, the Orcs have left the dungeon first. As you know, the Orcs were the main spirits in the House of Foras. Gokun, who controlled those Orcs, is no longer there and it''s been reported that most of the important figures were killed during the fight with the House of Mammon."


    The commander didn''t only give commands during war. Maintaining the morale of the troops was their job as well.


    Yong-Ho looked back at Rikum after listening to Ophelia. Rikum was one of the commanders and with a slightly sad expression, he answered.


    "Orcs respect the strong. Currently, there isn''t anyone in the House of Foras that''s strong enough to control the Orcs."


    It wasn''t really the most comforting thing to hear.


    The Orcs weren''t wandering mercenaries that were hired by the House of Foras. They were spirits and to be specific, they were close to being official troops of the House of Foras.


    Shame was written on Rikum''s face. It wasn''t because he was ashamed of the Orcs that were in the House of Foras. Rikum was the first one to leave the House of Foras afterall.


    His and the life of his men were in danger and even though they were involved in a fight they couldn''t win, it was a fact that they left the House of Foras and chose to serve the House of Mammon.


    If they ended up being in the same situation again, how would they handle it?


    Would they leave the House of Mammon?


    Would they have enough courage to say no?


    Yong-Ho sensed that Rikum was feeling troubled on the inside, so he turned his attention to Ophelia. Since Yong-Ho felt that there was something odd, he didn''t have anything else to say.


    Ophelia spoke.


    "The first one to leave is like the first piece in a row of dominoes. As more spirits leave, the hearts of those that are left will quickly weaken. And in the end, a large amount of spirits will leave the dungeon."


    It wasn''t just me.


    Someone else started it. Everyone else did it. I wasn''t the first one.


    Like Ophelia stated, it was like a domino. Yong-Ho was reminded of the students that didn''t clean and ran away when he attended school. It was a completely different situation, but the basic context was the same.


    Eligor maintained a calm expression, but Catalina''s face became dark. Her ears and tail looked weak.


    It was something that the House of Mammon had already experienced. Even though the House of Mammon fell, it only took a few days for all the spirits to leave the dungeon. Catalina and Eligor were the only ones that remained.


    "The other owners already know what''s happening. It''s because the Orcs that left the House of Foras either entered the free city or visited the other owners and asked the owners to hire them."


    Foras died. The spirits were leaving the dungeon.


    The issue with the House of Foras wasn''t the only thing that was making the owners impatient.


    "The chaos caused by Embrio is growing. Owners in various parts have started dungeon battles. The owners that joined forces and other owners that were defeated have decided to invade a different dungeon or defeat an owner so that they can increase their power. They are no longer forming an alliance."


    The situation was totally different from when the House of Mammon''s previous owner committed suicide.


    The owners were forced to make a move. In order to protect their respective dungeons, they had to fight.


    Yong-Ho realized how serious the situation was. The House of Foras was like a shield and if they fell without a fight, then it wouldn''t benefit Yong-Ho in any way.


    Ophelia took a fist-sized crystal ball from her inner pocket. Eligor approached her and after giving him the crystal ball, she spoke.


    "It''s a long-distance communication device. I''ll send you my reports through this device from now on."


    Yong-Ho nodded his head after obtaining the crystal ball from Eligor. Just like Kaiwan''s ring and bracelet, he felt mana within the crystal ball. It was Ophelia''s mana.


    "Thank you for coming all this way. And for the information as well. First...get some rest. And then take a look around the dungeon."


    "Ophelia, the daughter of Endelyon, will obey your commands, Master."


    After Ophelia showed her respect, Yong-Ho let Eligor take care of her and stood up from the throne. Yong-Ho needed time to think as well.


    The meeting was over.


    ***


    "The dungeon''s condition is better than I expected."


    Ophelia commented as she followed Eligor around the dungeon.


    ''I''m serious.''


    It''s been a long time since the previous owner had died. The House of Mammon experienced the same issue that the House of Foras was going through right now, so she assumed that the dungeon would be in a chaotic state.


    But what happened?


    Ophelia thought there was only going to be a straight passageway that led to the throne room, but the House of Mammon looked like a legit dungeon.


    Eligor felt proud when he heard Ophelia''s compliment. A warm smile appeared on his face.


    "This is all thanks to our master."


    "I can tell."


    She answered honestly this time too. It was the answer that he wanted to hear, but Eligor felt pain for some reason. It felt like she was saying that he didn''t do anything to contribute.


    Eligor and Ophelia arrived at his second shrine, which was the cafeteria. His first shrine was obviously the torture room.


    While maintaining his smile, Eligor asked Ophelia again.


    "Do you think the dungeon is lacking or...is there something that should be added? Please be straightforward."


    Even though Eligor worked as the House of Mammon''s butler for a long time, the dungeon that the previous two owners took care of was really small. As the female owner of the pub, he was sure that Ophelia would notice something that he missed.


    Ophelia''s expression softened a little bit after seeing Eligor''s sincere attitude. She spoke with a small smile on her face.


    "It''s missing an entertainment facility."


    "Entertainment...facility?"


    "I was going to tell the master myself, but...it wasn''t the right time to bring it up."


    The enemy wasn''t going to attack right now. There was just a high possibility that the enemy would make their move in a few days and on top of that, they were targeting the House of Foras, not the House of Mammon. And there was a good chance that the House of Foras might do well in defending against the enemy.


    Still, they couldn''t help but think seriously about the current situation.


    Ophelia continued talking.


    "This might sound funny, but spirits also have desires as well. They get stressed as well. If their desires aren''t satisfied and they can''t relieve their stress, they''ll lose the will to fight. They won''t be very efficient when working in the dungeon."


    "Um...are you saying that we need to build a pub or something within the dungeon?"


    "That''s a required facility. The owner from two generations ago built a pub fac...it must''ve been taken down before you joined."


    Eligor replaced his answer with a bittersweet smile.


    Ophelia shrugged her shoulders.


    "Having a gambling facility would be good too. It''s also a great method to collect the spirits'' monthly pay. They should win the jackpot once in a while, but...you understand, right? In the end, the gambling system is set up so that the house wins."


    She had an evil smile after saying that. It was natural for her to say something like that since she was the owner of the largest gambling house in the free city.


    Eligor wanted to remind her that she was a spirit as well, but spoke after clearing his throat.


    "I''ll recommend it to the master."


    "I''ll do it. I''m thinking about leaving tomorrow anyways. Also¡­"


    "Also?"


    "The biggest flaw is you, Eligor."


    Ophelia said it so naturally and because of that, Eligor didn''t understand what Ophelia was saying. He blinked his eyes a few minutes after she said it.


    "The dungeon was close to completely fall...no, I acknowledge the fact that you were able to keep the dungeon together and prevented it from completely falling. But...how should I say this? You were more than enough for this dungeon up until now. You are definitely an amazing butler. But not for the House of Mammon''s future. You''re too weak."


    Eligor was really close to objecting and ended up flinching after hearing Ophelia''s last comment. The words that he prepared disappeared from his thoughts.


    "As you know, butlers are supposed to take care of everything within the dungeon. It''s safe to say that they''re the second most important figure. And that''s why doing simple tasks isn''t enough. Butlers don''t have to be the second strongest being within the dungeon, but they do need a power that fits their position. Butlers are the last line of defense when it comes to dungeon defense. Especially during a time like this."


    Eligor couldn''t say anything this time too. What Ophelia said was true. Most of the dungeon butlers were pretty powerful.


    Eligor recalled the fight with Foras in his head. Eligor couldn''t do anything during that fight.


    Ophelia smiled brightly. She patted Eligor''s weak shoulders.


    "But don''t worry. I''m here now."


    There was a lot of meaning behind that comment. Eligor''s eyes were moving side to side and Ophelia looked straight into his eyes.


    "It probably won''t happen right now, but if the House of Mammon becomes bigger and it ends up affecting the free city, then...I''ll have to close the pub and join the House of Mammon. I''ll be the butler when that time comes, so you don''t have to overwork yourself."


    Ophelia stood up from her seat. She spoke after lightly patting Eligor''s shoulder again.


    "You did well so far. Please hang in a bit longer."


    After saying those nasty comments, Ophelia turned around. She walked towards the exit while wagging her red tail.


    ''This should be enough, right? You''re a cruel owner.''


    Her first mission within the dungeon was to play the role of a villain.


    Yong-Ho didn''t provide details on how she should do it. He just asked her to provoke Eligor a bit.


    Like Yong-Ho had assumed, Red Demons were a fighting race.


    Because of that, Ophelia believed that Eligor wasn''t going to stay depressed for a long time.


    "Even though he''s old and has a gentle personality, he can''t hide the fact that he''s a Red Demon.''


    On top of that, Yong-Ho had the Power of Evolution. Is there someone that would easily fall into depression after witnessing several extraordinary miracles?


    ''Show us the same willingness that helped you protect the dungeon that was falling apart. I have high expectations.''


    Before leaving the restaurant, she slightly glanced over at Eligor and giggled like a brat.


    That night.


    The Basic Training Ground now belonged to the House of Mammon and a red heat filled the room.


    It filled the room till the sun came up.

 67 Dungeon Offense

    Yong-Ho woke up earlier than usual.


    It wasn''t because he slept badly, worrying about the things in the future.


    "Master!"


    "Please hurry to the training ground!"


    "Eligor is dying!"


    Lucia''s scream woke Yong-Ho up and he exited the room without washing up. While rushing out, Lucia continued talking to him.


    [Of course he won''t really die.]


    [But he went over his limit, so his body isn''t in a normal condition.]


    [He really spent all night hitting the puppet in the training ground!]


    When considering the current time, it meant that he had been hitting the puppet for eight hours straight.


    Of course a person doesn''t die from exercising for eight hours. On top of that, Eligor was a demon and he even evolved Eligor''s stamina.


    [Please take what I said literally!]


    [I''m sure he didn''t rest even for a second!]


    It wasn''t like Lucia watched Eligor''s almost suicidal training from beginning to end. But she knew that Eligor was a Red Demon. Lucia knew about Eligor just as much as Catalina knew about him.


    Yong-Ho gritted his teeth while running towards the training ground.


    Yong-Ho was the one that asked Ophelia to provoke Eligor a bit. And when he heard that Eligor sneaked into the training ground from Lucia, he was happy that his plan worked.


    Though, he didn''t think that a stiff butler like him would abuse himself like this.


    ''What the heck did Ophelia say to him?!''


    Didn''t she report that everything went well yesterday?


    It did work out well. The problem was that it worked out too well.


    When Yong-Ho arrived at the training ground, he opened the door without stopping to catch his breath. And he was so surprised by the red heat that filled the room that he stopped breathing for a moment.


    Eligor was the source of the red heat. Even in this moment, Eligor was punching the puppet and a large amount of sweat was rolling down and heat was rising out of his body. It reminded him of a sauna.


    ''He had been training to the point that heat was rising out of his body?''


    Yong-Ho stopped after shaking his head. Eligor was a demon. It''s possible that it''s in the nature of a Red Demon to act that way.


    [His sweat isn''t evaporating.]


    [It''s a special type of steam that Red Demons release during battle. Master! Please stop him!]


    "Eligor!"


    Yong-Ho shouted before Lucia finished her sentence. The voice belonged to his master, so Eligor stopped beating the puppet that he was beating all night long. He retracted the fist that was about to hit the puppet and turned around.


    "Master."


    However, he looked like he was kind of out of it. Both of his fists were in really bad condition and the puppet was covered in Eligor''s blood.


    Berserk was the Red Demon''s special characteristic. They weren''t called a fighting race for nothing.


    Yong-Ho spoke as calmly as he could.


    "Eligor, are you okay? Do you recognize me? Can you move your body?"


    Eligor answered all of his questions and he must''ve come back to his senses because his eyes lit up again. But then a painful expression appeared on his face and his body fell to the ground.


    [He must''ve suddenly felt the physical pain that he wasn''t able to feel when Berserk was activated.]


    [Thankfully, it''s nothing serious.]


    "Eligor, sit down. Do you want some water?"


    "Thank...you."


    It sounded like he forced himself to answer. Yong-Ho quickly grabbed the water bottle that was on his waist and gave it to Eligor. When he noticed how much Eligor''s arms were shaking, Yong-Ho opened the lid and poured the water into Eligor''s mouth.


    "I''m sorry."


    "Why...no, it''s fine. Just drink more water."


    Eligor felt ashamed.


    He was embarrassed by the fact that he couldn''t control himself and having his master feed him water was agonizing.


    But that was his own opinion of himself.


    This wasn''t the first time Eligor thought he needed to get stronger.


    He had been thinking about it ever since he became the House of Mammon''s official spirit.


    After Ophelia provoked him, he became furious and started to focus on training?


    There was a way.


    The Power of Evolution.


    Yong-Ho literally had the power to evolve a spirit.


    He needed to fill the evolution rate, so that''s why he was beating the puppet all night long.


    He was ashamed of it.


    The thought of deciding to rely on his master''s power. During the past few decades, he made excuses and was always lazy about putting in the effort in becoming stronger. Despite witnessing Yong-Ho''s power several times, before Ophelia provoked him, he didn''t think he would ever act like this.


    He might''ve focused hard on hitting the puppet because of the embarrassment he felt.


    Yong-Ho couldn''t read Eligor''s thoughts. But as the master and spirit, they had a connection. Yong-Ho was able to get an idea of what Eligor was feeling.


    Yong-Ho wanted to tell him that he was wrong.


    They discovered the training ground yesterday and all this time, Eligor did well as the butler. It was safe to say that he was doing the housekeeping by himself.


    Yong-Ho opened his mouth to talk, but what he said was pretty random.


    "You''re a strong man, Eligor."


    Stubbornness and childishness.


    Hasty.


    Eligor''s face turned red due to the embarrassment he felt again. Even though his skin was red, it was still noticeable.


    Instead of saying anything more, Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution.


    [Evolution Rate: 100/100]


    His efforts didn''t go to waste. He managed to fill his evolution rate overnight. Of course the more Eligor developed, the more difficult it would be for him to fill hsi evolution rate in the future. This training method won''t always work.


    "Is it...possible?"


    When green flames rose out of Yong-Ho''s eyes, Eligor carefully asked. And then he felt embarrassed again. It''s because it felt like he shamelessly asked his master to use his power.


    But Yong-Ho didn''t mind it. He placed his hand on Eligor''s shoulder and smiled.


    "It''s possible. I''ll increase your rank instead of developing your strength or stamina. Close your eyes and relax."


    Eligor followed his instruction. Yong-Ho poured out his mana without any hesitation. He did have to use a lot more mana than he had expected, but he didn''t think it was a waste.


    [Name: Eligor (M)]


    [Race: Red Demon - Beast]


    [Class: Spirit (Mid-Rank)]


    [Elements: Fire Level 1 / Darkness Level 1]


    [Individual Nature - Diligent / Upright / Loyal]


    [Individual Stat - Strength / Stamina]


    [Evolution Rate: 0/100]


    [Strength - Level 1| ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Stamina - Level 2| ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Talent - Level 1| ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Mana - Level 1| ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    All of his skills increased. On top of that, his skills weren''t the only things that changed.


    "Wow."


    He wasn''t called a Beast for nothing. Eligor''s body was already strong thanks to his stamina, but now, he really looked like a beast. Since he was shirtless, the change was more noticeable.


    His upper body was filled with muscles, causing it to look like an inverted triangle and he had hair all over his chest and arms. The wrinkles on his face decreased, which made him look younger than before.


    ''Rejuvenation? No...Was Eligor old to begin with...or did his physical appearance change like the time when Salami evolved?''


    Yong-Ho smiled as he thought about the random memory.


    Beast man. That was the perfect description. Eligor reminded him of Hugh Jackman when he played Wolverine. On top of that, he had a beard, so Eligor resembled Wolverine even more.


    "Energy is...overflowing within my body."


    He must''ve felt extremely excited because his voice started to shake.


    Because his rank increased, the injuries on his body were all healed.


    Yong-Ho also felt himself getting stronger. Since Yong-Ho was getting stronger day by day, he didn''t feel a big difference, but he did get stronger.


    ''When a spirit becomes stronger, the owner becomes stronger as well. When the owner becomes stronger, the spirits become stronger as well.''


    Eligor became stronger. And he was going to get stronger from now on.


    "Shall we go back? We need to surprise everyone. Especially Ophelia."


    Eligor smiled at Yong-Ho''s comment.


    Instead of his usual warm smile, a confident smile appeared on Eligor''s face.


    ***


    His neat, black butler suit couldn''t hide the change.


    The spirits that were gathered in the cafeteria widened their eyes and looked at Eligor when he was walking between the kitchen and cafeteria.


    Catalina, who had been with Eligor since his older days, was really surprised.


    Catalina kept on opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish and then looked at Yong-Ho. Rikum and the Orc soldiers looked at Yong-Ho with sparkling eyes.


    Yong-Ho had a satisfied smile on his face. Just yesterday, he was really worried because of what was happening in the empty regions, but right now, he was waiting for Ophelia to enter the cafeteria.


    And then, Ophelia appeared.


    "Hello, Master."


    As soon as she entered, she first showed her respect to Yong-Ho and sat in the seat she was assigned to. And then she tilted her head when she noticed the other spirits acting oddly.


    ''What''s wrong with everyone? The Orcs are acting the weirdest.''


    From her past experience, it was very rare to see Orcs with sparkling eyes.


    It only happens when they''re eating something really delicious, when there''s a woman in front of them or when they''re feeling envious.


    "Hehe."


    Ophelia flinched when she heard someone giggle, so she turned her head. When Catalina noticed that she giggled, she quickly closed her mouth and acted like a cold, female warrior. But she couldn''t stop herself from smiling.


    ''So silly.''


    Ophelia lifted her head while thinking that maybe Yong-Ho should''ve replaced the personal guard first instead of the butler. She looked at the man that approached her. Like the other spirits, Ophelia''s eyes widened as well and after blinking a few times, her jaw dropped.


    "Uh, uh, uh?"


    "Ophelia, flies will fly into your mouth. But there aren''t any flies here since I''m responsible for this area."


    Eligor placed a plate full of food in front of Ophelia and casually turned around. Ophelia''s eyes saw Eligor''s beast-like back.


    Yong-Ho tried his best to hold in his laughter.


    Eligor was definitely a strong man. Even if he was old, he was still child-like man.


    Ophelia came back to her senses after staring at Eligor''s back. It seemed like she was going to compliment him, but she quickly shut her mouth and looked at Yong-Ho. Ophelia was requesting for an explanation.


    But Yong-Ho wanted to enjoy this moment a bit longer. It was for his mental health as well as for Eligor''s.


    "Let''s eat."


    Yong-Ho spoke while raising a fork and the spirits started eating their food.


    All this time, Ophelia couldn''t really tell what she was eating. She was busy glancing over at Eligor, who had a beast-like body and a warm smile.


    "Your powers are amazing, Master. No, amazing isn''t enough to describe your power."


    After enjoying the small break they had after eating, Yong-Ho and Ophelia walked towards the dungeon entrance room.


    After thanking Yong-Ho for walking her to the entrance, she praised Yong-Ho''s power.


    Yong-Ho had a satisfied smile. He spoke in a slightly modest tone.


    "It''s nothing compared to the potential you brought out of Eligor."


    The Power of Evolution didn''t have the power to create something out of nothing. It helped bring out the hidden potential that one had. The hidden potential that was marked in each of the development routes was proof.


    However, it was still true that Yong-Ho''s Power of Evolution was an amazing power.


    Ophelia spoke while smiling warmly.


    "My father was correct. The House of Mammon will definitely rise again."


    The chaos was scary and violent, but she wasn''t worried. Ophelia now truly believed that the House of Mammon was going to rise again.


    "I look forward to working with you."


    "Of course, Master. I will serve you and the House of Mammon with everything that I have."


    When the owner and the spirit happily finished their conversation, Yong-Ho discreetly signaled Eligor with his eyes. Eligor, who had been standing next to Yong-Ho, said goodbye to Ophelia.


    "Good bye."


    "You do know that you''re still lacking, right?"


    "I will continue improving myself."


    When Ophelia jokingly made that comment, Eligor spoke seriously with a calm expression.


    Ophelia smiled once again at his reply. As someone that acknowledged his willingness before, she spoke to her fellow Red Demon.


    "Okay, I''ll be waiting for our next meeting. Big Brother Eligor."


    "Well...uh, huh?"


    Eligor had the same expression as Ophelia when she was in the cafeteria and he even stuttered. Ophelia looked back at Yong-Ho with a satisfied smile. She showed respect to Yong-Ho, who had a bright smile on his face.


    "Ophelia, the daughter of Endelyon, will now leave."


    "Right. See you next time."


    Catalina also had a blank expression and after saying goodbye with her eyes, Ophelia looked at Eligor one last time. Eligor was still spaced out and after winking at him, Ophelia turned around. Her red tail was gently swinging back and forth.


    "She called you big brother. Lucky guy."


    Yong-Ho turned around and Catalina came back to her senses and quickly followed behind him.


    Even during that time, Eligor kept on blinking his eyes. He was sure that he was the first one that attacked, but in the end, it felt like he was the one that got hit.


    How would he describe this?


    ''Not bad.''


    A warm smile appeared on Eligor''s face. He turned around and walked back as the butler of the dungeon. He was slightly looking forward to the day when Ophelia would visit again.


    And a day later.


    Eligor''s expectation backfired.

 68 Dungeon Offense 2

    Ophelia''s second visit was unexpected.


    Between the House of Mammon and the free city, it took more than a day on horse, but it only took Ophelia a day to come back.


    Unless she really pushed her horse, she probably changed directions before arriving at the free city and returned to the House of Mammon.


    Ophelia was a mess and that was more than enough to explain how violent the ride back was.


    Her light, blonde hair was covered in dust and her neat and tidy clothes were a mess.


    Ophelia''s horse was covered in sweat and as soon as they arrived at the dungeon entrance, the horse collapsed to the ground. Ophelia quickly entered the House of Mammon without taking care of her horse.


    Yong-Ho was exploring the dungeon with the spirits and it didn''t take him long to reach the dungeon entrance. However, ten minutes felt like an eternity for Ophelia.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Yong-Ho asked directly when he arrived.


    He was curious as to why she returned so quickly and why she came here instead of using the communication device.


    All of those thoughts were condensed into that one question and after hearing it, Ophelia collected her breath. She assumed that he would have a lot of questions, but answering each and every one wasn''t important right now. Ophelia didn''t even greet him properly.


    "The House of Foras surrendered to the House of Abigail."


    He stopped breathing for a moment. Silence filled the room when the spirits heard what Ophelia said.


    They abandoned the dungeon and surrendered.


    Through that, they''re able to avoid death.


    It was a reasonable choice.


    The House of Foras lost a reliable owner. The Orcs were the main combat group and they lost them and the anxious spirits started to leave one by one.


    It might''ve turned out differently if the situation was calm, but things were chaotic. It wouldn''t be weird if another dungeon battle occured.


    Yong-Ho gritted his teeth.


    There was one possibility he didn''t think about. The House of Foras was the enemy''s stepping stone, not a shield.


    [It''s rare for an owner to give up a dungeon and surrender without a fight. Please don''t blame yourself.]


    [Even the spirits didn''t think that the House of Foras would surrender so easily.]


    [And the conditions weren''t good enough to attack the dungeon in the first place. It can''t be helped.]


    Lucia spoke gently as if to comfort him.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He wasn''t trying to rely on Lucia to make himself feel better.


    He was trying to determine what was important right now.


    "What''s the current situation of the surrender? Is the House of Foras under the House of Abigail''s control? And how did they surrender?"


    It was safe to say that the moment the House of Foras surrendered, it belonged to the House of Abigail.


    And how they surrendered was important as well.


    Owners fight over dungeons in order to steal the owner''s spirit.


    The owner''s spirit.


    The mana that was built up within the Heart of the Dungeon.


    Yong-Ho could''ve preserved the dungeon and used it as a second dungeon. It could be used as a branch office or to expand the dungeon.


    Ophelia kept on gulping. She had a hard time talking because she was sweating so much. Her voice cracked as she spoke.


    "Out of the spirits that left the House of Foras, some of them didn''t actually leave. It was a way to hide the fact that they surrendered."


    Yong-Ho recalled the report that he heard from Ophelia. About the spirits that either went to the free city or joined a different dungeon after leaving the House of Foras.


    And out of those that left, the spirits that joined the House of Abigail didn''t join because they wanted to. It''s because they surrendered to them.


    "It''s been a few days since the House of Foras told them that they wanted to surrender. And worst of all, during the few days that I visited the House of Mammon, Jungceros, the owner of the House of Abigail, left the dungeon."


    "Is it to accept the House of Foras?"


    Eligor couldn''t contain his curiosity and asked. Ophelia nodded her head.


    "While returning to the free city, my subordinate quickly notified me. Jungceroes should''ve arrived at the House of Foras''s dungeon by now."


    The House of Foras already fell into the House of Abigail''s hand. Yong-Ho didn''t even get the chance to stop them.


    Yong-Ho was thinking. He asked for more information before becoming discouraged.


    "Did the House of Abigail''s owner visit the House of Foras in order to register the Heart of the Dungeon?"


    "I can''t say for sure. They could be visiting in order to register the successor of the House of the Foras as their own spirit. However¡­"


    Ophelia suddenly stopped talking and bit her lips. She hesitated and then spoke again.


    "Personally, I think they''re visiting in order to absorb the dungeon''s spirit. They believe that the owner of the House of Mammon, the Demon of Fire, isn''t an easy opponent. Instead of using the dungeon to advance, there''s a high chance that they''re choosing to completely get rid of all fights."


    The owners near the free city get their sources from the pub. Yong-Ho was known as the Demon of Fire thanks to Ophelia''s database and he was known to be a tough opponent.


    Foras was known to be strong despite his old age, but Yong-Ho managed to defeat him and he even took down a Land Worm.


    Different thoughts popped into Yong-Ho''s head. He gulped. He calmed himself down by thinking deeply.


    ''If what Ophelia said was true.''


    There was a low chance that another dungeon battle was going to occur soon. If Abigail leaves after breaking the House of Foras, then there wouldn''t be any other dungeons around the House of Mammon.


    But he couldn''t relax. There was still the possibility of Abigail using the House of Foras as an advancement base to invade the House of Mammon.


    ''I won''t be able to find an answer soon.''


    The answer won''t reveal itself just because he was being impatient about it.


    After feeling calm, Yong-Ho tried to calm down the spirits. He also didn''t forget to credit Ophelia''s effort for rushing back here.


    But before he could talk about it, a new issue came up.


    [A group of Orcs are quickly running towards here from the House of Foras!]


    [According to the report by the Dungeon Meerkats, they''re all on horseback!]


    "Is the enemy planning on attacking us?!"


    Eligor spoke in a surprised tone. Rikum quickly shook his head.


    "A dungeon can''t be invaded with a few Orcs. Master, are you able to provide detailed information regarding the Orcs that are approaching?"


    Yong-Ho was just as surprised as Eligor and he managed to calm down when he heard Rikum''s voice. When he lightly waved his finger, Lucia replied.


    [There''s a total of four Orcs.]


    [The Orc that''s leading them is wearing a piece of white fabric on his back.]


    Letters of light were drawn in the air so that the spirits could see it as well.


    Rikum''s face started glowing.


    "It''s clear that the Orcs that remained in the House of Foras are coming here to surrender.]


    Ophelia nodded her head.


    "I secretly spread the news of Rikum surrendering to the House of Mammon. They could be coming here after hearing that their captain was here."


    Catalina looked back at Yong-Ho with a hopeful expression.


    It was good news.


    The value of the Orcs that left the House of Foras was displayed. Yong-Ho had enough evidence to assume what was going on at the House of Foras and what Abigail was going to do.


    "Lucia, open the dungeon door. We''ll greet them at the dungeon entrance."


    Immediately after ordering Lucia, Yong-Ho looked back at the spirits. Catalina and Skull nodded their heads and Rikum and Ophelia followed Yong-Ho.


    "Catalina."


    A Dungeon Meerkat raised its voice while pointing at the Orcs that were approaching. After patting the Dungeon Meerkat''s head, Yong-Ho waited for the Orcs to arrive. Rikum spoke energetically.


    "I''m sure that they were under my command."


    It looked like the Orcs recognized Rikum. Despite the fact that they were still far from the dungeon, Catalina noticed that their faces were mixed with anxiety, relief and happiness.


    "Captain Rikum!"


    As soon as they arrived, one of the Orc immediately jumped off their horse and yelled. The Orcs that arrived after them did the same. Rikum spoke with a stern voice.


    "You''re in front of the master. Show your respect first."


    The Orcs already knew that Rikum became the House of Mammon''s spirit, so they acted pretty quickly. Yong-Ho wasn''t sure if they did it because of the current situation or because they confirmed that Rikum actually surrendered, but they kneeled in front of Yong-Ho without any hesitation.


    "It is an honor to meet you, owner of the House of Mammon."


    Yong-Ho couldn''t feel the unique mana emanating from them as he had done from the previous Orcs. It''s probably because their contract with the House of Foras had ended.


    Yong-Ho spoke as calmly as possible.


    "I''m glad you''re here. Did you work under Rikum?"


    "Yes, we worked under Captain Rikum."


    The Orc that had a white flag on their back answered for the rest of the group.


    Rikum stepped in to get rid of Yong-Ho''s curiosity.


    "What happened? Is it true that the House of Foras surrendered to the House of Abigail?"


    Everyone focused on the Orc. Even Skull looked at the Orc while holding his battle hammer instead of rolling around on the ground.


    The Orc was nervous due to the attention he was getting, but he quickly spoke. The words that came out of the Orc''s mouth was something that Yong-Ho and even Ophelia wasn''t expecting.


    ***


    "The owner of the House of Foras...the young owner was killed by Jungceros. And Jungceros is currently trapped in the House of Foras''s dungeon."


    There was a need for an explanation. There were too many unanswered questions to accept it as is.


    The successor of the House of Foras died?


    It was possible. The enemy could have pretended to accept the surrender and ended up killing the successor. This happened in both the demon world and the human world.


    But it was difficult to understand the part about Jungceros being trapped inside the House of Foras''s dungeon.


    Rikum urged the Orc to explain and he started providing information about the things they knew.


    "The young owner...no, I believed that the owner of the House of Foras wasn''t able to protect the dungeon. The butler agreed as well. There were barely any fighting spirits and one by one, they started to run away."


    It was something Yong-Ho expected. Instead of pressing him for more information, he waited patiently. The Orc glanced at Yong-Ho and then continued to talk.


    "There were few options available. As the owner, the enemy...um, since the owner of the House of Mammon was considered an enemy, they couldn''t surrender to you. So that''s why they decided to surrender to Jungceros, the owner of the House of Abigail. They asked to get revenge on the House of Mammon in exchange for the surrender."


    "But Jungceros wasn''t planning on doing it. After pretending to accept the surrender, he planned to visit the House of Foras''s dungeon, kill the owner and destroy the Heart of the Dungeon. Because all he needed to do was absorb the spirit of the dungeon."


    Ophelia explained and the Orc nodded his head with a surprised look on their face.


    "Jungceros brought guards and elite soldiers with him. As soon as he finished registering Foras''s spirit, he showed his true face. But the butler didn''t stand by and just watch."


    Eligor flinched when he heard the word, butler. The Orc spoke while tightening their fist.


    "The butler was suspicious of Jungceros from the start, so he built a trap just in case. Jungceros targeted the Heart of the Dungeon after killing the owner, but it was useless. The room that the butler made Jungceros enter contained a fake Heart of the Dungeon. The butler closed the dungeon."


    "Closed the dungeon?"


    When Yong-Ho asked, Lucia quickly replied.


    [When the owner dies, the Spirit of the Dungeon dies as well. But for the House of Mammon, even if the Spirit of the Dungeon dies, it doesn''t mean that the facilities within the dungeon will stop working. They''ll start using the mana that was stored and will experience a slow death.]


    [The butler of the House of Foras probably chose to have a quick death rather than a slow one.]


    [He probably closed the dungeon door by pouring the remaining mana into the dungeon trap. Since he used up a lot of the mana, the dungeon would die faster, but...it can trap the enemy that entered the dungeon.]


    Instead of letting the dungeon die, the butler used it as his final attack.


    "The other Orcs and I escaped the dungeon through a secret passageway. But Jungceros is probably still stuck in the deepest part of the dungeon. The room that the butler led them to was a fake throne room and had traps installed all around the room."


    Yong-Ho organized the situation once more in his head.


    The successor of the House of Foras had died.


    Jungceros, the owner of the House of Abigail, is trapped inside Foras''s dungeon.


    Jungceros doesn''t know the layout of Foras''s dungeon. And the traps that were installed are dangerous to him.


    Of course the traps were dangerous to Yong-Ho as well. But Yong-Ho knew the layout of the House of Foras. The spirits that knew the layout were working under him.


    "How many soldiers did Jungceroes bring with him?"


    Ophelia caught a glimpse of something when Yong-Ho asked. The Orc blinked, then counted with his fingers and then answered.


    "He brought around 20 guards with him. Some of the guards probably died from the traps through."


    Yong-Ho calculated in his head. Greed raised its voice.


    If everything he said were true.


    Dungeon battle.


    It was time to attack.

 69 Dungeon Offense 3

    The conversation moved at a fast pace.


    Catalina kept on biting her lips and then looked across at Yong-Ho.


    She was able to understand the context of the conversation. If everything that the Orc had said was true, then Yong-Ho had to make a move. The information was that valuable.


    However, if what he said wasn''t true.


    If this was a well thought out trap.


    Catalina didn''t know the successor to the House of Foras. Were they that foolish to let a tiger into their house just so they had a chance to bring it down? Was Jungceros really that sneaky and evil that he would kill someone that surrendered without hesitation?


    She didn''t know the answer. Despite that, Catalina remained quiet because she trusted Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho probably thought about the same things.


    In that case, how was he going to determine whether what the Orc said was true?


    Catalina''s expectations weren''t wrong. Yong-Ho soon found a solution.


    "Ophelia."


    "Yes, sir."


    Ophelia immediately answered when Yong-Ho called her. Even though Yong-Ho gives his orders, Ophelia looked like she knew what she had to do.


    Ophelia waited for Yong-Ho''s order. Just like Catalina, Yong-Ho didn''t disappoint Ophelia.


    "Can you reenact the event that happened at the bar?"


    "I do need some time to prepare, but it''s possible. I''ll check to see if it''s true or not."


    The Orcs were confused by their conversation since no one explained to them about what was going on. Rikum was surprised, so he asked Ophelia.


    "Are you saying that you''re going to look into their minds?"


    "Because we can''t trust them. Don''t you think it''s unreasonable to trust them just because they worked under you before?"


    Ophelia was straightforward and Rikum gritted his teeth because he felt that she was doubting him, but it only lasted for a moment. Rikum was the type to quickly make a decision, so he nodded his head.


    "Well...you''re right. Please forgive my behavior, sir."


    After Rikum finished talking, he nodded towards Yong-Ho and took a step back. The Orc that was talking while kneeling in front of Yong-Ho looked at Rikum with a confused expression.


    "Cap-captain?"


    "It''s nothing. We''re just testing to see whether the information provided is true. Nothing bad will happen to you, so trust me and stay still."


    When the Orc heard Rikum''s calm voice, he gulped and then nodded his head. He looked nervous because of the sweat on his face, but it didn''t look like he was worried about getting caught lying.


    Yong-Ho didn''t judge right away. Since he decided to leave it to Ophelia, he was going to wait until she had the results.


    Ophelia needed to really prepare when looking into the mind of a demon like Yong-Ho, but this time, she was looking into the mind of a naive Orc.


    After spending five minutes drawing the circle, she straightened her back and stood up.


    "I''ll begin."


    Yong-Ho lightly nodded his head and agreed. The Orcs had a worried look since they didn''t know what was happening, so they kept on looking at Ophelia and the Orc. Rikum prepared himself in case something happened.


    Catalina recalled what happened at the bar, so she stared at Ophelia''s lips.


    Ophelia lowered herself so that her eyes were on the same level as the Orc''s. She looked straight into his eyes and spoke.


    "Consider yourself lucky."


    The Orc tried to blink because he was confused, but he couldn''t. His eyelids were fixed. The Orc looked at Ophelia with a blank expression and Ophelia looked into the Orc''s eyes again. She slowly closed the distance between her and the Orc.


    And right when their noses were touching.


    Eligor widened his eyes due to the surprise and Catalina ended up looking back at Yong-Ho. While looking downward, Yong-Ho waited for Ophelia to talk.


    The contact only lasted for a moment. After standing up, Ophelia took out a handkerchief and after wiping her lips, she looked back at Yong-Ho. The Orc still had a blank expression and was spacing out.


    "It''s true. That Orc...Gokan witnessed the butler of the House of Foras being killed by Jungceros."


    Rikum released a sigh of relief and Yong-Ho closed his eyes.


    What Yong-Ho needed to do was quickly make a decision.


    ''It''s impossible to attack the House of Abigail.''


    First, it was far.


    On top of that, Abigail didn''t take all of his guards. Yong-Ho was afraid of attacking the House of Foras, so it didn''t make sense for him to attack the House of Abigail just because the owner was missing.


    ''Should I attack the House of Foras or not?''


    There were definitely geographical advantages. If Yong-Ho considered the possibility of Jungceros''s group suffering from the traps, then he wouldn''t have an issue in terms of numbers.


    But it was definitely dangerous.


    The House of Foras was the enemy''s territory and it was hard to tell what Jungceros and his soldiers were capable of. If they make a mistake, they could actually lose to Jungceros and lose their lives.


    ''But.''


    Even though it was dangerous, they could gain a lot from it.


    With one fight, Yong-Ho will be able to absorb not only Jungceros and the successor''s spirit, but also obtain the House of Foras''s Heart of the Dungeon. The remaining inheritance was just a bonus.


    What he needed was information.


    And when it came to obtaining information, Yong-Ho was ahead of the owners that were near the free city.


    "Ophelia, how strong is Jungceros? Do you know anything about the guards and the spirits that he has?"


    Ophelia, a spirit of the House of Mammon and the owner of the bar, quickly replied as if she had already prepared for it.


    "Jungceros isn''t a melee fighter like Foras. But since he''s pretty big and strong, there''s a possibility that he''ll win at hand-to-hand combat. Even though there isn''t a lot of information about them...there''s a high chance that play a non-combat role."


    Yong-Ho''s Power of Evolution was also a non-combat power.


    There wasn''t a rule that said that all demons had offensive powers like Foras.


    In the empty southern regions, the owners rarely started dungeon fights. Information about the owner''s powers were limited.


    But information about their soldiers and spirits weren''t very limited.


    "Jungceros''s guard is an Ogre and he''s just like my owner. Even though he''s naive, his strength and stamina are outstanding. He even fought against a group of Orcs at once and won."


    "What about when compared to you?"


    "I''m stronger."


    Even though it was sort of a childish reply, Ophelia''s eyes didn''t show a hint of arrogance. Her calm eyes were filled with nothing but the truth.


    Ophelia continued explaining.


    "The spirits that they mainly purchase from the dungeon shop are the Living Armors. Gokan witnessed Jungceros being accompanied by a group of Living Armors. Right?"


    Ophelia looked back at Gokan and Gokan was suddenly surprised, causing him to quickly nod his head.


    "That''s right. I saw them with my own two eyes."


    A Living Armor was a spirit that Yong-Ho has never encountered before. He''s never seen it in the dungeon shop catalogue either.


    Rikum helped Yong-Ho.


    "Since Living Armors aren''t living things, it doesn''t feel any pain and on top of that, its immune to sword attacks. However, if we were to use a blunt weapon, we''ll have a chance when fighting it. If its armor breaks, it''ll be unable to fight even if it''s a Living Armor."


    Skull swung his weapon when he heard blunt weapon.


    Yong-Ho started thinking again. He compared the number of soldiers he could take with him and the number of soldiers that Jungceros possessed.


    Nothing was set when it came to battles.


    If it did exist, then Yong-Ho wouldn''t have been able to defeat Foras.


    ''High risk, high return.''


    Greed reminded him. It guided Yong-Ho.


    "Let''s prepare for battle. We''ll form a group and attack the House of Foras."


    Yong-Ho quickly spoke. He turned to Eligor.


    "Eligor, defend the dungeon with Treant. I''m going to attack the dungeon with Catalina, Skull, Salami, Ophelia, Rikum and the Orcs."


    Eligor hesitated for a moment. He had many different thoughts during the short time.


    But it was already decided. Eligor fixed his posture and showed his respect towards Yong-Ho.


    "The butler, Eligor, will wait for you to return, sir."


    Catalina and Skull were already prepared. Rikum spoke after quickly showing respect towards Yong-Ho.


    "I''ll round them up within 10 minutes."


    Yong-Ho didn''t rush into registering the Orcs as spirits. Yong-Ho waved his finger and asked Lucia to summon Salami.


    After selling the war carriages to the dungeon shop, Yong-Ho had two left. It was enough to carry the soldiers.


    The important thing was time.


    Before the data fell into the hands of another, he had to quickly resolve this situation.


    Ophelia spoke as if she read Yong-Ho''s mind.


    "Jungceros is impatient and hot-headed. It''s safe to say that he probably won''t wait patiently until the mana in the dungeon runs out. I''m sure he''s still trying to find the Heart of the Dungeon. And the damage he would receive from the traps will only increase."


    If Jungceros left after finding the Heart of the Dungeon, then Yong-Ho would be placed in a difficult situation.


    Yong-Ho calmed himself again. Greed also asked him to calm down instead of pushing him.


    In order to gain something big, one needs to be patient at times.


    Yong-Ho tightened his grip around Aamon. Yong-Ho looked towards the north. That''s where the House of Foras was located.


    ***


    The carriage moved as fast as it could. It used the mana that was stored within the carriage and it didn''t care that the horses were tired.


    It wasn''t a proper operation. If the carriage operated this way, then its functions will stop right when they reach their destination.


    But they still had to use it that way. Yong-Ho looked out the carriage window and saw Salami flying ahead with Catalina on his back. He focused on the conversation he was having inside the carriage.


    On a large piece of paper, Rikum drew a map of the House of Foras''s dungeon. Even though he was relying on his memories, he served under Foras for many years, so he barely made any mistakes.


    Gokan and the other Orcs pointed out the things that changed after the dungeon got a new owner. But since the owner didn''t last a long time, there weren''t any big changes.


    The House of Foras had a lot of secret passageways. The reason why Foras used Wall Break to attack Yong-Ho''s weak point was because Foras had contemplated a lot about Wall Break.


    From the outside, it looked like large passageways were connected to each other, but there were many hidden passageways. The deeper part of the dungeon had more narrow passageways.


    "This is where Jungceros was at last. And...we don''t really know where the real Heart of the Dungeon is located."


    Gokan spoke while scratching his head. Rikum asked Gokan.


    "Did all the spirits escape the dungeon? There aren''t any spirits that were captured by Jungceros and is guiding them through the dungeon?"


    "Um...I can''t say for sure, but most of them did escape. Jungceros and the owner...the spirits couldn''t get close to their rendezvous point."


    Gokan didn''t know where the real Heart of the Dungeon was located. But Rikum pointed to one area on the map and spoke. It was a room that was far from the room where Jungceros was trapped in.


    "I can''t guarantee it, but there''s a high chance that the Heart of the Dungeon is located in this area. The saying the beacon does not shine on its own base exists for a reason...when considering the butler''s personality, they most likely placed it far from Jungceros."


    After nodding his head, Yong-Ho looked closely at the dungeon map. Even though he had the Orcs to guide him, he couldn''t completely rely on them. Memorizing the map was the best thing to do.


    The carriage increased its speed.


    After memorizing the dungeon map, Yong-Ho closed his eyes and thought about the infiltration.


    The first thing he had to do after entering the House of Foras''s dungeon.


    Time flew by.


    The two war carriages arrived at the House of Foras''s dungeon.

 70 Dungeon Offense 4

    The shape of Foras''s dungeon entrance was quite different from the House of Mammon''s.


    For the House of Mammon, a large door was attached at the bottom of the hill, however for the House of Foras, they instead had a castle gate.


    The fortress-like entrance was built out of stones however the dungeon itself must''ve been located underground because from the outside, the castle gate was the only thing visible.


    The dungeon entrance was completely sealed. Jungceros''s war carriage was still next to the door, so there was a high chance that Jungceros was trapped.


    Gokan, who was leading the way, spoke.


    "There''s a secret passageway that we used to escape. This way."


    After placing the war carriages near the gate, Yong-Ho followed Gokan. There was a forest not too far from the gate and a well with a cover was hidden between the grass.


    While Gokan and the Orcs were removing the cover, Rikum looked at Yong-Ho.


    "Like we''ve mentioned before, we''re able to move to different parts of the dungeon through these secret passageways. The problem is that we don''t know where Jungceros is right now...is there an area you''ve thought of before coming here?"


    Ophelia also looked curious. She had expectations, but it looked like she was also testing him. Yong-Ho looked at both of them and spoke.


    "We''ll go straight to the Heart of the Dungeon''s room."


    Jungceros''s final destination was the Heart of the Dungeon''s room. Yong-Ho wasn''t sure where Jungceros was right now, but he was sure that they were going to eventually find the room.


    It was a reasonable decision, but Ophelia didn''t understand it right away. Rikum spoke with a slightly awkward expression.


    "Well...there''s a high chance that the area I mentioned is where the real one is located. I don''t exactly know where the room is¡­"


    "Skullllll!"


    Skull yelled to tell him not to worry and Catalina had a small smile on her face.


    Catalina and Skull knew something that Ophelia and Rikum didn''t know.


    It could be a superiority complex or it could be that Catalina was just excited about Yong-Ho''s power, but she looked at Yong-Ho with sparkling eyes and Yong-Ho patted her head. Ophelia and Rikum tilted their heads in confusion and Yong-Ho spoke to them.


    "I''ll find the way there, so don''t worry. However...I don''t think Salami will be able to fit in the narrow passageway."


    Since it was a secret passageway and Salami was larger than an ordinary horse, it was possible for them to fit.


    After Yong-Ho commanded Salami to guard the passageway and the dungeon entrance, he turned back to Rikum.


    "Let''s go."


    "Understood. I''ll take the lead."


    Rikum knew that Yong-Ho wasn''t the type to make empty promises. Rikum didn''t know how Yong-Ho was going to find it, but he decided to trust him for now.


    The passage that connected to the bottom of the well was filled with darkness. Rikum and the Orcs took out the lighting rod that they prepared and lit the passage.


    Rikum stopped after walking a few hundred meters. It''s because there was a crossroad. Up till now, they walked towards the direction where the Heart of the Dungeon''s room could be located. However, it was difficult to tell which way was the right way. They had to find the correct path.


    After taking the lighting rod from Catalina, Yong-Ho stood in front of Rikum. Instead of walking, he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.


    What was the most valuable in the House of Foras''s dungeon?


    What was the most valuable to Yong-Ho?


    Greed''s eyes opened within Yong-Ho. It didn''t hide its desire.


    An invisible energy started seeping out. The smoke-like energy were ripped into pieces and some of those pieces enveloped Catalina. The small smokes enveloped Ophelia and Skull as well.


    Yong-Ho calmed his desire. He strongly reminded Greed of the thing he wanted right now.


    The pieces of smoke gathered and became one. The large, thick flow extended out to a specific location.


    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. He followed Greed''s guide.


    Rikum and Ophelia didn''t see Yong-Ho''s Greed. But they did feel that something was out of place. Ophelia was able to sense mana better than Rikum and she unconsciously gulped. Even though they weren''t in a dangerous situation, sweat rolled down her face.


    ''Greed.''


    Ophelia encountered Yong-Ho''s Greed once. Its personality was different from back then, but she was sure that the energy that was seeping out of Yong-Ho was Greed.


    He walked confidently. Catalilna and Skull followed behind without any hesitation. Yong-Ho knew where the traps were located since he studied the map, so he didn''t hesitate or stop once.


    How much had they walked?


    Yong-Ho stopped. He placed his hand on an empty wall and forcefully released his mana.


    When a different mana collided with his, it released a sound. After a rattling sound filled the room, it revealed a secret door that was hidden within the wall.


    Rikum and the Orcs looked at Yong-Ho and the door as if they''ve seen a ghost. Catalina was so excited that she couldn''t hide the big smile that was on her face.


    Even though Ophelia was an information deal, she gulped due to the anxiety she was feeling.


    Everyone knew that each of the sins had their own special powers. In that case, was that Greed''s special power?


    ''The power to guide...the possessor''s desire?''


    It made sense. It was definitely a powerful skill. Greed''s power didn''t just stop there.


    A small smile appeared on Ophelia''s face. Instead of looking back, Yong-Ho continued walking towards the Heart of the Dungeon''s room. The room was the most important and the least harmful room.


    Despite being employed under the House of Foras, the Orcs have never seen the Heart of the Dungeon.


    The Spirit of the Dungeon must''ve died because the Heart of the Dungeon was reacting. It just looked like marble that was shining brightly.


    Yong-Ho looked at the Heart of the Dungeon that was sitting on top of an altar. The dungeon''s history was shorter than the House of Mammon''s and despite it developing more than Mammon''s, it wasn''t as big as Yong-Ho first thought.


    Greed aggressively reacted. It complained to Yong-Ho about how thirsty it was.


    It was a large amount of mana. It was stronger than any of the spirits he absorbed. Yong-Ho agreed as well. He wanted to destroy the shield that was protecting the Heart of the Dungeon and absorb the spirit right now.


    But now wasn''t the time. Now wasn''t the time to use his mana to take the heart.


    The Heart of the Dungeon was safe.


    Jungceros still wasn''t able to escape the dungeon.


    If Jungceros was far away, Yong-Ho could take the heart and make the dungeon his.


    If Jungceros was close, Yong-Ho could use the map to his advantage and ambush them.


    The dungeon''s interior was dark. Because of that, Yong-Ho''s hearing was more sensitive than when there was light.


    ''If Jungceros is lost within the dungeon.''


    And on top of that, if they were exploring every corner of the dungeon to find the Heart of the Dungeon.


    Boom!


    A boom could be heard beyond the darkness. It wasn''t as loud, but he heard a scream as well. It mostly meant that a trap was activated.


    Even though Yong-Ho wasn''t skilled in analyzing these types of situations, he was able to tell how close the sound was.


    It wasn''t that far. And Yong-Ho''s subordinates were able to discover a lot of information.


    "I think I know where it''s coming from."


    When Rikum spoke, Yong-Ho nodded his head.


    It was time.


    ***


    Jungceros, the owner of the House of Abigail, couldn''t hide his anger.


    Everything that happened up to the point where he strangled the young successor to death was great. Even though he was still young and weak, he still had a strong spirit since he was the owner.


    But everything that happened after that was a mess.


    Despite the fact that his father put his life on the line to protect the dungeon for many years, the young owner gave up the entire dungeon. However, the butler had a disapproving look on his face since day one.


    And in the end, the butler messed things up.


    Almost a day.


    It was the amount of time that Jungceros was trapped in the fake Heart of the Dungeon''s room.


    When Jungceros barely managed to break the magic seal, traps that were stacked on top of each other were waiting. It would take another day for them to break through the traps and search the dungeon. He didn''t want to think about the number of spirits he had lost so far.


    Breaking that butler''s neck wasn''t enough to satisfy Jungceros.


    Taking the Heart of the Dungeon wasn''t satisfying enough.


    While grinding his teeth, Jungceros couldn''t contain his anger and ended up hitting a wall. Jungceros was as big and strong as an Ogre, so with one hit, it made the ceiling and walls shake.


    "Useless pieces of shits!"


    Two Living Armors moved in order to break through the trap room, but when a giant weight fell from the ceiling, they were completely crushed.


    There were 15 Living Armors in the beginning, but now there was only seven left. And out of the 10 Gnoll soldiers, only four survived. But, it was a relief that Jungceros and Kun, an Ogre warrior and Jungceros''s guard, were still alive.


    The Gnoll soldiers flinched when Jungceros expressed his anger. Out of the six soldiers that died, Jungceros killed one of them, so it was natural for them to react that way.


    The lighting device wasn''t enough to get rid of the dungeon''s darkness and this made Jungceros even more angry.


    While breathing heavily, Jungceros compared the worth between a Living Armor and one of his Gnoll soldiers.


    From now on, a soldier will take the lead, not a Living Armor.


    While violently waving the lighting device that was in his hand, Jungceros looked back. The soldiers were behind them and Jungceros opened his mouth to yell at them to take the lead.


    But the thing that escaped his lips wasn''t what he had originally thought.


    The number of Gnoll soldiers decreased.


    Jungceros only saw two instead of four.


    The soldiers looked at each other with a surprised look when they saw Jungceros''s shocked expression.


    Four of them were here just now, but now it was just two of them. The other two that were with them disappeared.


    "Those bastards ran away?!"


    Jungceros approached the Gnoll soldiers while releasing an angry scream. One of them was so scared that it instinctively took a step back and touched something that was hidden in the dark. The soldier instinctively used the lighting device to see what was beneath them.


    It was one of Jungceros''s Gnoll soldiers. Blood was seeping out of its neck and its mouth was wide open.


    And in that moment.


    A light appeared along with the boom. The flare only lasted for a moment, but everyone that was in the room covered their eyes.


    The things that happened in the dark were now happening in the light.


    Catalina used her dagger and cut a soldier''s throat. Because of the strong light, Catalina''s shadow mana wasn''t as strong as earlier, but the attack was enough to kill a Gnoll soldier.


    Using the secret passageway that was in the ceiling, Ophelia jumped down and used her tail to strangle the other Gnoll soldier. On top of strangling them, Ophelia also broke its neck.


    The flare disappeared. Jungceros managed to get his sight back and all he saw were the corpses of his soldiers.


    Someone was here. Traps weren''t the only things Jungceros had to worry about now.


    "Get ready to fight! Protect the master!"


    When Kun, Jungceros''s guard, yelled, the remaining Living Armors turned around and approached Jungeros.


    And someone was hitting those Living Armors'' backs with a hammer. The blunt war hammer signaled that the fight started.


    "Skullllll!"


    The hammer hit the Living Armors'' backs. Rikum and the other Orcs smashed the Living Armors'' backs with a blunt weapon. Even through the fight began, the Living Armors had a hard time turning the table because they lost the advantage.


    The defenders had the advantage when fighting in the dark.


    Because of that, it was common sense for the attackers to prepare lighting devices.


    Jungceros did prepare lighting devices. However, most of his devices were taken because he had spent two days here and had to deal with the traps that were installed within the dungeon.


    When the Orcs suddenly invaded, Jungceros recalled the remaining powers within the House of Foras. As an owner ruled a dungeon, instead of running away, Jungceros screamed angrily while wielding his favorite sword.


    "Idiots! Kun! Kill them!"


    Kun responded to Jungceros''s order. Kun screamed angrily towards the Orcs while wielding a large, dangerous mace.


    And Ophelia discreetly approached behind Kun. When Kun sensed a presence behind him, he quickly turned around, but it was too late. Ophelia quickly ran up Kun''s back and hit the back of his neck using her hand.


    Break away.


    After digging into Kun''s neck using her hand, Ophelia jumped off of Kun''s shoulder. Kun waved his arms despite of the pain and ended up collapsing on the ground. When Kun collapsed, Catalina appeared behind him. She pierced the back of his neck with a knife.


    Only a few seconds passed after that, but the next attack was deadly.


    Blood flooded out of Kun''s neck and he fell back while releasing a pant. His body started shaking and he was unable to get up.


    "Skulllll!"


    The scream that was released behind Jungceros provoked them once again.


    When Jungceros saw Kun on the ground, he started panting. He saw blood on Ophelia''s hands and she was licking the blood off while wagging her tail.


    "The owner of the pub?! Why are you here?!"


    Instead of answering, Ophelia smiled brightly with blood all over her lips. Catalina was beside her and was wielding a dagger.


    And the darkness disappeared. The light was released from one of the lighting devices and it revealed the room.


    Despite being blinded by the flare, Jungceros was able to see the room. A Skeleton and Orcs were smashing the crushed Living Armors, the Gnoll soldiers were lying on the ground and Kun was shaking on the ground.


    They weren''t the House of Foras''s remaining soldiers?


    Did the female owner of the pub want a dungeon as well?


    If not that.


    "The Demon King of Fire!"


    Jungceros yelled when he noticed the last person to exit out of the secret passageway.


    The House of Mammon''s new owner.


    The Demon King of Fire that killed Foras and a Land Worm!


    Instead of answering, Yong-Ho tightened his grip on Aamon. Ophelia and Catalina stood by his side and Skull stood up while wielding the war hammer.


    Was the owner of the pub working with the House of Mammon?


    Did the House of Foras''s Orcs guide Yong-Ho?


    Jungceros stopped thinking about these questions. Instead of giving up or kneeling, he kicked off the ground and yelled.


    "Kun! Kill the enemy!"


    It wasn''t a simple order. It was a childish scream.


    "Gahhhhhhh!"


    Kun, who was lying on the floor, stood up. He started running towards Yong-Ho. It reminded Yong-Ho of a dump truck.


    Jungceros''s mana didn''t only affect Kun. His mana dominated over the mind, so it slowed down Catalina and Ophelia.


    "Skullll!"


    Skull yelled. Within that moment, Yong-Ho kicked Ophelia and pushed her. He threw his body and covered Catalina and he barely managed to dodge Kun.


    Kun wasn''t able to control his own body, so he ended up charging into a wall. He must''ve been at his limit because he wasn''t moving.


    And Jungceros approached Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho barely managed to dodge the large sword that struck like lightning.


    Jungceros didn''t pick up the sword. He used his large hands and put pressure on both Yong-Ho and Catalina. Jungceros looked straight at Yong-Ho and activated his power.


    The Demon King of Control.


    That was Jungceros''s nickname. He was able to dominate his opponent''s mind and control their movements!


    Jungceros used his power to control the Demon King of Fire. That''s how he was able to turn the tables!


    Jungceros laughed out loud.


    He poured all of his mana into his power in order to completely crush Yong-Ho''s resistance.


    But it was weird.


    The Demon King of Fire wasn''t resisting at all.


    Yong-Ho was actually accepting Jungceros.


    ***


    Jungceros blinked.


    He saw a totally different environment.


    The sky and the ground was on fire. The entire world was enveloped in red flames.


    Something was wrong.


    From all the times he had used his power, this had never happened.


    Jungceros started shaking. He felt fear. He felt a large presence looking down on him from a very high place.


    "Ah...huh¡­?"


    He had a hard time talking properly. The only thing he could do was watch.


    You insignificant thing.


    Jungceros heard a voice from the high place. Jungceros couldn''t even disagree with its statement.


    The fire that was burning the entire world disappeared.


    And a figure that was even larger enveloped the world.


    Jungceros now knew. He realized that he was at a disadvantage. He managed to talk after gathering his energy.


    "Ki-King of Greed."


    Jungceros couldn''t resist. Greed devoured Jungceros''s mind. His existence was destroyed.

 71 Dungeon Offense 5

    It felt like time had stopped.


    Inside the room where the battle was taking place, everyone remained still as if they had been frozen. They were so still it was almost as if they had forgotten how to breathe.


    However, that didn''t last long.


    The one that broke the silence was surprisingly the one that caused the silence in the first place.


    Jungceros''s large body suddenly fell to the ground. It seemed like he was just leaning over, but he must''ve not been able to handle his weight, because his body fell. And he didn''t move anymore. He had a blank look on his face.


    "Pant, pant...pa¡­"


    Yong-Ho, who was being weighed down by Jungercos, raised himself up while panting. Catalina, who was within Yong-Ho''s arms, quickly used her arms and legs to help him.


    It was hard to tell how this happened. Jungceros fell on Yong-Ho and their eyes met. And a few seconds later, Jungceros became unconscious.


    "Mind oppression."


    Yong-Ho quietly spoke while trying to collect his breath. The sight of Greed devouring Jungceros impacted Yong-Ho. Jungceros and Yong-Ho were on the same level, so when Jungceros couldn''t resist Greed, it excited Yong-Ho.


    "He tried to control my mind."


    That was enough. The Orcs were surprised because they didn''t know what he meant, but it wasn''t the same for Catalina and Ophelia. Ophelia actually felt joy and fear at the same time.


    Her joy was because of Greed.


    Her fear was also because of Greed.


    Jungceros protected his place as the owner for many years. However, he was just an owner of a small dungeon in an empty land. In the end, he couldn''t go up against one of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    That was Greed''s power.


    It was such a strong will.


    It made her happy. The fact that the man standing in front of her was happy, made her extremely happy.


    But at the same time, she felt fear.


    The day she first saw him at the pub.


    If Yong-Ho didn''t stop, Ophelia could''ve ended up the same way as Jungceros. It would''ve destroyed her mind and caused her to blank out like him.


    She didn''t even want to think about it.


    She recalled the time she encountered Aamon and Greed within Yong-Ho''s mind. It felt like she was going to fall into that fiery world again if she closed her eyes.


    Ophelia kept on gulping. Her body was covered in sweat.


    On the other hand, Catalina was feeling happy.


    She smiled brightly as if she was showing off the fact that Yong-Ho was her master and also the owner of the House of Mammon. The way her tail and ears moved showed how excited she was.


    Rikum recalled what happened at the bar and the reason he trembled was different from Ophelia''s.


    Rikum didn''t know about Greed or Aamon. Because of that, Rikum believed that Yong-Ho used a mind defense skill that overpowered Jungceros.


    Yong-Ho''s state of mind was powerful. He earned a great deal of respect.


    Rikum''s eyes went from Yong-Ho to Jungceros and then to Ophelia. Ophelia, who was covered in sweat, noticed Rikum looking at her and as the pub''s female owner, she was able to catch Rikum''s inner thoughts through his expression. Even though her hands and feet were trembling in fear because of Greed and Aamon, she forced a smile on her face and stood up from her seat. Someone needed "explain" the current situation.


    "Jungceros tried to take control of the owner''s mind. But it was a very stupid act. Taking control of the mind isn''t one-sided. It''s safe to say that it''s a mind battle between two figures. Jungceros probably thought he was a wave. And he must have also thought Yong-Ho was a sand castle. But, Yong-Ho was actually a shield. A kind of shield that would break the wave. And the result of that is shown right before you."


    The Orcs widened their eyes when they heard Ophelia''s explanation. They nodded as if they now understood, and along with Catalina, they expressed their surprise and satisfaction at the same time.


    After feeling satisfied by how the Orcs reacted, Ophelia winked at Yong-Ho.


    Usually, someone would either kick the floor and others would complain jokingly, but they didn''t have the energy to do that.


    Their backs were still wet. They tried to hide it, but their legs were slightly shaking as well.


    That''s what Ophelia''s wink meant. After standing up from his seat, Yong-Ho answered the spirits that were focusing on him. His short answer made them cheer.


    "We won."


    A declaration of victory.


    Catalina and Skull were the first spirits to cheer.


    ***


    Even though his body was full of energy, his mind was exhausted. The length of the battle was short and was mostly one-sided.


    All Yong-Ho did was kick Ophelia and roll on the floor with Catalina.


    ''I''m not sly, I''m not sly.''


    After defending himself, he headed towards Foras''s dungeon''s Heart of the Dungeon with the spirits.


    Yong-Ho decided to absorb Jungceros''s spirit later since his mind had been destroyed. It was a simple reason. It was to prevent the news of Jungceros''s death from spreading.


    If the owner dies, then the Spirit of the Dungeon dies.


    When Foras died, the Spirit of the Dungeon in Foras''s dungeon died as well and Foras''s successor and the butler clearly sensed Foras''s death.


    There was no reason to give unnecessary information to the House of Abigail.


    If they found out that Jungceros died, then they would make a move. Either the successor or the butler will take the spirits and lead them to Foras''s dungeon.


    Those kinds of things should happen later. A day or two later. After Yong-Ho and the House of Mammon''s spirits took the items they needed.


    Even though the Orcs had a hard time carrying Jungceros''s Ogre-like body, it couldn''t be helped. Yong-Ho did his best to ignore the pants he was hearing behind him and continued moving forward.


    After being accompanied by Catalina, Skull and Ophelia, Yong-Ho entered the Heart of the Dungeon and didn''t waste any time. After standing in front of the Heart of the Dungeon, he raised both of his hands.


    Since the Spirit of the Dungeon died, there wasn''t much of a reaction. The only thing Yong-Ho felt was a strong shield.


    After pouring his mana, he forcefully broke the shield. Yong-Ho absorbed the Heart of the Dungeon''s mana.


    When Yong-Ho poured out his mana, the Heart of the Dungeon released a red light.


    The heart was resisting. The dungeon can be considered as an enormous spirit and even though it lost its will, it still had survival instincts.


    Yong-Ho gritted his teeth. He understood the mana by hitting it. There was a reason why the small frys waited months for the House of Mammon''s shield around the heart to weaken. If Yong-Ho didn''t grow through the Power of Evolution and spirit absorption, he would''ve died already.


    Of course he chose to take a break after pouring his mana. Since mana hasn''t been added to the Heart of the Dungeon, it was in its original condition.


    But Yong-Ho wasn''t going to take care of it all at once. And the reason for that was simple as well.


    ''It looks uncool!''


    There were a lot of eyes watching. After his fight with Jungceros, the Orcs started looking at Yong-Ho with respect and praised him. Catalina looked at him the same way.


    It felt like she was saying, "If it''s the master, if it''s our master!"


    In order to protect the owner''s dignity and loyalty, it had to be ended quickly.


    Yong-Ho overdid it. And he got rewarded for his hard work. The shield around the Heart of the Dungeon couldn''t endure Yong-Ho''s mana and broke. To Yong-Ho, it felt like a window shattered.


    The Heart of the Dungeon, which was as big as two fists put together, broke. And a small marble that was a bit larger than a thumb appeared. The red light that appeared was the dungeon''s spirit.


    When it landed in his hand, he felt a strong mana. Also, despite the fact that the owner died and the dungeon was shut down, the Heart of the Dungeon still had a large amount of mana within.


    Greed started wiggling. Even though it didn''t say anything, Greed was definitely reacting to the mana that was in front of it.


    Yong-Ho was patient. After grabbing the spirit tightly, he opened the leather pouch that was hanging from his waist. Yong-Ho closed his eyes shut and put the spirit inside the pouch.


    The Heart of the Dungeon was the only one that could effectively absorb a Heart of the Dungeon''s spirit.


    This was Lucia''s job. In order to build various facilities within the dungeon and increase the dungeon''s defensive power, Yong-Ho had to increase Lucia''s powers.


    ''I still have work to do.''


    But, it wasn''t something he could do right away. Even though he became exhausted after breaking the heart''s shield, Yong-Ho gave his next order instead of resting.


    "Rikum, gather all the valuable items in Foras''s dungeon and move it to the dungeon''s entrance room. Since the dungeon''s heart is destroyed, the traps won''t work."


    Yong-Ho was now used to giving orders.


    After Rikum showed his respect, he took the Orcs and walked out.


    Yong-Ho looked at Ophelia next.


    "Ophelia, go back to the pub."


    "Yes, sir. I''ll make up a story saying that the House of Foras''s owner and Jungceros put their life on the line and killed each other. However, it''ll only act as a set up. The information isn''t something I can announce by using the pub''s name."


    Yong-Ho was satisfied by how quickly she understood his intentions when he ordered her to return to the pub.


    And Ophelia was feeling satisfied as well. She was happy about serving a master that was capable and friendly.


    Yong-Ho spoke while smiling.


    "That''s fine. If it buys us more time, I''m satisfied with that. And I''m sure it''ll cause some chaos too."


    The story about the House of Foras''s owner and Jungceros killing each other can be easily made up.


    But, who was the one that destroyed the Heart of the Dungeon?


    Who absorbed Jungceros''s spirit and who took the dungeon''s treasures?


    Anyone with a brain would question those things and there were only a few who could actually do those things.


    They couldn''t use the pub to spread vague information like that. The relationship between the pub and the House of Mammon had to be kept a secret.


    A baseless rumor.


    The source will be unknown, but it was a convincing story. Saying that the spirits that ran away from the House of Foras saw it was enough.


    And this kind of rumor was enough to make the nearby owners confused. The House of Abigail won''t be able to easily make their next move and the other owners won''t be able to easily confirm that this was all done by the House of Mammon''s owner.


    "Then, I''ll take my leave. I hope you''ll forgive me for not being able to send a separate carriage."


    "That''s fine and thanks for today. And I''m sorry for kicking you."


    Ophelia laughed at Yong-Ho''s last comment. Like always, the way she bowed reminded him of musical actors that bowed at the end of the show. After that, she left the House of Foras.


    They must''ve used a lot of money on increasing the dungeon''s defense after Foras died, because the House of Foras didn''t have a lot of treasures.


    However, it was still more than what the House of Mammon currently had.


    In the carriages that they rode in, it was filled with various gold and valuable items. But Yong-Ho didn''t stop there. He took the artifacts that both Jungceros and Kun had. He thought about taking the Living Armors and melting them, but it would be odd if there weren''t any signs of there being a fight, so he only took half of them.


    Since the seats were filled with items, they had no choice but to walk, but the spirits all had bright smiles on their faces. They felt good about winning, but it''s also because Yong-Ho promised a special bonus.


    It took them about three hours to collect the items after the fight was over.


    Within the deepest part of the House of Foras, Yong-Ho saw Jungceros lifeless body.


    A demon king''s power was like the Joker in a card game.


    Yong-Ho was able to easily defeat Jungceros since their power was mind control, but when looking at just the process of the battle, there were a lot of close calls.


    Kun changed the battle when Yong-Ho assumed that Kun could no longer fight. And Kun was only able to fight because of Jungceros''s power.


    Foras broke through Aamon''s fire through coldness.


    Jungceros made Kun move despite them being unable to move.


    What kind of powers did the other demon kings have?


    And among the kings that had the Seven Deadly Sins, what were they like?


    Yong-Ho emptied his head. Instead of contemplating, he stretched out his hand and placed it on Jungceros''s forehead.


    Getting stronger.


    Yong-Ho''s Power of Evolution and Greed''s power were getting stronger.


    A light appeared.


    Greed devoured Jungceros''s spirit.

 72 Dungeon Upgrade

    Jungceros''s spirit was delicious.


    The quality wasn''t as high as Foras''s spirit, however it had a slightly higher quantity.


    If Yong-Ho compared it to food, then although it lacked flavour, it definitely made him feel full.


    Jungceros''s element was darkness. Greed devoured Jungceros''s darkness and Yong-Ho felt a new element rise within his mana.


    Mana made up a demon''s body and spirit.


    And demon kings had a lump of mana that was purer than ordinary demons.


    A new horn didn''t develop. However, his other skills increased.


    Yong-Ho enjoyed his new power and took a deep breath. Even though he was just breathing in, he felt mana boiling in various parts of his body.


    When Yong-Ho felt the change, Catalina and Skull also realized that they too had changed.


    Catalina''s darkness became stronger. The mana that helped Skull move his dead body became more concentrated


    Foras''s power, ice, became one of Yong-Ho''s attributes.


    Jungceros''s Mind Control made Yong-Ho''s mind stronger.


    "Great."


    After feeling refreshed from absorbing the spirit, Yong-Ho quickly wrapped everything up.


    Jungceros was dead and this news was going to be delivered to the House of Abigail.


    Yong-Ho was sure that they were going to make a move. They might send some soldiers to the House of Foras.


    When looking at Jungceros''s war carriage up close, Yong-Ho noticed that it was badly damaged. The horses that pulled the carriage ran away and the stone that was stored inside disappeared. Some of the spirits that left the House of Foras must''ve taken it.


    With Rikum in the lead, the House of Mammon''s spirits marched.


    Yong-Ho was in the forest that Salami was hiding in and rode on his back. The Dungeon Meerkats that belonged to the House of Foras looked at Yong-Ho desperately. It was hard to tell what the Dungeon Meerkats and Salami talked about while he was inside, but it looked like they were begging him to take them with him.


    :"Skull, Skull."


    After placing the two Dungeon Meerkats on each shoulder, Skull walked behind the group.


    Like always, Salami powerfully flew up into the air.


    ''I''m tired.''


    After lying on Salami''s back, Yong-Ho looked off into the distance. The sun was setting in the demon world.


    He wanted to sleep. But he couldn''t. Yong-Ho forced himself to stay awake and looked at the ground. After spacing out a bit, he activated the Power of Evolution on the spirits.


    "Huh?"


    After looking at each one, he exclaimed without knowing. It wasn''t because Catalina became stronger after Yong-Ho himself became stronger. Yong-Ho was focused on Skull.


    [Evolution Rate: 100/100]


    ''When did it get to 100?''


    After the unity evolution, Skull did participate in every battle. But the last time he checked, it was only at 50...


    ''Oh.''


    Since Skull had already evolved several times, building the evolution rate in the training ground was difficult. He found out because when they first discovered the training ground, Skull had to use the hammer many times in order to gain one point.


    It did increase, but it meant that Skull would have to continuously use his hammer to fill the evolution rate.


    Physical labor.


    That was Skull''s and the Undead''s strength.


    Skull didn''t get tired. He had a remarkable talent when it came to doing repetitive jobs.


    When Eligor was spending all of his energy in the training ground, Skull was also using his hammer in the corner of the room. Even when Eligor left to do other tasks, Skull kept on hitting the puppets.


    And his effort caused his evolution rate to reach a hundred.


    "Rock Skeleton Night."


    It was Skull''s new advancement route. Skull must''ve noticed Yong-Ho looking at him, because Skull looked up and waved his hammer. Yong-Ho couldn''t hear him clearly, but it sounded like he was saying "Skulllll."


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes after feeling extremely satisfied. It was only for a moment, but Yong-Ho slept on Salami''s back.


    ***


    "Ohhh! You''re back!"


    Just like the time when they returned from the free city, Eligor and the other spirits greeted Yong-Ho at the dungeon entrance room.


    Rikum, who was leading the spirits, didn''t have to say anything for them to realize the fact that Yong-Ho won. The carriage full of items was proof of that.


    Since our side won, I''m happy.


    The Goblins had simple thoughts like that and Spot had even simpler thoughts.


    Yong-Ho wasn''t sure if it was because of the atmosphere, but the Princess Ant had a small smile on her face as well.


    Yong-Ho let the Dungeon Meerkats meets their new family, and after getting off of Salami''s back, he looked at Eligor. Despite of the fact that he became more built through the evolution, tears filled his eyes and Yong-Ho smiled at him.


    "I''m back."


    Eligor wiped his tears with a handkerchief and nodded his head. Just like how Catalina and Skull got stronger, Eligor also became stronger thanks to Yong-Ho. When looking at just the physical strength alone, it was safe to say that the House of Mammon was the strongest.


    "Oh, but¡­"


    "Huh?"


    Instead of being happy about, Eligor looked at everyone with a perplexed expression. No matter how many times he blinked, there was something he didn''t see.


    "N-no way."


    If someone didn''t come back after leaving for battle, it only meant one thing.


    Yong-Ho started blinking and wondered what was going on, but he realized that Eligor was worried about Ophelia.


    Eligor didn''t know that she returned first and after seeing his worried expression, Yong-Ho wanted to play jokes on him.


    ''Is it because they''re the same race?''


    No, it could be more than that.


    Yong-Ho stopped himself from smiling and started calming himself down. He was going to announce Ophelia''s death while making the saddest expression.


    However, beside Yong-Ho, there was a spirit that couldn''t lie at all.


    "In order to fulfill the master''s order, Ophelia returned to the pub first."


    "Oh, I see."


    Eligor let out a sigh as if he really felt relieved and Catalina wagged her tail while enjoying the sight she was seeing.


    Even though Catalina ruined his fun, Yong-Ho ended up smiling. After patting Catalina''s head, Yong-Ho asked Eligor if they had become close after arguing like cats and dogs. It affected him a lot.


    Eligor''s red face became more red and the spirits started taking out the items and organizing them after Eligor ordered them to do so. Yong-Ho immediately headed towards the Heart of the Dungeon with Catalina.


    [I was waiting for you!]


    [I know this is sudden, but congratulations on your victory, sir.]


    It was easy to tell from her voice that she had high expectations.


    Lucia was connected to Yong-Ho''s mind and out of the Spirit of the Dungeons, she was quite smart. Even though she couldn''t see it, she assumed that Yong-Ho brought her something.


    [Thump, thump.]


    [Thump, thump.]


    It sounded like she was begging him to give it to her, so Yong-Ho chuckled. Even though he took out the House of Foras''s dungeon spirit, he didn''t give it to her right away. He felt like playing a joke.


    [Thank you for the food.]


    He then closed his eyes. With a serious expression, he got ready to consume it, but in his head, he imagined Lucia being anxious and not being able to stay still.


    ''Really? Are you really going to eat it all? You''re not going to give me any? Really?''


    Even though he couldn''t hear it, he knew that was what she was thinking.


    It felt like he could see Lucia filled with tears in her eyes, just like Eligor.


    Was being sly his natural personality? Yong-Ho laughed out loud when he imagined Lucia crying because of his joke.


    He was taking it out on Lucia because his plan on making fun of Eligor failed, but he stopped. Lucia''s body emitted an odd light and he pushed in the House of Foras''s dungeon spirit into the Heart of the Dungeon.


    It was the same refreshing feeling he felt when he first absorbed a spirit.


    Lucia felt that as well. That feeling was so great, that even Yong-Ho was affected by it even though they were only connected through their minds.


    [gkdkrgkdkr sjan aktdlTdjdy! sjan! sjan!]


    She must''ve lost it because Lucia yelled with a strange voice.


    And it didn''t just stop there.


    If the owner becomes stronger, the dungeon becomes stronger and when the dungeon becomes stronger, the owner becomes stronger as well.


    The Heart of the Dungeon released a light. The light was more intense than the time he consumed the Land Worm''s spirit.


    [I''ll begin the development.]


    [The Heart of the Dungeon will become bigger and more beautiful and I''ll have better control over the dungeon.]


    [Once it''s completed, I can begin building new dungeon facilities. I can also improve the facilities that we already have.]


    [I need about a day to develop.]


    [Please wait one day.]


    She spoke coldly at first and then spoke like her usual self towards the end.


    The Heart of the Dungeon started wiggling like a Slime. Instead of releasing an intense light, a faint green light was released.


    Dungeon Spirit Mid-Rank Training Ground


    Dungeon Bathhouse


    Stronger Wall


    Secret Passageway Between Rooms


    Dungeon Mid-Rank Workshop


    Dungeon of Space Completed


    The words of light that displayed in the air reminded him of when games updated. It was faint, but he saw a video as well.


    "The Dungeon Bathroom that will help relieve exhaustion. Try using it to relieve the spirits'' exhaustion."


    In a low voice, Catalina read one of the sentences that was displayed in the air. Just like the dorms, it''s a facility that uses mana to help the spirits relax.


    The Mid-Rank Training Ground and Secret Passageway caught Yong-Ho''s attention.


    Eligor and Skull were able to develop faster than expected thanks to the Basic Training Ground. Once the Mid-Rank Training Ground is completed, Catalina and the other spirits will be able to grow as well.


    ''And the Secret Passageway.''


    After recalling the net-like passageway that was installed in the House of Foras, Yong-Ho nodded his head. Even though the passageway that was installed in the House of Foras was a bit too much, if they used it right, then it would be useful when suppressing the enemy.


    ''And everyone will be able to discreetly move between the rooms.''


    And the Door of the Space.


    The facility that Kaiwan stopped building. The very thing that was on top of Yong-Ho''s To-Do list.


    Lucia fell asleep. When Yong-Ho realized it, he looked at Catalina so that they could quietly leave the room. But why? Catalina looked at the words of light with an extremely anxious expression. Her ears and tail looked really weak too.


    "Catalina?"


    When he called Catalina, she became flustered and looked back at him. After displaying her cold, female guard look, she took a step forward and exited the Heart of the Dungeon''s room.


    Yong-Ho looked at the word of light again. Which one of those made Catalina feel anxious?


    He didn''t think long. Yong-Ho stopped thinking and exited the Heart of the Dungeon''s room. Catalina, who was waiting for him outside of the room, greeted Yong-Ho with a bright smile.


    ''Did I imagine it?''


    No way. He definitely saw it. But he stopped thinking about it and since Catalina was back to her usual self, Yong-Ho turned his attention elsewhere.


    He returned to the dungeon and completed the major tasks. Now, all he had to do was rest.


    ''No, that''s not true.''


    His work wasn''t done. He needed to complete as many things as possible before the House of Abigail and the owners started making their moves.


    "Um...I hope you''re not thinking about exploring the dungeon¡­"


    Catalina asked while inspecting Yong-Ho''s expression. But Yong-Ho shook his head. If possible, he wanted to collect all of Kaiwain''s inheritance, but since Lucia was asleep, exploring the dungeon was impossible.


    There was something else.


    After petting Catalina''s head, Yong-Ho looked back at the throne.


    ***


    "I adore you, valuable customer. What can I help you with?"

 73 Dungeon Upgrade 2

    "I adore you, valuable customer. What can I help you with?"


    His eyes were fixed on the sole figure standing in the white room.


    Like usual, the beautiful red-haired Sitri stood there.


    While sitting on a white, antique chair, Sitri greeted Yong-Ho and motioned him to sit. Within moments, a chair appeared behind Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho was used to it now, so he calmly sat in front of Sitri. Sitri spoke first as usual.


    "You''ve become stronger."


    Unlike his horns, the change wasn''t something that can be seen with bare eyes.


    Instead of going into details, Yong-Ho just smiled and Sitri responded by slightly opening her eyes. There was a reason behind Yong-Ho''s smile.


    Yong-Ho became stronger.


    After the fight with Foras, he consumed the distortion, a Land Worm and Jungceros''s spirit. Even though it was a short period, the change was so big that it was safe to say that he was a different person.


    It couldn''t be compared to when he first met Sitri. And that big change made Sitri smile every time.


    Sitri fixed her posture. Her legs were no longer crossed and even though she was wearing a long dress, Yong-Ho instinctively looked at her legs. Sitri giggles.


    "It seems like you recently visited the pub...did things go well with Ophelia?"


    The details involved many different things. Yong-Ho placed his elbow on the armrest. He touched his chin and looked at Sitri.


    "You already knew."


    He stated the obvious and instead of denying it, she gracefully nodded her head.


    "But that''s all I know. What happened afterwards...I can only imagine it."


    Sitri knew that the pub''s female owner used to be Mammon''s spirit in the past.


    Yong-Ho recalled the time when Sitri told him that he needed to find a different method of obtaining information.


    ''Is it safe to assume that she led me to meet Ophelia?''


    Yong-Ho shook his head. It wasn''t because he didn''t like the idea that Sitri controlled him.


    Deciding to visit the pub and the timing was decided by Yong-Ho.


    Sitri remained calm. He wanted to erase the calm look that was on her face, but it was unnecessary. He stopped touching his chin and spoke.


    "It was a great meeting. She''s very talented."


    "It''s because her father was the most talented spirits among the spirits that served under Kaiwan. Red Demons are known to be a faithful race."


    Even though she didn''t mean much by it, there was a word that caught Yong-Ho''s attention.


    Instead of playing hard to get, Sitri provided him with information.


    He couldn''t help but think of Eligor''s face when he heard the last part.


    "Red Demons are very talented in hand-to-hand combat. Even if they increase their mana, they rarely use it. They prefer to use that mana to strengthen their body. It''s also very efficient. It''s very rare for a Red Demon, like Ophelia, to be skilled in a psychological type magic. She probably worked very hard to learn it."


    She was very detailed and Yong-Ho naturally agreed with her. It''s because both Eligor and Ophelia''s bodies had better potential than their mana.


    ''The race that can even bring down an Ancient Dragon¡­"


    Even though he didn''t know much about the different races in the demon world, the word, dragon, was enough for him to imagine a strong creature in his head.


    He became curious. Sitri continued talking without hesitation.


    "An example of a Red Demon that reached their limits...in the dungeon shop that I''m a part of, one of the Board of Directors named Orobas is known to be the strongest. He''s known as the ''Demon Prince'' in the demon world and he possess an enormous amount of physical strength. When it comes to strength alone, no one in the dungeon shop or the demon world is able to take him down."


    Words that excited Yong-Ho kept on flowing out.


    Five Board of Directors, enormous physical strength, Demon Prince.


    A place higher than the sky and lower than the ground. It felt like Yong-Ho encountered a new type of power that wasn''t a part of this world.


    He can become as strong as him. He could even become stronger than Orobas.


    "The same applies to demon kings."


    Sitri suddenly spoke. Her long eyelashes softly went down as she blinked her eyes.


    "Demon kings also grow. A weak demon king may be similar to a Goblin. But for the strongest demon king...a wave of a hand they can burn the sky and dry out the sea. They can take down not only one, but many Ancient Dragons. They can take down an entire army without any issues. They''ll end up cutting off their heads the moment they look at them."


    The familiar words excited Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho could feel that Sitri was talking while thinking of someone.


    "There is a limit to a demon king''s power. But it''s possible to grow. A new wall will be waiting when the old wall is destroyed, but all you have to do is destroy the new wall. As long as the demon king is growing and has the will to grow, there''s no limit. However, if they stop or lose that will...they''ll be trapped within the limit they created for themselves and won''t be able to grow anymore."


    Foras was the Demon King of Coldness.


    Was their power only limited to creating coldness? Was it a power that couldn''t be developed further?


    Jungceros''s nickname was the Demon King of Control.


    Through mind control, he could paralyze his opponent or force them to move a certain way. But, if that''s all his power did, then the nickname was a waste. It could definitely be developed further. It can become a stronger power. But both Foras and Jungceros couldn''t grow anymore. They became still.


    The Power of Evolution probably had its limits as well.


    He can only use the power on spirits that''s been officially registered, so in some ways, that was the power''s limit.


    There could also be a limit to the number of spirits he can use the power on.


    But that was just the current limit.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes longer than usual. He then opened them and looked at Sitri, who was looking at Yong-Ho during the entire time.


    It was definitely not an ordinary relationship.


    It was different from the relationship that a customer and a merchant had.


    Sitri wanted Yong-Ho to grow. Even though she didn''t guide him every step of the way, every time they met, she would throw out warnings and advice and it helped him a lot.


    But why?


    Could it be because there was a really intimate relationship and it wasn''t simply because she was the guardian of the House of Mammon?


    Like Ophelia. In the past, out of the twelve spirits that ruled the demon world with Mammon, maybe she was one of Mammon''s...


    "No. That''s not it. Like I''ve explained before, I''m just an important figure within the dungeon shop. So that''s all you need to think about when you see me."


    Sitri spoke bluntly as if she read Yong-Ho''s mind and finished it off with a smile.


    Yong-Ho felt an invisible wall. And that''s when he understood.


    From the beginning, Yong-Ho told himself that he wouldn''t completely trust Sitri.


    He did want to depend on her after thinking that maybe she could be a spirit of the House of Mammon.


    He didn''t like it. The relationship they had now was more than enough.


    "It looks like you brought a lot of items with you. I''m excited to see what kind of items you''ll be purchasing this time."


    Sitri spoke like a merchant and Yong-Ho stated that that was the reason why he visited the Virtual Space.


    His meeting with Sitri wasn''t as important.


    "There''s a lot of things I would like to purchase."


    "I''ll help you with that today."


    Sitri stood up from her seat and despite of the fact that there wasn''t a bookshelf, she took out several large books. It was physically impossible, but this was the Virtual Space and Sitri was a strong demon.


    "Did you want to purchase another spirit? Or weapons? If not those, then items?"


    The catalogues left Sitri''s hand and were placed in front of Yong-Ho. Instead of looking at the catalogues, Yong-Ho looked at Sitri and answered.


    "All three of them."


    "I guess you''ll be helping me with my performance. Even though I''m not the assigned merchant, I''m glad I put in a lot of effort."


    "Are you still insisting on saying that you''re not the assigned merchant?"


    "Because it''s true."


    Yong-Ho just smiled and let it go. He opened the catalogues.


    ***


    Impulse buying usually happens when one visits the market unexpectedly.


    Because of that, Yong-Ho made a shopping plan before connecting to the Virtual Space.


    First, he needed to purchase three Iron Golems and Skeleton Workers.


    He wanted to use the Iron Golems during fights and for helping out around the dungeon. And for the Skeleton Workers, Yong-Ho wanted to use them during fights.


    Yong-Ho planned on creating an elite Skeleton group where Skull would be the leader.


    Undeads are known to never get tired and can continuously do the same job as long as mana is provided. With that kind of perseverance, they''ll be able to slowly build their Evolution Rate in the training ground.


    ''I did decide on evolving them into Death Knights.''


    He wanted to create a group of knights.


    The best Undead unit that included the Death Knights and Lich.


    Of course he still had a long way to go until that happened, but he knew it was worth the investment.


    ''With Skull, I''ll start off with six. As for the unit name, Skull Unit should be fine, right? And for the rest of the Skeletons, I think giving them call signs like, Skull Two, Skull Three should be fine.''


    Three Iron Golems and five Skeleton Workers.


    He decided to purchase those eight spirits and now, he had to purchase various materials and necessities for the dungeon. He also needed to purchase materials for building the basic workshop.


    While listening to Sitri''s advice, he purchased the things that were on his list.


    However, during the last moment, something unexpected happened. He had a strong desire to impulse buy.


    "Rank Four Spirit Catalogue"


    Sitri showed the cover with a smile and Yong-Ho realized again that Sitri was a merchant.


    "Only look."


    "Are you serious?"


    "You know what I mean."


    Would he be able to only look?


    Yong-Ho extended out his hand and calculated his remaining budget. He opened to the first page as if he was being tempted by the devil.


    ***


    "I love you, valuable customer. I really, really love you."


    The beautiful Mystical Elf had a soft waist and by recalling Catalina''s face and voluptuous body, he was able to endure it.


    He was able to prevent himself from purchasing the strong-looking Troll Warrior by recalling Eligor and Ophelia.


    For the Skeleton Knight, he didn''t have the desire to purchase it since he had Skull.


    But, there was a spirit that tested Yong-Ho''s strong will to not purchase anything.


    "Aw-awesome.''


    Nightmare.


    It was a horse-shaped spirit that was a higher rank than the Phantom Steed.


    It was big and beautiful. Even though it was shaped like a horse, its body and appearance looked intense. Saying that they were the best horse wasn''t an exaggeration.


    Its entire body was black, but its mane was white and green flames rose out of its eyes.


    ''But I have Salami!''


    Salami would soon evolve into an awesome Fire Dragon. That''s why he was able to stop himself.


    No. It was impossible.


    What if Skull rode Salami after evolving into a Skeleton Knight? Or Catalina could ride him.


    Battles happened outside of dungeons as well. Having transportation was important too.


    ''This is how much I think about you guys.''


    After making up different excuses, Yong-Ho expressed that he wanted to purchase the Nightmare and Sitri replied by displaying the most beautiful smile.


    He was really done now.


    After making an impulse purchase, Yong-Ho''s time was almost up and instead of saying goodbye, Sitri started talking.


    "If you continue becoming stronger...I recommend playing in a bigger pool."


    "Bigger pool?"


    Yong-Ho asked without realizing it and Sitri nodded. She took out a flyer from between her breasts and handed it to Yong-Ho.


    "Dungeon Market Auction House"


    Yong-Ho lifted his head. Sitri gently took a step back.


    "The chaos will only become worse. If you survive the chaos and become even stronger...I''ll make sure to serve you next time."


    Sitri gracefully expressed her respect towards Yong-Ho. She finished by displaying the same smile she always had.


    "I love you, valuable customer. I look forward to our next meeting."


    The white world was now filled with darkness.


    Yong-Ho naturally closed his eyes.


    ''Dungeon Market Auction House¡­''


    Why did Sitri call that place a bigger pool?


    His thoughts disconnected. When Yong-Ho opened his eyes, he saw Catalina and Eligor''s face.

 74 Dungeon Upgrade 3

    The dungeon had become quite busy.


    After returning, Yong-Ho visited the basic workshop and spoke with Bugrim.


    Bugrim still couldn''t talk, but he must''ve focused all of his energy on working because he had created a lot of items while Yong-Ho was away.


    "He said with a decent brazier and an anvil, he''ll be able to create better items."


    Eligor explained on behalf of Bugrim. Yong-Ho questioned with his expression on how they communicated and Eligor explained that they used their bodies to communicate.


    Even though Bugrim couldn''t speak, he could hear and thanks to the Evil Spirit of the Past, he was able to understand the other spirits.


    Bugrim was full of ambition. He wasn''t the same as the Bugrim that was inside the prison cell.


    Jon, the Goblin, probably became hopeful after hearing about the body recovering after one evolves.


    The spirits, including the Goblins, didn''t know that Jon had evolved, but since the dying Yon revived, that''s all that mattered.


    [Evolution Rate 15/100]


    Since Bugrim''s skills had already been well-developed, his rate Development Rate wasn''t increasing very much.


    After Yong-Ho convinced himself that everything will pay off as long as he works hard, he headed towards the workshop.


    The Princess Ant and Spot were in the training ground swinging a stick. Spot was swinging with enthusiasm, but the Princess Ant was only swinging it because Spot told her. But thanks to that, her Development Rate was increasing.


    The farm was where the Princess Ant was staying and thanks to Bugrim''s hard work, it turned out really nice. And Spot''s dog house was located within the farm as well.


    After seeing the Golems working on the gold mine, Yong-Ho finished his dungeon visit and headed towards the spirits'' dormitory.


    It was because of Jun. Jun was the only girl out of the Goblin Rangers and the only one that wasn''t a Hobgoblin.


    By putting his focus on the ring, Yong-Ho evolved Jun into a Hobgoblin while everyone was watching.


    Hobgoblins had longer arms and legs than Goblins and their faces looked like a human''s.


    Jun''s messy appearance became a lot cleaner and her curved back became straight, making her taller.


    Ordinary Goblins had the body of a child and Hobgoblins had the body of a teenager.


    Among the House of Mammon''s spirits, Spot was a veteran, so Yong-Ho evolved Spot into a Kobold Runner.


    Spot''s body didn''t grow bigger like the Goblins, but overall, he did look more agile.


    ''Does it really influence them?''


    The same question he had when a handle appeared on Salami''s back popped into his head again.


    Jun became more feminine and Spot''s aggressive-looking appearance became cute.


    It seemed like Yong-Ho''s thoughts influenced the spirit''s outer appearance whenever they got promoted or evolved.


    Catalina and Eligor were standing beside him and as Yong-Ho look at them, he chuckled. Catalina and Eligor thought Yong-Ho was satisfied with the evolution and laughed with him.


    The next day was pretty busy as well.


    Receiving the items that the dungeon shop sent was a lot of work, but handing over the valuable items was a lot of work as well.


    Eligor and the Goblins cheered when they saw the three Iron Golems. The Iron Golems looked like they belonged on the battlefield rather than helping within the dungeon. Even though their movement was slower than a Rock Golem, they were stronger and were better at defense.


    Skull had various reactions when he saw the Skeletons that were going to be working with him.


    He was nervous at first and then satisfied. Yong-Ho wasn''t sure what was going on inside Skull''s head, but after seeing Skull swing the hammer and command the Skeletons, Yong-Ho thought he looked like a general.


    Skull still had a long way to go. The Skeletons were limping and they all had the same blank expression that Skull had.


    Everyone admired the Nightmare when it entered.


    It seemed like the anaesthetic magic hadn''t worn off yet because Nightmare started blinking with a blank expression. Despite that, it was overflowing with elegance.


    It was obvious as to what Nightmare''s role was going to be, so Salami glanced over at Yong-Ho nervously.


    Yong-Ho thought Salami was cute and laughed out loud. Instead of making fun of him, he petted his head and spoke loudly.


    "Nightmare''s owner hasn''t been decided yet. But one of the spirits in the House of Mammon will be its owner."


    Rikum and the Orcs'' ears shot up like Catalina''s. Catalina''s ears also shot up and wagged her tail. Skull stroked Nightmare''s mane as if he was already the owner and looked satisfied by what he saw.


    Even though the delivery courier left, they weren''t done.


    [Master, Lucia has returned looking more beautiful than ever.]


    [Ta-da.]


    Lucia was done with upgrading the Heart of the Dungeon and spoke excitedly. In his head, Yong-Ho imagined a blue-haired girl wearing a white dress and spinning in place.


    "You''re right. You''ve become prettier."


    Yong-Ho touched the Heart of the Dungeon while agreeing with Lucia. Before, the Heart of the Dungeon was a smooth sphere, but after the upgrade, it had corners. Now, it looked more like a giant gem than a marble.


    [Like I''ve informed you before, I''m able to add various facilities.]


    [And since I have stronger control of the dungeon, I''ll be able to control a larger area than before.]


    [And the number of spirits that can be registered into the dungeon has increased as well.]


    Lucia displayed windows of light in front of Yong-Ho. In the windows, it displayed the facilities that can be built as well as a short description.


    Among them, Yong-Ho pointed to the Door of Space.


    "Can we begin right away? Kaiwan did start building it."


    [Um...we can begin the process, but since we''re lacking the materials, we won''t be able to complete it.]


    "Materials?"


    [I can use my mana to charge the energy source that the Door of the Space needs, but in order to activate it, we need magical equipment and knowledge. I recommend purchasing magic books related to the Door of the Space either from the Dungeon Market or outside.]


    "Is it similar to when a computer is missing a software?"


    [It''s a similar situation.]


    Lucia, who shared knowledge and memories with Yong-Ho, replied right away. Her voice sounded like she had a bitter smile on her face.


    Purchasing a magic book from the Dungeon Market.


    ''Now that I think about it, we do need a magician as well.''


    He wasn''t talking about a magician that participated in battles. In Korean RPGs, the magicians used elements like fire and thunder to attack the enemy, but Yong-Ho already had substitutes for that role. He and Salami could fulfill that role.


    A scholar rather than a fighter.


    A magician can provide various support and tactics rather than casting strong, offensive spells.


    ''It''ll even be better if they were overflowing with knowledge.''


    While thinking about Catalina, he recalled the Mystical Elf that he gave up on and told himself that it was already in the past. He shook his head to get rid of the thought and focused on upgrading the dungeon.


    "Then let''s work on the Door of the Space later...and work on the Training Ground for the mid-ranking spirits. Let me know the materials and the amount of workers that are needed."


    "I understand. I''ll provide Eligor with the details, like always."


    Catalina, who was standing beside Yong-Ho, begged with her eyes to build a bathhouse, but it wasn''t the most important facility. Catalina''s tail dropped to the ground and Yong-Ho felt bad, but it couldn''t be helped.


    ''But.''


    Yong-Ho looked at the window of light that contained the Door of the Space.


    The things he needed to complete the Door of the Space.


    There was a lot. A lot of items were required in order to install it.


    ''It''s amazing that Catalina and Eligor were able to open a temporary one.''


    Not only did they use the remaining mana within the House of Mammon, they ended up using the magic scroll they had been saving.


    It''s possible that Sitri intervened.


    The past two days passed by really quickly.


    Yong-Ho didn''t waste any time during those two days. He evolved all the Skeletons into Skeleton Soldiers and by gathering Catalina, Skull and the dungeon''s main troops, he resumed exploring Kaiwan''s inheritance.


    After exploring for two days, he discovered an official torture room and an enormous jail. The facility that Yong-Ho wanted to discover was a magical library, but since Eligor looked really happy, he couldn''t help but laugh with him.


    And on the third day.


    Instead of continuing the exploration, Yong-Ho sat on the throne and looked at the loyal spirit.


    "Ophelia, Endelyon''s daughter, is here to greet the owner of the great House of Mammon."


    Even though they installed a long-distance communicator, she had items to give to him so she decided to visit the House of Mammon.


    After she finished greeting Yong-Ho, she looked over at Eligor and winked at him. Eligor replied with a cough. Catalina''s ears started flapping as she tried to hold in her smile.


    As always, Ophelia''s report was straightforward.


    "The butler of the House of Abigail appointed Jungceros''s daughter as the new owner. She''s already the general of the dungeon and on top of that, she has a feisty personality, so I don''t think she''ll surrender to the other owners. They''re currently saving up the dungeon''s main power."


    Foras''s dungeon was the shield and even though the dungeon was no longer there, distance was the last barrier between the House of Mammon and the House of Abigail.


    It was probably okay to relax for now.


    "The House of Abigail and the owners around that area currently believe that the House of Foras''s new owner and Jungceros gave it their all and killed each other. However, since there are a lot of suspicious parts, this rumor probably won''t last long. There''s already an owner that''s investigating the House of Foras''s remains."


    He just wanted to buy some time. This was what Yong-Ho expected.


    Ophelia took a deep breath. It was as if the thing she was about to talk about was the most important. Ophelia spoke with a serious expression.


    "Embrio started advancing south again. Vitaline was one of the owners that joined the union and after the union fell, they ran away. But Embrio beat him to death and then took his dungeon. It''s still pretty far away from the House of Mammon, but...if they continued moving at this pace, they''ll be here within three to four months at the earliest and six months at the latest."


    In a game, Embrio could be considered as the empty southern region''s final boss.


    An enemy he was eventually going to have to face.


    If Embrio continued moving south, then Yong-Ho couldn''t let his guard down.


    "And...this may apply later on in the future, but, it seems like the conflict between the King of Pride and the King of Envy has become more intense. There are rumors within the demon world that there may be an all-out war."


    It was a big deal when two kings out of the six kings clashed with each other. But, as Ophelia stated, they were far away and since Yong-Ho had to deal with Embrio first, that''s all he focused on.


    Ophelia knew that as well. Ophelia didn''t mention the conflict between the two kings just to deliver the news to Yong-Ho.


    "If an all-out war does occur, then there''s a good chance that the other kings won''t be able to focus on the empty southern region."


    The empty southern region hasn''t had a king for a long time and there are rumors saying that it''s because the other kings intervened.


    It was just a rumor. But, the credibility was extremely high.


    The six kings didn''t want a seventh king to appear.


    Even though the empty southern region was useless, it was big and it was significant since Mammon, the King of Greed, first rose to power in that region.


    Embrio wanted the empty southern region to become unified, so this was his chance. He might advance faster depending on when the two kings go to war.


    There was a time limit.


    Yong-Ho decided that being aware was enough. Instead of torturing himself with useless thoughts, he decided to focus on becoming stronger.


    "Ophelia, did you learn martial arts from your father?"


    Ophelia replied immediately.


    "Yes, I learnt from my father. It''s a type of martial...sir?"


    Ophelia stopped talking and called Yong-Ho. It''s because Yong-Ho had a strange expression.


    "Military? It''s not the military that I''m thinking of, right?"


    "Um...I''m not sure what kind you''re thinking about, but...the martial art is from the human world. Thanks to the distortions and the connection to the human world, knowledge of the human world has spread throughout the demon world. And the martial arts that I learned was one of them. My father improved it so that the Red Demons could learn it."


    Opehlia looked proud. It seemed like she really respected her father because whenever she greeted Yong-Ho, she would always mention her father''s name.


    ''Martial arts¡­''


    Yong-Ho slightly turned his head to the side and saw Catalina and Eligor.


    "Ophelia, is there a type of martial arts that you can teach Eligor?"


    Eligor''s eyes widened when he heard Yong-Ho''s question and Ophelia smiled brightly.


    "There is. My father worked on it as well. It''s focused on having the advantage."


    "That''s perfect. I''ll leave it to you."


    "I understand. I''ll make sure to train him well."


    While Yong-Ho and Ophelia were enjoying the conversation they were having, Eligor was feeling chaotic and couldn''t snap out of it.


    Yong-Ho spoke again.


    "And...is there one that I can learn?"


    Yong-Ho was currently learning basic fighting skills from Catalina.


    However, since Catalina''s fighting skills required the user to be agile, Yong-Ho was only able to learn the basics.


    He thought about learning from Rikum at first, but since Rikum specialized in using large swords and axes, it wouldn''t work out for Yong-Ho since he used a lance.


    Catalina''s tail and ears dropped when she heard Yong-Ho''s question. Ophelia saw Catalina''s sad face and also saw that Yong-Ho was feeling bad, so she bit her lower lips. She contemplated for a bit and then replied with respect.


    "I can use the pub and search for one that''s worthy enough. If not, I''ll at least be able to obtain a book. But...with all due respect, I don''t really think it''s necessary. The best teacher is standing right next to you."


    After she answered, Ophelia focused her attention on one place and thanks to that, Yong-Ho, Catalina and Eligor were able to quickly understand who she was referring to.


    The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon.


    Ophelia was looking at Aamon.

 75 Dungeon Upgrade 4

    There were various types of swords.


    All of which embody the name sword, because they share the same characteristics.


    So even if a weapon is called a sword, depending on the type, both the shape and use can be different.


    The same applied to lances.


    Lances have a lot of different types as well.


    Eastern and western lances were different.


    There was also a big difference between a one-handed lance and a two-handed lance.


    It depended on whether the user wanted to stab the enemy or twirl it around so that the enemy couldn''t get close.


    Was it going to be used in a battle between two groups or in a battle where the user is alone?


    Some mythril lances are paired with axes, while there are some lances with specialized poles which utilise the handle''s flexibility.


    There was a huge difference.


    Because of that, every lance was different. The user needed to be sure of the type of lance and the type of skill they were going to learn.


    The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon, wasn''t an ordinary lance.


    And right now, it looked more like an iron stick than a lance.


    Learning from a book or manual will have a negative impact on a beginner like Yong-Ho.


    He needed a teacher that could fix his posture and call out his bad habits.


    Someone that understands Aamon''s special skills.


    Someone that has been using the lance for a long time.


    Someone that''s able to really grasp Yong-Ho''s movement.


    There was someone that had all of those requirements.


    Ophelia spoke in a pleasant tone.


    "Sir Aamon, no, the Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon, isn''t an ordinary lance. Out of the 12 spirits that Mammon, the King of Greed, commanded, it''s known to be one of the most noble and powerful demons. Aamon is the spirit that stood by Mammon''s side the longest. It experienced many wars and learned many fighting skills during combat in that time. Ophelia, Endelyon''s daughter, swears on her father''s name that out of all the lances, it''s safe to say that Aamon is the strongest in the demon world."


    Learning how to use a lance from a lance.


    Even though it''s an answer that one would likely hear from the Chinese philosopher, Doga, Ophelia was very serious.


    Aamon had a will. Which Ophelia thoroughly experienced at the pub.


    After she finished talking, Ophelia gulped. It''s because she remembered the time she encountered Aamon.


    An overpowering figure that ruled over the fiery world.


    Even though she just recalled that single moment, her back started to sweat. The cold sweat didn''t stop.


    Since Catalina and Eligor never encountered Aamon''s will, they didn''t react like Ophelia did. Catalina looked at Aamon with expectation and Eligor nodded as he wondered why he didn''t think of that in the first place.


    ''Learning how to use the lance from Aamon.''


    Red eyes.


    Overwhelming was the only word he could think of.


    After that, Yong-Ho felt Aamon''s presence several times.


    Using its fire, controlling Ophelia and consuming Jungceros''s mind.


    Yong-Ho placed Aamon on his lap. He activated the Power of Evolution.


    [Name: Aamon (?)]


    [Race: ???]


    [Class: ??? (???)]


    [Element: Fire ??? Level / ??? ??? Level]


    [Evolution Rate: 57/100]


    [??? | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (6)]


    [??? | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (6)]


    [??? | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (5.5)]


    Aamon''s stats were filled with question marks.


    But as always, Yong-Ho was optimistic. The development rate had increased a lot compared to last time.


    ''57!''


    It may be a little more than half, but when thinking optimistically, half of the rate was already filled. Yong-Ho was sure he would be able to evolve Aamon soon.


    "Right, they always say to strike while the iron is hot."


    After deactivating the Power of Evolution, Yong-Ho said it to everyone, including himself.


    Eligor quietly spoke with a worried expression.


    "With all due respect...it may be dangerous."


    Aamon''s existence was too great. It was uncomfortable for Eligor to say since Yong-Ho ruled over him, but Yong-Ho was no match to Aamon in his current condition.


    What would happen if Aamon suppressed him? What if he gets harrassed?


    As someone that had personally experienced Aamon, there was a hint of fear and hesitation on Ophelia''s face when she heard Eligor''s comment.


    But Catalina didn''t think that way.


    When Yong-Ho first wielded Aamon, Catalina was next to him and she watched. She was also there when Yong-Ho first controlled its fire.


    Aamon acknowledged Yong-Ho as its owner. If not, then Yong-Ho wouldn''t have been able to control its fire.


    Catalina didn''t express her opinion. But as they were connected as a spirit and owner. Yong-Ho knew how Catalina felt. Both of them softly smiled at each other.


    "I believe in you too!"


    Lucia raised her voice.


    Yong-Ho laughed out loud without realizing, so he fixed his posture. After taking a deep breath, he grabbed Aamon, who was sitting on his lap.


    He closed his eyes.


    No one had taught him, but he was able to figure it out.


    Yong-Ho spoke to Aamon. \t


    ***


    The world was on fire.


    The fire kept on burning the sky and ground which eventually became one.


    Someone was swinging the lance within the fire.


    A large male.


    Even though they just had a bulky build, they looked like a giant.


    The lance drew a wheel. Not only did it split the fire, but in the end, it even played with it. It looked like a fancy flower was blooming.


    Yong-Ho couldn''t see the male''s every movement. He wasn''t moving fast, but that was just how Yong-Ho felt.


    It was an overwhelming amount of information. It was even difficult to imagine what kind of move he was going to make next.


    Yong-Ho just watched. And he was falling for it. Yong-Ho felt like he was one with the male''s movement.


    He consciously closed his eyes again. He felt the fire. And different figures appeared inside Yong-Ho''s head.


    It was the fire''s memory. The fire burned its body and expressed everything in this world.


    He saw people.


    Not one, but many.


    A figure holding a giant sickle was commanding the battlefield. The figure had the head of a wild goat and they had a horn. Their body was covered in black fur.


    A woman that covered her face with a eyepatch walked through the fire. She had gold hair and everything on her body was red. The sword on her waist was thin and it resembled a crescent moon.


    After that, many different figures passed though his head like a vision.


    Fraternal twins that were looking at each other.


    A barbaric warrior that was wearing a lion skin.


    A Centaur that was aiming their arrow towards the sun.


    A bull-like male that was roaring while being covered in his enemies'' blood.


    A woman with black hair that had a warm expression and was holding a water bottle.


    There was even more after that. He saw a woman and a man and even saw deformed monsters sometimes.


    Yong-Ho soon realized.


    He had become aware.


    ''Mammon''s spirits.''


    The King of Greed''s twelve spirits. The great spirits that controlled the demon world with the King of Greed.


    The visions disappeared. And Yong-Ho saw a man''s back.


    He was walking up the stairs. The wind made the cape flutter.


    The sky was blue. It wasn''t the demon world''s colorful sky.


    The man climbed the steep stairs.


    At the end of the staircase, a large throne made of stone was sitting there.


    The man didn''t look back. And behind him, Mammon''s spirits appeared one by one. They all followed him up the stairs.


    The man''s name.


    They disappeared.


    Everything turned into flames and flew away.


    A large eye looked at Yong-Ho.


    My young owner.


    It was different from when Yong-Ho first met them. Yong-Ho didn''t tremble in fear. Yong-Ho looked at Aamon as their master. Then he started speaking naturally.


    "That was you."


    He was talking about the man that was walking up the stairs.


    The man that was twiring the lance within the fire.


    Even though he wasn''t big, it felt like he was a giant.


    He felt Aamon smile.


    Even though Aamon didn''t talk a lot, Yong-Ho knew this time as well.


    That was Aamon''s form before he turned into a lance.


    The time when Aamon was known as the Lance God. It was the memory of a demon that ruled the demon world long time ago.


    Aamon taught Mammon how to wield a lance.


    The fire''s memories were short, but they had an impact. Yong-Ho understood the things that couldn''t be expressed with words.


    Young owner.


    They had just learned how to walk.


    Just like the King of Greed, climbing those steep stairs towards the tall throne is impossible right now.


    But that only applies to now.


    If you have the will to move forward, then I will be your support.


    Yong-Ho replied with his mind and not with his voice.


    He felt Aamon smile again. The fire grew bigger and covered everything.


    Yong-Ho opened his eyes.


    Everyone was looking at Yong-Ho worriedly and when he shot up, they all became shocked by his action.


    "Master?"


    "Are you okay?''


    "Are you okay? You''re not hurt anywhere, are you?"


    Everyone was worried, so they all asked about his well-being.


    Yong-Ho blinked. He saw Catalina who was about to cry. And then he saw the anxious Eligor and then Ophelia, who released a sigh of relief. He also had a vision of Lucia letting out a sigh of relief as well.


    "It''s been more than two hours since you''ve contacted Aamon."


    "Everyone was really worried. We were worried."


    He thought it only happened for a moment, but a lot of time had passed. Yong-Ho realized that he was covered in cold sweat. He probably groaned during those two hours. He understood why Catalina''s ears looked so weak and why she was looking at him with a worried expression.


    ''But.''


    It was worth it. After reassuring everyone with a soft smile, he stood up while holding Aamon. After he motioned Catalina and Eligor to step back to make room, he raised Aamon.


    Fire appeared. The red flames enveloped all of Aamon and then disappeared with the wind.


    "Oh!"


    Catalina exclaimed. Eligor and Ophelia couldn''t hide the smile that was on their faces.


    Aamon''s form changed.


    The one meter iron stick now increased to two meters and took on the form of a lance.


    Just like before, it didn''t have any special shape and looked like a boring, red stick. But he couldn''t judge Aamon just on the outer appearance alone. Everyone that watched was able to feel Aamon''s power.


    Yong-Ho wielded Aamon with both of his hands.


    It was different from before.


    He felt himself being unified with Aamon.


    Another fire was released and Aamon changed its form to a red bracelet. The bracelet wrapped around Yong-Ho''s right arm as if it was alive.


    Catalina''s ears and tail started moving at a fast pace. Eligor had tears in his eyes and Ophelia chanted her father''s name as if it was some sort of spell.


    ''Mammon''s spirits.''


    The King of Greed, Mammon, was the one walking up the stairs. And his 12 spirits were following behind him.


    Yong-Ho saw himself walking up those stairs. And he also saw his loyal spirits following behind.


    My young owner.


    After it called out one last time, Aamon remained silent. But Yong-Ho wasn''t surprised. It''s because he had already understood how he was going to learn about the lance from Aamon in the future.


    Yong-Ho petted Catalina''s head.


    And then he made fun of the crying Eligor with Ophelia.


    ***


    A few days later.


    Yong-Ho took Skull''s unit and continued the dungeon exploration. The library was another facility that was on Kaiwan''s map and he succeeded in finding it.


    Even though there weren''t any traces of special mana in the library, there were hundreds of books.


    The library door had the crest of a wolf swallowing the moon and when Yong-Ho opened the door, he experienced Kaiwan''s memory.


    Kaiwan''s younger sibling, who possessed a weak body, enjoyed this place. Kaiwan, who loved her younger sibling, similarly enjoyed spending time at this library.


    ''Kaiwan.''


    Every time they found Kaiwan''s inheritance, the House of Mammon became stronger.


    Because of her, the House of Mammon managed to survive, allowing Yong-Ho to become the owner.


    The armory, gold mine, his connection with Ophelia, the Ring of Distortion and the bracelet that allowed him to store mana.


    Yong-Ho received a lot from Kaiwain. If it weren''t for her inheritance, then they would''ve lost the dungeon.


    The woman with gray hair had a violent expression.


    Yong-Ho saw her smiling face when she was in front of her younger sibling. Because of that, Yong-Ho touched the crest with a gentle expression.


    A week after they discovered the library.


    Yong-Ho had now acquired all the areas that were on Kaiwan''s map.


    And that meant that he was now in control of 80% of the first floor.


    Things were still hidden in the remaining 20%.


    He didn''t know how many levels the basement had and which of Mammon''s spirits and inheritance existed there.


    The King of Greed was walking up the stairs.


    Yong-Ho remembered seeing his back.


    It was slow, but steady.

 76 Mammon’s Arena

    The five Board of Directors had extremely powerful skills.


    They were all demon kings that had their own dungeons and these important figures were known to be physically very powerful within the large demon world.


    Orobas, the one with superhuman strength, was extremely powerful.


    But that didn''t mean he wasn''t strong in other areas.


    Bifron, the most intellectual demon, believed that Orobas''s real strength was his unbreakable body.


    Red Demon, a fighting race, had trouble learning magic.


    It''s safe to say that there weren''t any Red Demons that were known to use magic.


    But it didn''t mean that they were incompetent. Physically, they were above average, so they possessed strong mana and had the ability to use that mana to strengthen their body.


    This was the source for the Red Demon''s amazing physical abilities.


    Body strengthening.


    By pouring out their mana, it makes their body both faster and firmer.


    Orobas could be considered as the strongest amongst the Red Demons, so strengthening his body more was honestly useless. But, he didn''t stop training. Despite becoming the great Demon Prince after developing himself for a long time, he was never lazy.


    Orobas was playing Cat''s Cradle with his beautiful maiden, Silvia, a Dryad he treasured. On the outside, it looked like he was flirting with her, but this was part of his exercise.


    Orobas was too strong. When Orobas didn''t use his mana to strengthen his body, he needed to train himself on controlling his strength. If he used his body without thinking, giving his lovely Silvia a light hug would break her body, causing her to die.


    Silvia was playing Cat''s Cradle extremely seriously. Orobas liked how Silvia did her best in everything she did no matter how small the task was.


    Silvia also felt that way. In the demon world, Orobas was known to be the strongest physically and seeing him striving to become stronger made Silvia''s heart beat faster.


    While playing Cat''s Cradle, Silvia asked Orobas a question.


    "Master, how come you never take a break from your tasks? It''s like you''re chasing someone."


    Orobas laughed out loud when he heard Silvia''s question.


    She was an odd one, but sometimes, she would hit the nail on the head.


    "You''re right. I am chasing someone. Maybe...no, to be honest, I''ve already surpassed their skill."


    Silvia looked curious because this was the first time she heard it. It was Orobas''s turn, but Silvia put the string down and looked at him so that he could keep talking.


    Her mischievous behavior was cute. Orobas gently touched Silvia''s light green cheeks and replied.


    "It happened a long time ago. It happened when I was a really small and weak child."


    Orobas looked into Silvia''s green eyes. While looking into her eyes, he imagined his past, present and future self.


    Before becoming the Demon Prince, he wondered if that demon actually existed and thought that maybe it was his imagination as that figure was extremely powerful.


    "Like me, they had a horn on their head. But the shape of it looked like a bull''s horn."


    "A bull? The one with horns that moos?"


    "Yeah, that''s a bull."


    Silvia was now in Orobas''s arms. Orobas gently hugged her body and continued talking about the past.


    It was the story of a giant, red man.


    ***


    "I feel like I''m going to die.


    Yong-Ho was in bed and after he opened his eyes, that was the first thing he said.


    He really felt like he was going to die. No, in his head, he already died several times.


    Yong-Ho and Aamon''s minds were connected. In many ways, this unity was a lot stronger than the connection he had with Lucia.


    There was a reason why Ophelia and Jungceros encountered Aamon first instead of Greed.


    Aamon trained Yong-Ho within his mind.


    Aamon shrunk in order to match Yong-Ho''s skill level, so he couldn''t have a long conversation with Yong-Ho. But, Aamon was able to show visions to Yong-Ho.


    It was a silent training that happened in his mind.


    Yong-Ho saw Aamon''s lance skills during his prime days. He slowly familizarized it with his body. Maintaining concentration within the fiery world wasn''t easy. To Yong-Ho, maintaining the area he prepared for his training with Aamon was difficult.


    Aamon silently taught Yong-Ho and he wasn''t sure if Aamon was just quiet or if this was his teaching method, but Aamon nevertheless carved the lance skill into Yong-Ho''s body. He was learning by repetition.


    After finishing his training to the point where he was losing his mind, he motioned Yong-Ho to spar with him.


    Honestly, the process wasn''t that painful. It always ended with a single blow.


    ''At least I''m not closing my eyes anymore.''


    However, just because he didn''t close his eyes, it didn''t mean he was able to grasp Aamon''s attack.


    "It''s extremely important to overcome your fears and watch your opponent''s attack until the very end! Was what the dungeon shop''s basic fighting guide said. By watching one''s opponent, one can either dodge or block. One can even counterattack."


    "Well, even before sparring with Aamon, you didn''t really close your eyes anyways."


    That''s right. The battles he had experienced was proof of that.


    Lucia continued talking.


    "I''m not saying this because you''re my master, but you''re good at fighting. Even Ophelia said it."


    "So have some confidence and keep fighting."


    "Yeah, I will."


    Lucia smiled warmly because she was satisfied by his answer. If she was next to him, he probably would''ve petted her head like Catalina.


    ''Skilled in fighting.''


    He was definitely skilled. He was more talented in the fight itself than in martial arts.


    If he didn''t come to the demon world, Yong-Ho would''ve lived his whole life without knowing that he had talent in fighting.


    Yong-Ho suddenly remembered his cousin that moved to England a few years ago. Even though he always looked like he was in a daze, he was physically talented and had a keen eye. It meant that he was good at grasping his opponent''s movements.


    ''I wonder how he''s doing.''


    No matter where he was, his cousin was probably living a more peaceful life than Yong-Ho.


    After getting up from his bed, Yong-Ho quickly washed his face from the bowl that was prepared earlier and then lightly stretched his body.


    Like always, he had a lot to do today.


    ***


    Even though he had slept in more than usual, he was still able to meet up with Catalina since she always had a hard time waking up in the morning.


    Since she slept in a bit more than usual, Catalina had a bright expression.


    ''No, is she regretting it?''


    Her expression told him that she wanted to sleep a bit more.


    The reason why she had a difficult time waking up in the morning isn''t because she was in a bad mood. Catalina was a mix between a Dark Elf and Succubus and no matter what others said, Succubus was a nocturnal race. Catalina was more active at night and that was probably because of the Succubus blood that was flowing within her.


    Yong-Ho wanted to let Catalina sleep in a bit more in the morning, but both Catalina and Eligor were against it. Both of them said there wasn''t a guard alive that woke up later than their owner.


    An Orc was now in charge of the kitchen and after serving them a late breakfast, Yong-Ho pinched Catalina''s cheeks instead of petting her because she was dozing off. Catalina became sad because she was embarrassed and after being satisfied with her expression, Yong-Ho ate his soup.


    ''Will it be better if I developed their taste buds?''


    Yong-Ho was referring to the Orc in the kitchen.


    During the past month, the number of spirits had increased and because of that, Yong-Ho found out more details about the Power of Evolution.


    It''s because he had a lot of samples.


    First, he already knew about this, even if two spirits were part of the same race, their skills and evolution were different.


    Second, all spirits didn''t advance the same way even if they were part of the same race. There was also a difference in the advancement.


    He was able to find out about this difference thanks to the Skeletons.


    The advancement process from the Skeleton Soldier to the Warrior was different depending on the Skeleton. For some, they had to be devolved several times in order for the Skeleton Warrior advancement route to appear and for others, like Skull, the advancement route opens up after evolving just once. Whereas for some, the Skeleton Archer advancement appeared instead of the Skeleton Warrior.


    Every time a spirit develops, they require a larger evolution rate. Because of that, the more complicated an evolution process is, the harder it is for a spirit to advance. And Yong-Ho assumed that there probably won''t be another advancement route after the Skeleton Knight.


    ''Catalina and Skull have really outstanding skills. Eligor''s is pretty good too.''


    Catalina had many hidden advancement routes and Skull was the same because every time he evolved, the advancement ranks would keep appearing. On top of that, every time he evolved or advanced, his potential development grew as well.


    Eligor was also pretty talented. As soon as Eligor evolved, the Red Demon - Beast''s next advancement was physical strength and stamina.


    And lastly.


    The most important difference.


    The Power of Evolution was applied differently between spirits that belong to the dungeon and ordinary spirits.


    For ordinary spirits, Unification Evolution didn''t appear. Even though Yong-Ho couldn''t break down the details of the Power of Evolution, there were things Yong-Ho could assume based on his instincts.


    Unification Evolution only worked on spirits that belonged to the dungeon. And even though he didn''t have a lot of samples, he assumed that the Power of Evolution affected more on these spirits than the ordinary ones.


    It was obvious when thinking about the relationship between the demon king and their spirits.


    After Yong-Ho finished eating, he visited the Mid-Rank Training Ground that was located next to the Basic Training Ground.


    "Skull, Skull."


    Skull was training the Skeletons and when he saw Yong-Ho, he smiled brightly.


    Since Skull advanced to a Skeleton Knight, he couldn''t increase their Evolution Rate at the Basic Training Ground. But the Mid-Rank Training Ground was different because the spirits trained using mana and that''s how they increased their Evolution Rate.


    Unlike the puppets in the Basic Training Ground, the puppets here were able to dodge and counterattack. Since it was like being in a real battle, spirits were able to increase their Evolution Rate at a faster pace.


    Yong-Ho displayed a satisfied look on his face as he watched the Skeletons train. The Skeletons all looked the same at first, but now, he was able to see their different personalities.


    Skull''s group had to be the perfect team.


    That''s why Yong-Ho didn''t evolve the Skeletons the same way.


    For the Skeletons that will be holding a shield and in charge of the defense, he strengthened their bones and developed their frame. Whereas for the ones that will use a lance or shoot arrows, he evolved them individually depending on their skills.


    "Skull, Skull. Skulllllll."


    Skull talked while swinging his hammer. Even though Yong-Ho didn''t understand, it sounded like Skull was saying the Skeletons needed to be trained more.


    Yong-Ho patted Skull on his shoulder. Training in the Mid-Rank Training Ground all night must''ve paid off because his Evolution Rate was almost full.


    ''Is Iron next?''


    After the Rock Skeleton Warrior, it was the Iron Skeleton Knight.


    Iron Golem was waiting in the corner of the Mid-Rank Training Ground and after Yong-Ho looked back and forth between the golem and Skull, he laughed and looked towards the Basic Training Ground. The Princesses Ant and Spot were using the lifeless puppets to train.


    After developing her emotions, Princess Ant had a much more noticeable expression. Even though she still looked like a girl, it felt like she had matured.


    It''s safe to say that thanks to the spirit training grounds, the Development Rate of the spirits had increased much faster. The Goblin Rangers and the Orcs also visited whenever they had the time to increase their Evolution Rate.


    ''An elite group. Oh yes, an elite group.''


    The beginning was difficult, but the result would make it worth it.


    After feeling satisfied with the Mid-Rank Training Ground, he headed to the arena that was located on the left. Ophelia and Eligor were having fun in there.


    "One round!"


    After Ophelia called it out energetically, she quickly stood up. While Eligor was lying on the floor and wasn''t moving.


    Yong-Ho spoke after clicking his tongue.


    "Go easy on the old man."


    "Oh jeez, Eligor is still young when considering his condition. Right? Older brother?"


    Even though Ophelia spoke while giggling, Eligor didn''t reply this time either. He was probably exhausted because he didn''t even greet Yong-Ho.


    "But why do you always wrestle at the end?"


    "Just hitting each other isn''t enough. It''s also good for training your senses."


    Yong-Ho wondered if it really was effective after seeing Eligor on the ground, but when he thought about it, he repeatedly experienced the same thing from Aamon.


    He understood Eligor''s pain as he looked at him and Ophelia approached Yong-Ho with a smile.


    "Master, would you like to spar?"


    "Thanks for the offer, but I have work to do. Go another round with Eligor."


    Eligor flinched when he heard Yong-Ho''s suggestion, but no one paid any attention.


    Ophelia slightly tilted her head and asked Yong-Ho.


    "Are you going to look around the first floor again?"


    "I wanted to look around more."


    There was a reason why Kaiwan only explored 80% of the first floor. It was easy to find the first floor and out of the entire area, the first floor made up 80% of it.


    The hidden 20%.


    The arena, as well as the passageway that led underground, was probably included in that 20%.


    In some ways, Yong-Ho was being too hasty. Even though Lucia grew a lot, there still wasn''t enough mana because the number of facilities within the dungeon was increasing at a fast pace. For the areas that he found recently, Lucia was barely able to control them. Even if Yong-Ho found the passageway that led underground, it would be impossible for Lucia to control it.


    ''But still.''


    He wanted to find the remaining 20%.


    Ophelia rated Yong-Ho''s ambition very highly, so she acknowledged his request. Instead of asking Yong-Ho again, she helped Eligor stand up.


    Yong-Ho let Ophelia take care of Eligor and walked out of the room with Catalina, who kept on looking back.


    He then headed deeper into the dungeon.

 77 Mammon’s Arena 2

    Among the facilities that were located deep within the dungeon, the Library and the Magic Laboratory were probably the most important.


    Kaiwan''s Library was actually pretty empty. It was because there simply wasn''t a large enough variety of books. Nevertheless, the books were still taken care of pretty well. He knew that Kaiwan had used them with the utmost care.


    Since most of the spirits in the House of Mammon didn''t really read books, no one was using the Library. The spirits however were told to register if they ever wanted to use it, but Eligor was the only one that did and the sole book that he was interested in was the cooking one.


    After passing the Library, that still lingered with Kaiwan and her little brother''s scent, Yong-Ho headed towards the Magic Laboratory.


    The laboratory was just as big as the training ground. Half of the room was empty space which was probably used to test out magic spells.


    According to Lucia, this place was used to study various types of magic, but...


    ''We don''t have anyone to do that.''


    Out of the spirits within the House of Mammon, Ophelia was the only one that was skilled in magic, but she was a Red Demon. The fact that she was able to use magic was already amazing, so it would be hard to ask her to do any more.


    Yong-Ho again realized how important a magician was. He decided to look into it the next time he visited the dungeon shop''s Virtual Space.


    After stepping out of the lab, Yong-Ho stopped. Even though Kaiwan had developed 80% of the first floor, it didn''t mean she had filled every part of it. When Yong-Ho was thinking about installing new facilities in the first half of the dungeon, he had made a few empty rooms and Kaiwan''s first floor had empty rooms as well.


    ''The place connected to the remaining 20%.''


    He looked at the dungeon map that was floating in the air and after thinking for a bit, Yong-Ho looked back. Since it was still morning, Catalina was trying her best to stay awake.


    "Catalina."


    "Uh, ah, yes, sir. I wasn''t falling asleep. I wasn''t. Really¡­"


    Her voice became quiet towards the end of her sentence. Yong-Ho knew that she wasn''t falling asleep, so he just patted her head.


    ''Now that I think about it.''


    How did Catalina become a spirit in the House of Mammon and as a guard?


    It was a question that suddenly popped into his mind.


    Yong-Ho and Catalina had a close relationship because he was the demon king and she was a spirit that belonged to the House of Mammon. However, they didn''t know a lot about each other.


    ''I should ask. It''ll wake her up and change the mood.''


    After contemplating a bit, Yong-Ho made his decision. He asked in a friendly tone.


    "How did you become a spirit for the House of Mammon?"


    It was more direct than he originally thought. Catalina flapped her ears once and answered with a warm smile.


    She could''ve felt bitter about it, but her face didn''t show any signs of such thoughts. She continued speaking in an affectionate and longing tone.


    "It happened when I was really young, but I still remember the very day I became a spirit under the House of Mammon. I was an orphan and it became my very first home. I''m not very good at expressing my feelings, but...I really like the House of Mammon. I really like it. I also really like you as well, sir."


    Catalina finished talking with a bright smile, but instantly became embarrassed. LIke she had mentioned, she wasn''t good at expressing herself, but she especially became embarrassed because of what she said last.


    And Yong-Ho became embarrassed as well. It was because of a very simple reason.


    ''I-it''s my first time.''


    Yong-Ho had attended an all-boys school and majored in Engineering. This was the first time someone close to his age, or at least looked close to his age, told him that they liked him.


    Yong-Ho was the first one that calmed down. He thought logically.


    ''There''s a lot of meaning behind the word, like.''


    Catalina also liked the House of Mammon and Eligor. Yong-Ho patted her head again.


    "Shall we keep moving?"


    "Yes, sir."


    Catalina''s ears looked slightly weak for some reason, but she answered confidently.


    ***


    The remaining 20% wasn''t just made out of inactive rooms. Most of them were actual walls, and in order to create a path, the dungeon required a lot more mana and time investment than before.


    Yong-Ho focused on the fact that Kaiwan kept the Arena a secret from the other spirits.


    A secret path will never remain a secret forever. As someone could coincidentally find it when they pass by.


    A place where there wasn''t a lot of people. A place that only Kaiwan visited. A place close to the remaining 20%.


    He excluded the Library. The Library was like a castle to Kaiwan''s younger brother, so she probably didn''t create a passageway between the Library and the Arena.


    Yong-Ho walked forwards. Kaiwan''s Break Room was located deep within the dungeon and in that room which was a bit larger than Yong-Ho''s bedroom, he activated Greed''s power.


    Desire. Expectation. Craving.


    He set his mind on it. Greed rose out of Yong-Ho''s body like fire and after splitting into many sections, it searched all the rooms.


    Yong-Ho gathered all of the sections into one. The section that was wrapped around Catalina became the base and when Greed became whole, it pointed to one direction.


    Yong-Ho suddenly recalled the time he first encountered Aamon.


    Yong-Ho followed Greed and when he saw the crest of a wolf swallowing a moon on the wall, he placed his hand on it. The mana awakened the power that was flowing through the House of Mammon''s blood.


    ''A secret passageway.''


    The wall next to the crest made a sound and opened like in the movies. The passage that it revealed was so narrow, that only one person would be able to walk through it.


    Greed continued guiding Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho gulped and after looking back at Catalina, she quickly grabbed the lighting device and gave it to him.


    "I''ll take the lead."


    That''s what he told Catalina after she gave him the device. Catalina had the ability to see in the dark, but since Yong-Ho was being guided by Greed, it was more efficient for him to lead.


    Catalina hesitated for a moment because she was the guard, but in the end decided to let Yong-Ho lead.


    The passageway was longer than he had imagined.


    The cold darkness consumed both the light and sound and the deep silence prevented them from hearing their own footsteps. This overwhelmed both Yong-Ho and Catalina.


    Yong-Ho continued walking. And then stopped moments later. It wasn''t because they were at the end of the passageway.


    ''We got disconnected.''


    He couldn''t feel Lucia, who was always connected with him. Even though he was inside the dungeon, it felt like he was outside instead.


    Yong-Ho felt disconnected. When did he lose connection with Lucia? Or did they instead get disconnected right after entering the passageway?


    ''When I obtained Aamon.''


    He got disconnected with Lucia back then too. Yong-Ho had a hunch. This passageway must be outside of Lucia''s control range.


    But that didn''t stop him. Yong-Ho followed Greed''s guidance. Moments later, time was also consumed by the darkness. Yong-Ho couldn''t tell how long he had been walking through this passageway.


    Another step.


    Greed''s guidance suddenly disappeared. Even though he was still in darkness, Yong-Ho was now able to see a large door.


    A crest of a dragon that was reigning over the world.


    Even though he didn''t extend his hand out, the door opened. The light consumed the darkness.


    "Welcome to the House of Mammon''s Arena."


    The voice woke him up. The voice belonged to a female and was slightly deep and rough.


    Before them was a dark hallway made out of stone. It was wider than the secret passageway. Four people could probably walk through it together.


    Yong-Ho breathed in and looked around. Naturally, there should''ve been another door behind the door he had walked through, however instead, it revealed a long hallway.


    Catalina kept her guard up while looking straight ahead. Yong-Ho also saw a woman in front of them.


    It was a woman that was wearing a large, black robe. She was also wearing an empty, gray mask so he couldn''t see her face. If it wasn''t for the robe that was wrapped tightly around her body, he wouldn''t even have known that she was a woman.


    After showing her respect to Yong-Ho, she fixed her posture. Yong-Ho became nervous when he heard "the House of Mammon''s Arena," and the woman closed the distance between them. She spoke more quietly and discreetly than before.


    "The one that found the Arena, what is your name? And what is your father''s name?"


    When the woman approached, Catalina reacted. Yong-Ho restrained Catalina with his hand and spoke while looking at the woman''s mask.


    "Chun Yong-Ho. I''m the House of Mammon''s new owner. My father''s name is Chun Do-Il."


    The woman didn''t reply to Yong-Ho''s answer right away. It could''ve been his imagination, but he felt her feeling embarrassed and disappointed.


    Before he could ask why, she came closer. She asked in a slightly more impatient tone.


    "Then, your grandfather''s name¡­"


    "That''s enough."


    A new voice interrupted her. A very large hand divided the space between Yong-Ho and the woman.


    The new voice had suddenly appeared and since they weren''t able to feel its presence, Catalina became surprised, causing her to take out her weapon. Yong-Ho also backed up.


    The new voice belonged to a Giant that was wearing a black suit. The Giant had red skin, two horns on his forehead and a long, red tail. Ophelia and Eligor both came to Yong-Ho''s mind.


    The Giant looked at Yong-Ho while stroking his beard and then smiled.


    "Please excuse my assistant''s rudeness. My name is Gusion and I''m the manager of the Arena."


    Greeting him back was the right thing to do. But Yong-Ho couldn''t do so because of the thought that suddenly popped into his mind. The woman who was standing behind Gusion, Yong-Ho noticed that she was acting impatient.


    It was a ridiculous thought. There wasn''t enough proof. But he had a hunch.


    "Kaiwan?"


    The woman reacted. The impatient woman looked up and Gusion''s smile became twisted. Catalina watched Gusion while cold sweat was rolling down her face.


    They then heard a voice.


    "Are you Cayenne''s descendent? How''s Cayenne doing?!"


    "I said that''s enough!"


    The Giant''s power exploded. The power that suddenly exploded overwhelmed everything. The woman who was frantically asking questions sat down while releasing a painful moan and Catalina''s hand started shaking. Catalina knew she had to protect Yong-Ho, so she managed to stand in place, but that was her limit.


    Gusion glared at Yong-Ho. The overpowering energy Gusion released made it seem like he was going to put down Yong-Ho at any moment.


    But at that moment, there was something that tore his energy into pieces. There was something that consumed that power and protected Yong-Ho.


    Fire.


    It wasn''t the green fire that represented Yong-Ho''s soul. It was the Red Lotus''s fire that rose up and pushed away Gusion''s pressure.


    This time, Gusion displayed various expressions. Anger, shock and joy he simply couldn''t contain!


    "Aamon?! Is it really Aamon?!"


    Aamon answered. The Red Lotus''s fire became bigger and was even more beautiful. His monstrous voice filled the entire hallway.


    "Kneel in front of the King of Greed! Gusion, the one who possesses superhuman strength! Mammon''s spirit!"


    Confronting a Giant was more than enough to destroy everything around them. Catalina just couldn''t endure it anymore, causing her to collapse, but Yong-Ho managed to hold her by her waist. Green flames rose up within the Red Lotus.


    Gusion looked at Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho also looked at Gusion.


    Despite the really tense atmosphere, Gusion spoke.


    "Mammon''s spirit, Gusion, acknowledges the King of Greed''s return."


    He didn''t kneel. It actually seemed like Gusion was trying to test Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho didn''t really mind it and instead of looking back at Gusion, he looked to the side. It wasn''t because he was scared of Gusion. He instead looked at the woman that was on the ground and panting.


    Her mask was off. Her eyes were filled with despair, disappointment and embarrassment instead of fierceness. Through her tightly sealed lips, she expressed the feelings that she simply couldn''t hide.


    Yong-Ho was sure. He knew that face and voice.


    The owner covered in ash. Kaiwan, the Demon King of Distortion.


    It was her.

 78 Mammon’s Arena 3

    It felt like an intense feeling was held in his hands.


    When she realized that Yong-Ho wasn''t the son of Cayenne, her younger brother, she was disappointed.


    But she couldn''t give up.


    Maybe he was Cayenne''s descendant. Maybe not his son, but either his grandson or great grandson.


    Kaiwan even asked how her brother was doing.


    However, she couldn''t talk. Besides her feelings, there were other things that she wanted to say, but she still couldn''t say anything.


    It wasn''t because she was trying to control her anxious and impatient emotions. She simply wasn''t allowed to speak. Kaiwan''s lips didn''t open and just twitched. Yong-Ho knew why.


    Gusion.


    He was controlling Kaiwan. He didn''t give her permission to speak.


    Yong-Ho was able to imagine it in his head.


    He also had an idea as to how Kaiwan was alive despite the rumors saying that she had died.


    Gusion was still looking at Yong-Ho. It was cold. His eyes were filled with many different emotions, but it was obvious that Gusion didn''t like him.


    Yong-Ho felt Gusion resisting.


    It was more like impulse. It was probably because of Kaiwan.


    This was the first time he had ever saw Kaiwan up close. They had never talked before.


    But Yong-Ho always felt thankful towards her. He pitied her and felt warmth after seeing how much she loved her younger brother.


    Yong-Ho didn''t know the details, but after knowing that Gusion was controlling her, he didn''t like him.


    "Cayenne is the name of the owner from two generations ago. It''s been over a decade since you''ve disappeared."


    Yong-Ho spoke.


    Intense emotions filled Kaiwan''s eyes. She gasped when she heard about her brother. She wanted to hear more.


    Yong-Ho then realized that he had made a mistake.


    Kaiwan was expecting it.


    When Kaiwan disappeared, she was in her 20''s. Her brother, Cayenne, was a teen, so even if it had been over 10 years, there''s a very high chance that he was still alive.


    Isn''t it possible for her to meet her brother?


    Wouldn''t she be able to reunite with him?


    She couldn''t open her mouth. Kaiwan couldn''t continue the conversation and she didn''t want to hear mention of his death.


    She desperately desired to see him. Tears were rolling down her white cheeks. Despite having fierce-looking eyes, her eyes were filled with different emotions and Yong-Ho felt sorry for her.


    He was the owner from two generations ago.


    Whether he died from an accident or at an early age, there was a high chance that he had died.


    Kaiwan didn''t consider that possibility. No, it''s more like she was deliberately ignoring it.


    Her eyes moved to Yong-Ho''s finger. The ring that she gave to her brother.


    The object that contained the Power of Distortion.


    You''re Cayenne''s successor.


    Yong-Ho felt like he could hear her. She sounded so desperate that it was painful to just look at her.


    Tell me. Tell me. Tell me something, anything!


    It was a quiet cry. And it was completely blocked. When Gusion''s hand came between them, the darkness consumed Kaiwan. The darkness covered the location where Kaiwan was standing.


    Yong-Ho glared at Gusion. Gusion enjoyed the way Yong-Ho was glaring at him. He enjoyed how hostile Yong-Ho was and his expression told Yong-Ho to come at him.


    "I think the gatekeeper was acting very rudely. I just wanted the minions to take her, so just stop. It looks like you''re going to hit me."


    "Gusion."


    Aamon spoke quietly. He was slightly angry.


    But Gusion chuckled as if he didn''t care.


    "One greeting is enough to show respect. And I only did it because of you, Aamon. Just because he has the power of Greed doesn''t mean this kid is actually Master Mammon. And just because he''s the owner of the House of Mammon doesn''t mean he''s my owner as well. I''m Mammon''s spirit. Mammon is my only owner."


    Gusion looked more fierce. He was almost growling towards the end.


    "This is the Arena. And I am Gusion, the manager of this place. The Arena has its own rules and the only one who can break them is Mammon. So obey the rules."


    The already big Gusion looked even larger. Yong-Ho felt like he was going to be crushed. Aamon released his fire and managed to protect Yong-Ho and Catalina from Gusion''s pressure, but it wasn''t enough. Catalina''s body was covered in sweat and she was panting and Yong-Ho had to use his remaining power to release the fire.


    A faint smile appeared on Gusion''s face.


    "You returned to your previous form on your own, Aamon. Is it to match with the owner of an empty house, huh? This place is filled with Master Mammon''s power, but that''s all you can do. As your rival, it''s very disappointing."


    "That was my choice. Don''t look down upon my young owner, Gusion. Like you had mentioned, you should be following the Arena''s rules. I''m not your opponent. Face the King of Greed."


    "You''re still acting like a teacher''s pet."


    Gusion stretched and gathered his strength. The enormous amount of pressure disappeared and the blank space consumed Catalina and Yong-Ho once more. Yong-Ho tried his best to stand still while Catalina was holding onto Yong-Ho''s arm that was wrapped around her waist.


    "The King of Greed, Aamon''s young owner. I''ll introduce myself again. My name is Gusion and I''m the manager of Master Mammon''s Arena. Out of Mammon''s spirits, I''m definitely the greatest of them all."


    Gusion extended his hand out for a handshake. Yong-Ho wasn''t sure if Gusion was being considerate or if he was left-handed, but he extended his left hand out anyway. Yong-Ho looked at Gusion as he extended his left hand out.


    His hand was rough and strong. It felt like he was touching a hard rock and not a person''s hand.


    "A guard that relies on her owner. Even if it''s an empty house, the House of Mammon has definitely fallen."


    Catalina flinched when she heard Gusion''s comment.


    When anger filled Yong-Ho''s face again, Gusion released a satisfied laugh.


    "Let''s not talk while standing. Like Aamon mentioned, we need to follow the Arena''s rules. Shall we go inside?"


    The Arena was dangerous.


    Gusion wasn''t friendly.


    But Yong-Ho didn''t want to avoid his provocation.


    He wanted to know about Kaiwan and the Arena''s rules that Gusion had mentioned earlier.


    "Young master, he will not be able to harm you directly. Don''t worry. You are the King of Greed and I am here with you."


    Only Yong-Ho was able to hear Aamon''s voice.


    Like Gusion mentioned earlier, Mammon''s power was filled within the Arena. Normally, Yong-Ho wouldn''t be able to talk with Aamon like this, so just how powerful was Aamon?


    Greed opened its eyes within Yong-Ho. The fire within him told him to move forward.


    "I''ll go with you."


    Catalina gritted her teeth. She didn''t rely on Yong-Ho and stood on her own.


    Gusion ridiculed Catalina with his eyes.


    Yong-Ho felt angry again.


    Aamon calmed Yong-ho down. He supported Yong-Ho and gave him strength.


    Even though Catalina didn''t have Aamon''s protection, she still stood up straight and met Gusion''s eyes.


    Catalina''s determination and feelings could be seen in her eyes. She didn''t care if others talked badly about her. She did it for Yong-Ho, to protect her owner''s honor, so she decided to endure it with everything she had.


    Because of that, Yong-Ho calmed his anger. Instead of losing it, he spoke to Gusion in an angry tone.


    "Lead the way, Gusion. Explain the Arena''s rules."


    "As you wish. This way."


    Gusion turned around and took the lead. It was only for a moment, but right before he turned around, he had a pleasant and kind smile.


    Every time Gusion took a step, the light on the ceiling turned on and lit up the dark hallway. Gusion started to speak.


    "Master Mammon built this place to help the future generations grow and for me. Well, half of it was also probably for entertainment."


    Yong-Ho understood the part about the future generations. But, for Gusion?


    "Including myself, a lot of spirits exist within the Arena. The Arena is a separate area from that empty House of Mammon. There are many levels within this place and there are spirits that are in charge of those levels. I call them Floor Masters."


    Yong-Ho read about this in Kaiwan''s journal.


    Yong-Ho analyzed Gusion''s explanation. When he called the House of Mammon empty, he was probably looking down on Mammon''s descendants for not being able to control Greed''s labyrinth and remaining on the first floor.


    ''Or he could''ve used that word because it was actually empty.''


    It was something he had been thinking about ever since Sitri mentioned Greed''s labyrinth.


    Could it be that there were two dungeons within the House of Mammon?


    Greed''s labyrinth and a dungeon to hide Greed''s labyrinth.


    Gusion continued explaining.


    "The Arena''s rules are simple. The challenger will go up against the Floor Masters on each floor. If the challenger wins, then they''ll receive the reward that Master Mammon has prepared and if they lose, they''ll be punished. The punishment is different for each level. Well, the master did build it for future generations, so the punishments aren''t that bad. But there are levels that are still pretty bad."


    Yong-Ho recalled Kaiwan''s face.


    She made the House of Mammon stronger through the Arena, but she eventually disappeared one day. But now, Gusion, who managed the Arena,was treating Kaiwan like a slave.


    Yong-Ho was sure it was her punishment.


    "Anyone can become a challenger. A guard, butler or even an ordinary spirit can become a challenger. The reward is the same despite of status. However their punishment is a lot worse. Like I''ve mentioned many times before, this place was built for future generations. It''s only fair that the reward and punishment are on the same level."


    Gusion stopped walking. Once they passed the dark hallway, an extremely large room appeared. It was as big as the Colosseum in Rome. There were thousands of seats and below them, there was a giant circular arena.


    Even though it was indoors, they could feel a cool wind. Gusion turned around with his back towards it. He looked at Yong-Ho and opened up his arms.


    "And the Arena''s last rule. Master Mammon left this last rule for the future generations as well as for myself. The challenger that beats every level will become the owner of the Arena. They''ll be able to control all the spirits that''s within the Arena as well as myself."


    Another strong wind blew through the room. Gusion had a big smile on his face.


    "Aamon''s young owner. Do you want to know about Kaiwan? Do you want to free her? Do you want to make me kneel? In that case, conquer the Arena. Become the owner of this body. Only if you believe you can do it!"


    Gusion laughed out loud. There was a loud roar and the door to the hallway suddenly closed.


    "Another rule. Those that enter the Arena can''t just leave. They need to try at least one level. When in a group, it''s fine if only one of the members fights."


    Gusion looked down at Yong-Ho. Instead of answering, Yong-Ho raised his right arm and released green flames. Aamon, who was wrapped around Yong-Ho''s wrist, transformed into a fiery lance and Yong-Ho grabbed him.


    Gusion laughed. He was laughing because he was actually having fun. He laughed out loud for a long time.


    "We have a new challenger. Welcome to the Arena, King of Greed."


    Mammon''s Arena.


    The fight on the first floor had begun.

 79 The Red Lotus Demon Lance Aamon

    A man wearing a black robe and a beast shaped mask guided Yong-Ho.


    Even though their outfit was similar to Kaiwan''s, they had a large and firm body, so it was easy to tell that they were a male.


    However, they didn''t show any interest towards Yong-Ho. All they did was walk ahead slowly.


    Could it be that he used to be an owner too?


    The House of Mammon''s history was long. Kaiwan probably wasn''t the only one that found the Arena and became a challenger.


    Once they were near the audience seats, the man opened a door to a hallway that led to the arena. After meeting Yong-Ho, he spoke for the first time.


    "The challenger may enter the arena. Those that came with the challenger cannot enter. Please watch from here."


    He spoke in an unsophisticated way and the way he talked was rather awkward.


    Instead of replying, Yong-Ho looked down at the arena. He imagined a tower because Gusion mentioned that there were Floor Masters on each level and stairs that led to the dungeon. But, it seemed like the Floor Masters actually came to the Arena.


    "Master."


    Catalina called Yong-Ho. She used up a lot of her mental energy from trying to endure in front of Gusion, so she looked like she was going to pass out at any moment.


    Her large eyes were filled with anxiety and concern. She didn''t show it in front of Gusion, but when she first encountered Kaiwan, Catalina was actually really agitated.


    What if Yong-Ho ends up in the same position as Kaiwan?


    Yong-Ho understood how she felt. He was worried as well, but he smiled nonetheless. He used his empty left hand and patted Catalina''s head.


    "I''ll be back."


    "I''ll be waiting."


    Catalina replied confidently. Like always, her tail and ears showed her true emotions.


    Yong-Ho smiled again. After patting her head once more, he turned around. He walked towards the arena without any hesitation.


    The Arena''s atmosphere was cold.


    ***


    Despite the fact that there were thousands of seats, only a few of them were filled up.


    They were filled with a small group of spirits from the arena and since there were only about 30 of them, it was impossible to fill all the seats.


    But because of that, it was easy to spot Yong-Ho. He was like a dark tree standing in a field of white snow.


    Out of the spirits that belonged to the Arena, there were some that were able to move freely.


    Some male, some female. There were kids, elders, young women and teenagers.


    While sitting in groups of twos or threes, they were looking at both Yong-Ho and Catalina. Catalina felt them looking at her, but she didn''t turn around or approach them. She just sat in her seat and solely focused on Yong-Ho.


    It was safe to say that Mammon''s Arena was Mammon''s magic barrier. Even though Aamon''s body was with Yong-Ho, it was possible for him to take a part of his conscious and place it next to Gusion.


    Gusion scratched his chin as he watched Yong-Ho walk towards the arena after patting Catalina''s head. Gusion put on an uninterested look as if to hide his true feelings.


    "Do they have a chance?"


    "Are you interested?"


    Gusion didn''t reply right away when Aamon asked. He pouted for a moment and then snorted.


    "It was a stupid question. You''re only serving under that young owner because he has a chance at winning."


    He was speaking to Aamon, the Red Lotus Flower Lance.


    Out of all of Mammon''s spirits, Aamon was special, so he probably wouldn''t decide on an owner so easily.


    ''However.''


    Or maybe he was in a hurry? Aamon wasn''t in the Arena like Gusion. There''s a possibility that Aamon made a hasty decision since he was the only one that knew how much time had passed.


    "I know what you''re thinking. But, I want to ask you too. Isn''t it you that''s been pressed for time?"


    Gusion flinched because it seemed like Aamon read his mind.


    Aamon was able to learn a lot of things just from the way Gusion treated Yong-Ho. But he stayed silent and Gusion gritted his teeth. Gusion stopped scratching his chin and leaned back into his chair.


    "As you know, we''re unable to feel the same sense of time in the Arena. A majority of the flow of time has been suppressed, but...it''s also because this space is Master Mammon''s barrier. Kaiwan...it''s understandable as to why she''s so cautious. She knows that time has passed, but doesn''t exactly know how much. Sometimes it feels like it''s only been a few days, but it''s actually been a few years."


    Gusion closed his eyes. He was able to vividly remember a few memories.


    "But, I do have an idea. Because I''m used to this space. It''s not like I spend my time sleeping like Kaiwan and the other Floor Masters. A lot of time has passed. Over 1,000 years have already passed. But it feels like it only happened yesterday. The time when I followed the master and walked up those stairs."


    Skyscraper stairs.


    It was like Gusion had mentioned. Aamon was able to vividly remember that moment as well.


    And that wasn''t the only thing he was able to remember.


    Mammon, the King of Greed.


    The greatest demon king in the demon world''s history.


    His last.


    His last moment.


    Gusion gritted his teeth. Even though he didn''t mention it, it was obvious that he was thinking about that "moment."


    "Gusion."


    "I know. I know, Aamon. It was the master''s wish and because of that, I still respect him. I just want to follow him and walk up those stairs again. Even if it''s in my dreams."


    Gusion released a heavy sigh. Instead of replying to him, Aamon gave him some time.


    "It''s been a while since I''ve had an emotional conversation like this."


    Gusion smiled. He leaned forward again and made a demeaning comment.


    "Don''t worry. It''s safe to say that there aren''t any punishments on the first floor. Your young master may feel disappointed from being defeated, but he won''t die or get detained."


    Only Gusion was able to make such annoying comments like that.


    Aamon smiled. Even though he was just a fire, Gusion knew. And because of that, he had high expectations. He didn''t make those comments to Yong-Ho just to provoke him.


    "It''s starting."


    Aamon spoke. Gusion and Aamon turned their attention to the arena and watched Yong-Ho.


    ***


    [Mammon''s Arena First Floor]


    [Floor Master : Steel Ox]


    [Max Number of Challenges per Day : 3]


    [Reward : Two Choices]


    [Punishment : Mental Pain]


    Yong-Ho slightly opened his eyes when he read the letters of light that were displayed in the air. He made a short comment.


    ''It''s...honest.''


    On the other side of the large stadium, that was about 50 meters in diameter, a large ox was standing there. It was as if they were made out of steel because Yong-Ho felt a certain heaviness.


    The Steel Ox released a low growl. They were about two meters tall with a horn on its head that was both extremely long and large. Fire came out of its nose every time it breathed out..


    After coming to the demon world, Yong-Ho had fought against both a Salamander and a Land Worm, but this was his first time fight against an ox.


    ''But in the end, the basics are the same.''


    Yong-Ho changed his pose as he wielded Aamon with this right hand. Aamon was now two meters long and Yong-Ho''s lance technique was closer to the Eastern style rather than the Western style.


    "Ready."


    "Start!"


    As soon as the letters of light shattered, he heard the sound of a loud drum. But Yong-Ho wasn''t able to focus on anything. The ground was shaking. The Steel Ox jumped forward and charged like a runaway locomotive.


    Yong-Ho quickly threw himself to the side. He couldn''t counter it head-on. After rolling on the ground once, he stood up. The ox passed through the area that Yong-Ho was originally standing in and after moving about 20 meters, the Steel Ox quickly changed its direction. As soon as Yong-Ho stood up, he kicked off the ground.


    He didn''t have time.


    Yong-Ho moved as soon as he thought of it. He waved Aamon roughly in the air and created a wave of fire.


    The wave of fire that was released head-on was pretty horrifying. However, the Steel Ox must''ve not cared because it didn''t slow down in the slightest. The ox instead charged even faster and broke through the wave of fire.


    The fire dispersed.


    As expected, the fire didn''t affect the Steel Ox at all. The ox didn''t even stay within the fire for that long. But, there were results nevertheless. Yong-Ho''s original plan was to blind the Steel Ox so he didn''t have to roll around to dodge the ox''s attacks. He remained standing at the side while the Steel Ox charged in a straight line.


    As soon as the Steel Ox realized that it had missed, it tried to change directions, but its speed got in the way. Right when the ox was about to turn, Yong-Ho targeted its ankle and attacked with Aamon.


    Clank!


    Aamon bounced off as the sound of metal filled the stadium. The unexpected counter made Yong-Ho''s arms numb. Even though Yong-Ho was the one that attacked, he was affected more than the ox.


    Fire came out of the Steel Ox''s nose. His opponent changed direction and Yong-Ho couldn''t wait any longer. He ignored the pain he felt in his arms and threw his body when the ox charged yet again.


    The ox was fast and hard. Fire and ordinary attacks didn''t work.


    Catalina was really nervous. Most of the spirits that were watching started laughing when they saw Yong-Ho roll around on the ground.


    Cold sweat started rolling down Yong-Ho''s face. Even though his attacks had failed, he didn''t lose concentration or feel discouraged. He released another wave of fire and blocked the view between him and the Steel Ox.


    The ox''s attacks were simple. They were fast, but they moved in a straight line, so Yong-Ho was able to predict its attacks. Just blocking the ox''s view was more than enough to decrease its accuracy.


    The ox charged again.


    Yong-Ho had an idea while dodging his opponent. He was clearly aware of the arena''s entire structure and his current position.


    He read the mana''s flow. The Power of Evolution analyzed targets for development purposes. And of course, the flow of mana was included in that analysis.


    The Steel Ox wasn''t Yong-Ho''s spirit. It was impossible to do an analysis. But, it didn''t matter. Right now, Yong-Ho wasn''t expecting the Steel Ox''s development information.


    Red mana was flowing out of the Steel Ox. That mana created a constant flow. The ox didn''t simply use their strength to charge towards Yong-Ho. The ox also used mana to charge really fast.


    The flow of mana showed Yong-Ho the direction the Steel Ox was going to go.


    Boom!


    The ground shook. Yong-Ho dodged the ox''s attack once again. The Steel Ox became angry and released a growl. Yong-Ho gulped. Reading the flow of mana during a battle was really difficult, but he had to continue doing it. He also didn''t forget about the arena''s structure. Whenever the Steel Ox charged, it created fire. The ox threw itself while charging in a straight line.


    A different sound was released this time. It seemed like the entire stadium was shaking.


    Beyond the fire that was destroyed, Yong-Ho saw the Steel Ox twist its body. The ox''s horn was stuck to a wall, like Yong-Ho had expected, but he had to delay his opponent more.


    Yong-Ho immediately made his next move. This time, Yong-Ho charged towards the Steel Ox.


    His plan to make the Steel Ox charge in a straight line and crash into the wall was great. It wasn''t exactly the most creative plan, but since he actually executed it, Gusion gave Yong-Ho a lot of points.


    But, what was he going to do now?


    Yong-Ho''s attack didn''t affect the Steel Ox. Despite the fact that the ox crashed into the wall, its horns were perfectly fine.


    Gusion leaned forward more. The spirits that were watching spoke louder. Catalina clenched her hands. Kaiwan, who wasn''t allowed to speak, desperately watched Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho jumped. Aamon transformed into a knife and released fire once again. The wave of fire was useless. Yong-Ho knew it as well. That''s why, he targeted something else this time.


    He focused the fire towards the tip of the blade. Instead of creating a large fire, he focused a small amount on a single area and created a fiery blade.


    Aamon''s tip shined brightly. An immense amount of heat was released from the white light.


    The Steel Ox felt the need to be cautious. It used its strength to twist its body and before Yong-Ho could reach it, the ox destroyed the arena''s wall, and turned around.


    Yong-Ho wasn''t surprised. He read the mana this time too. The Steel Ox''s horn was drawing a curve and when Yong-Ho charged towards it, the ox barely managed to dodge him. Because of that, Aamon pierced into the Steel Ox''s body.


    It worked. The fiery blade pierced through the Ox''s body. It screamed. But, Yong-Ho didn''t stop. He poured the remaining mana through Aamon.


    Fire shot out of the holes that were all over the Steel Ox''s body. The ox looked down on Yong-Ho because of the wave of fire he released earlier, but now the ox was powerless against the fire that was entering it.


    It couldn''t even scream. The ox weakly fell to the ground. It transformed into light and disappeared.


    The spirits that were watching clapped with joy. Catalina stood up from her seat and flapped her ears and wagged her tail while Kaiwan released a sigh of relief.


    "First Floor Completed Successfully."


    "Please choose your reward."


    Words of light appeared in front of Yong-Ho. Instead of replying, he turned around and looked up. He looked at Gusion, who was sitting in the middle of the audience seats.


    Gusion looked down back at him. He couldn''t contain his excitement when Yong-Ho looked at him.


    He knew how Yong-Ho fought.


    He knew that Yong-Ho read the flow of mana and was able to freely control the fire by using Aamon.


    "You asked if he had a chance, right?"


    Aamon asked and Gusion momentarily looked at Aamon with a blank expression. A big smile appeared on his face as he nodded.


    "You chose a worthy owner, Aamon. But you''re making a mistake if you think he''ll become my owner just from this one battle. Even Kaiwan completed the first floor."


    Instead of replying, Aamon created a bigger fire. He looked at his young owner.

 80 The Red Lotus Demon Lance Aamon 2

    When both Aamon and Gusion were looking at Yong-Ho, Yong-Ho also looked back at them.


    He then looked at Catalina and smiled, who was joyfully jumping up and down and looked like she was going to jump at him at any moment. He then further observed the rest of the audience.


    Most of the spirits in the audience were spirits that he didn''t know the names of. However, Kaiwan was sitting amongst them.


    She was far away, so he couldn''t read her expression. However, there was a certain warmth that simply couldn''t be contained and he felt it.


    If he yelled, she could probably hear him. But, Yong-Ho wasn''t able to say anything. What would he say to her now?


    That her younger brother fell sick and died? That he lost everything his loving sister achieved and was depressed until his very last breath?


    He had to tell her eventually. But, now wasn''t the time. Not now.


    Yong-Ho turned around again. Even though the Steel Ox''s corpse had turned into light and disappeared, a pile of light still remained in the same spot.


    It was similar to the distortion that he had saw before.


    A lump of pure mana.


    Mammon''s Arena wasn''t created only to provide fighting experience and various artifacts to the future generations.


    This lump of pure mana was probably the reward they would''ve received once they defeated the Floor Master.


    Yong-Ho reached out with his left hand without hesitation. The colorful mana was swirling and it sucked into Yong-Ho''s hand.


    It was the same as absorbing ordinary spirits. Nothing was different.


    Overwhelming pleasure.


    A feeling that his mana had been increased.


    But moments later, Yong-Ho had a hunch.


    It was different from the other spirits he had absorbed. Not only Greed, but the blood flowing within him was screaming at him that it was different.


    ''Mammon''s mana!''


    Traces of the king was contained in Yong-Ho and Kaiwan''s mana, but this was much more than that.


    It was Mammon''s actual mana.


    When he realized it, he felt even more pleasure. The purity and intensity of it made his spirit tremble.


    Ancestors'' power.


    It was the greatest piece of power which acted as the source of the House of Mammon''s kings.


    When comparing just the amount of pure mana, it was actually less than the mana he had obtained when he defeated Foras. However, it had a different effect. All of Yong-Ho''s body reacted to Mammon''s power and the effect of synergy between them was really surprising.


    Kaiwan was definitely a genius. She was also hard-working at the same time.


    Even so, she was still extremely strong for her age.


    How was that possible? What made her really strong?


    He had solved that riddle just now. Mammon''s Arena made her strong. The power of the ancestors of the House of Mammon had awakened her.


    And Yong-Ho didn''t stop there.


    Green flames rose out of Yong-Ho''s eyes. The experiences he had stacked prior to fighting Foras was screaming at him.


    Evolve.


    Advance.


    Advance forward!


    It was in front of everyone, including Gusion. But Yong-Ho couldn''t hold himself back any longer. Greed was urging deep within his body. The Power of Evolution encouraged Greed.


    "Mana Development."


    Light enveloped Yong-Ho''s body. The green fire covered his entire body and it grew larger.


    All the spirits were surprised. Even Catalina couldn''t calm down.


    But there was someone else who was the most surprised.


    Gusion stood up from his seat. He was speechless. He yelled out a question without looking back.


    "Is that, is that really the Power of Evolution?!"


    Aamon didn''t answer. The answer to Gusion''s question was already in front of him.


    Yong-Ho roared.


    The green fire shot up and then disappeared after breaking up into smaller pieces.


    The third horn that was on Yong-Ho''s forehead disappeared. New horns appeared on top of the two horns that were located right above his ears.


    The fourth horn.


    The number of horns represented how powerful one''s mana was.


    Yong-Ho didn''t develop his mana. He broke it and created a new set. It was bigger and deeper than before and this time he could fill it with even stronger rmana.


    Yong-Ho wasn''t the only one that transformed.


    Within a demon family, gaining another horn is like a turning point for the one that gains it.


    Black mana was gushing out of Catalina''s entire body. A shadow-like thing surrounded Catalina''s body. And within that shadow, Catalina hugged herself. She released a painful cry and then it turned into a joyful scream.


    Another horn appeared on top of the horn that was located above Catalina''s right ear. It was her third one. Since she was directly contracted with the House of Mammon, it personally impacted her. She was now one step higher in following Yong-Ho, no, her king.


    The shadows that enveloped her disappeared. Her entire body was covered in sweat and she collapsed while panting. She was so exhausted than even panting was difficult for her, but her face was filled with joy.


    Yong-Ho''s and Catalina''s transformation happened almost at the same time and it ended almost at the same time too.


    Yong-Ho took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and enjoyed his transformation.


    Thanks to the fourth horn, his mana and his physical abilities had become extremely strong.


    He also felt Catalina''s transformation. Eligor and Skull were outside of Mammon''s Arena so he couldn''t feel them, but witnessing Catalina''s change was more than enough.


    When Yong-Ho opened his eyes after calming down, two boxes of light appeared before him.


    He was sure that it was the reward that he was promised right before starting the match.


    But before Yong-Ho was able to pick one, a sudden change occured. Beside the boxes of light, another box appeared.


    He was immediately going to ask Lucia, but Yong-Ho closed his mouth. His senses were really sensitive and he knew Gusion''s intentions.


    Gusion, who was sitting in the center of the audience, landed right in front of Yong-Ho. Gusion was physically big and since he landed a few meters away from Yong-Ho, the ground shook when he landed.


    Gusion looked at Yong-Ho and stood up from the spot where he had landed. Yong-Ho didn''t avert his gaze.


    He was definitely strong. But, it was different from when he had first encountered Gusion.


    The overpowering feeling was different. The emotions in his eyes had also changed as well.


    Gusion looked at Yong-Ho without saying anything. And then, a small smile appeared on his face.


    "Congratulations. You beat the first level. It''s been a while since a competitor has beaten the first level."


    It was definitely a friendly voice. However, Yong-Ho kept his guard up because he knew Gusion was still testing him.


    That feeling was difficult to explain. Yong-Ho felt that Gusion was holding something back.


    "Since you beat the first level, you need to be rewarded for it. Two boxes are usually offered, but I added another one just for you. Pick one out of the three. You won''t get a losing ticket, so don''t be burdened about it."


    Basically, it meant that the quality of the rewards weren''t equal.


    "I would recommend thinking¡­"


    "This one."


    Before Gusion finished his sentence, Yong-Ho picked one of the boxes.


    It wasn''t a hasty decision.


    Greed was guiding him.


    Which one would be the most valuable to Yong-Ho?


    Which one will help Yong-Ho achieve his goal?


    Gusion didn''t see any hesitation in Yong-Ho''s eyes and he turned to the Red Lotus Demon''s fire. Aamon didn''t reply this time either. But, Gusion understood.


    "Greed."


    It was helping Yong-Ho. It relied on Yong-Ho''s will and based on that, it activated a part of its power.


    The young owner that Aamon had chosen.


    "It''s a surprising gift. Definitely a surprising gift."


    Gusion mumbled as he opened his arms. He was telling Yong-Ho to quickly open it and after Yong-Ho extended out his left hand, he released his mana.


    The box of light broke down and dispersed. The item that was inside landed on Yong-Ho''s left hand.


    "Skeleton Mage Scroll."


    The other two boxes disappeared. Before they disappeared, Yong-Ho briefly saw the items that were inside them. One contained gold and the other contained a dagger that had magic abilities.


    "The scroll allows you to summon one Skeleton Mage. Use your mana and then rip it. The type of Skeleton that will be summoned will be based on your luck."


    Gusion gave a simple explanation and Yong-Ho nodded. He understood why this scroll was more valuable than the dagger.


    He was already thinking about how he should use the Skeleton Mage.


    "How about it? Want to start the second level?"


    Gusion asked. Yong-Ho felt Greed stirring inside him once again. It was telling Yong-Ho that they wanted to feel Mammona''s mana once more.


    But Yong-Ho restrained himself.


    He used too much of his mana. Thanks to the evolution, his mana capacity increased and a small amount of mana was restored, but not completely. On top of that, the third horn that Catalina was unexpected, so she was pretty tired too.


    The Arena''s Floor Masters weren''t easy opponents. Continuing like this would only have a negative effect.


    ''But¡­''


    Yong-ho looked ahead. Even though he made up his mind, he kept on hesitating because Kaiwan was stuck in his mind.


    "Don''t rush, young owner."


    "You cannot rescue her with the power that you have now."


    Aamon explained to Yong-Ho quietly. Since it was happening inside his head, Gusion couldn''t hear him.


    Kaiwan was looking at Yong-Ho desperately. She wasn''t asking him to rescue her. She was asking Yong-Ho to tell her about her brother. She was saying that any news would be fine.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and ignored her. Next time was what he told himself and then he looked at Gusion.


    "No, I''ll come back later."


    "Anytime. Master Mammon and I will always welcome you to the Arena."


    The man with the beast mask that led Yong-Ho into the arena stood in front of him. After showing his respect to Gusion, he guided Yong-ho once more and walked past Gusion and headed towards Catalina.


    Gusion turned around and looked at Yong-Ho''s back. A frown appeared on his face as if his mind was filled with different emotions.


    "Too small.''


    Yong-Ho can''t be compared to Mammon.


    He wasn''t good enough to be compared to the great king that led his spirits up the skyscraper-like stairs.


    Despite that, Gusion couldn''t help but acknowledge him.


    "They''re similar. It''s very small. Very small though."


    He just beat the first floor. He was nothing but a weak competitor right now.


    Aamon smiled at Gusion''s stubbornness. He looked at Gusion with his divided conscious.


    Aamon also remembered the same thing as Gusion.


    The last moment of the strongest king in the demon world.


    The last road he had walked on.


    The image of him leading everyone.


    The Red Demon Lance Aamon fired up and then walked past.


    He looked at the present, not the past. He took another step forward.


    Just like old times.


    Following behind the king.


    The wind blew.


    The Red Demon''s fire rose up.

 81 Thunder

    After following the man with the beast mask out of the arena, Yong-Ho headed straight towards Catalina. She was sitting in the front row while the spirits that were watching were sitting several rows behind. They were looking at Yong-Ho and talking amongst themselves, but it didn''t seem like they were going to approach him.


    Yong-Ho looked at them for a brief moment. Amongst them sat Kaiwan, where just by looking at her face and body language, it was obvious that she wanted to rush straight towards him, but was instead suppressing it. The spirits, however, weren''t acting that way. They looked relaxed when looking at him, but also kind of cold.


    ''The Arena''s spirits.''


    It couldn''t apply to all of them, but a part of them were most likely previous owners of the House of Mammon, just like Kaiwan.


    They entered as competitors, but lost and now remained here at the Arena.


    Yong-Ho turned his attention away. It was difficult to avoid Kaiwan''s gaze because she was desperately trying to get him to see her.


    "Are you okay?"


    "I''m fine."


    Catalina barely managed to answer when Yong-Ho asked. However, her body answered differently because her ears and tail weren''t moving in the slightest.


    But her expression was bright. Yong-Ho won and further grew in power. Catalina gained another horn, so it was obvious that she was happy about that.


    Yong-Ho softly patted her head when she tried to stand on her own and then displayed a warm smile. After transforming Aamon back into a bracelet, he turned around and spoke.


    "Get on."


    "I''m sorry?"


    "Get on. I''ll carry you. You can hardly stand, let alone walk."


    Yong-Ho turned his back to her, kneeled and signaled her with his finger to get on.


    Catalina blinked her eyes a few times and then turned around. The Arena''s spirits were having fun watching as they looked down on Yong-Ho and Catalina. Catalina had better hearing than Yong-Ho, so she was able to hear their conversations.


    "Catalina?"


    "Oh, uh, yes."


    When Yong-Ho called her, her ears turned red and she carefully stood up from her seat. She ignored their stares and comments and got on to Yong-Ho''s back. The only time she had ever got on someone''s back was when the previous guard had carried her when she was younger. It was really awkward, but she managed to wrap her arms around Yong-Ho''s neck.


    "Good."


    After grabbing Catalina''s thighs, Yong-Ho stood up. It was a good thing that she couldn''t see his face because he had turned slightly red. This was his first time carrying a girl and the things he felt through his back seemed extremely soft.


    "What the heck are they doing?"


    Gusion asked as he watched them from afar. Since Catalina''s senses had been heightened, she had clearly heard him. She tightened her lips and buried her face into Yong-Ho''s back.


    "I''ll be going now. I''ll see you next time."


    "Anytime."


    A satisfied smile appeared on Gusion''s face after he answered out loud. He was extremely satisfied when Yong-Ho said the words "next time."


    Gusion probably wasn''t as bad as many thought. He only acted that way because he was being loyal to his owner, Mammon. Even though he told Yong-Ho that he couldn''t acknowledge him yet, once Yong-Ho completed the levels, Gusion would acknowledge him as his owner.


    When comparing that smile to the one he had first displayed, Gusion was definitely being friendly.


    ''Is he like Zhang Fei from the Records of the Three Kingdoms?''


    It just popped into his head, but he thought it was a decent comparison.


    On top of that, he had a large frame. He was known to have superhuman strength, so his muscular strength was probably unlike the others. He was a Red Demon after all.


    ''I still dislike him though.''


    Kaiwan''s was one of the greatest owners to have existed. Gusion didn''t physically abuse her, but Yong-Ho still didn''t like the way he was treating her.


    Yong-Ho turned around and after ignoring Gusion, he briefly looked at the spirits and Kaiwan before leaving the Arena.


    Even though it was just their eyes that met, it felt like he was able to hear her voice.


    Anything is fine.


    Anything is fine so please tell me!


    ''I''m sorry.''


    He couldn''t say it. Kaiwan desperately wanted to hear some news about her brother, but the only news he could give her was of his death. He couldn''t do that to Kaiwan in her current state.


    ''Someday, someday.''


    Yong-Ho didn''t really have any interest in her brother. The only thing Yong-Ho knew about him was that he had died while filled with despair and remorse.


    Yong-Ho turned around as if he was ignoring her and then started walking away. The man with the beast mask walked next to Yong-Ho and guided him to the passageway that led them outside of the Arena.


    The man then stopped walking when they approached the passageway. He then pointed to the passageway as if he was saying that his job was done and then disappeared.


    Yong-Ho pushed Catalina up and walked into the passageway. It was different from when Gusion was leading because when Yong-Ho was leaving, the lights that appeared on the ceiling started to disappear one by one until complete darkness filled the space.


    How long had he been walking?


    Yong-Ho stopped. Now there was only one light that was shining down upon him.


    Before leaving the Arena, Yong-Ho had to ask a question.


    "Aamon."


    "Speak, my young master."


    Aamon replied right away. The Red Lotus Demon''s flame appeared in front of Yong-Ho.


    Catalina gulped while staying on Yong-Ho''s back. Yong-Ho then asked while looking at the flame.


    "Mammon...how the King of Greed die?"


    The strongest demon king in the history of the demon world.


    He was placed in the top three out of the Seven Deadly Sins and also had four superhuman skills.


    He was one that called strong spirits, like Aamon and Gusion, as his own.


    No one knew how he had really died.


    The only available information was that Mammon had suddenly passed away and because of that, the House of Mammon had crumbled.


    How did Mammon die?


    He wasn''t curious at first. Mammon existed over a 1,000 years ago, so Yong-Ho simply left it at that.


    But not now.


    He wanted to know. It felt like there was some sort of secret to this death.


    Aamon didn''t reply right away. Because he spent time with Mammon until his last moment, he remained quiet. It seemed like the flame that was moving with the wind was displaying Aamon''s feelings.


    Yong-Ho waited. Catalina was afraid that she would make a sound, so she kept her mouth shut.


    "I''m afraid I cannot tell you yet, my young master."


    He said "yet." Yong-Ho decided to leave it at that.


    He asked another question. It was more of a confirmation than a question.


    "You said I can''t rescue Kaiwan just yet, right?"


    "Yes, not yet. But someday, in the near future, I believe that it will be possible. I believe that."


    Even though he was just a flame, Yong-Ho felt like he saw Aamon smile. Catalina had the same feeling too.


    Aamon must''ve felt satisfied with his answers, because the Red Demon''s flame disappeared. Yong-Ho watched the flame disappear with the wind and then breathed in deeply. Instead of looking back, he took a step forward and exited Mammon''s Arena.


    ***


    He wasn''t sure how many additional steps he took in the total darkness. It was so dark that Catalina, who was able to see through the darkness, couldn''t make out anything that was ahead of them.


    Yong-Ho calmed himself down and walked forward. Moments later, he felt his disconnected senses connecting to the dungeon again.


    "Master! Where did you go?!"


    Lucia''s voice rang loudly in his head. This finally meant that Yong-Ho was completely out of the Arena and was now in the first floor of the House of Mammon, the area that was under Lucia''s control.


    Yong-Ho also felt relieved when he heard her worried and relieved voice. He felt like he had finally returned home.


    "I''ll tell you later. First, gather Eligor, Skull and Ophelia to the Library."


    "Got it."


    "Eligor and Skull experienced a huge...oh my! You gained another horn! And your mana has increased a lot as well!"


    "Catalina''s mana has become extremely strong as well. What exactly happened in there?!"


    Instead of answering, he displayed a slightly awkward smile and even though Lucia was mentally connected to him, she didn''t push him anymore.


    "I understand. I''ll relay your message to the three spirits."


    After he finished talking to Lucia, he walked out of the darkness and headed towards Kaiwan''s Break Room. He felt Catalina quietly release a sigh of relief.


    ''I think I know why Kaiwan kept the location of the Arena a secret from the spirits.''


    One was able to earn big rewards in the Arena. The rewards, which included Mammon''s mana, were extremely appealing.


    As someone that cleared the first level, Yong-Ho was curious about the second level''s reward. His opponent on the first floor was tough, so the Floor Master of the second level was probably stronger, but Yong-Ho was far more interested in the reward compared to the Floor Master or the fear of losing.


    Once one jumps in, they can''t stop.


    If Ophelia''s father participated, he probably would''ve kept on going until his last breath.


    According to Gusion, the punishment was a lot weaker for the owners.


    And Kaiwan experienced the punishment that was already set in the Arena. In that case, what kind of punishments did the spirits experience? Losing one''s life probably wasn''t the worst punishment.


    "Catalina, never participate in the Arena without my permission. Got it?"


    Catalina gulped when she heard Yong-Ho''s request. From the way she reacted, she must''ve had a slight interest.


    "I understand. I''ll follow your orders, sir."


    That was like Catalina. Yong-Ho felt relieved when she answered honestly. After fixing Catalina''s posture, he headed towards Kaiwan''s Break Room.


    ***


    "You went to the Arena?!"


    The Library was supposed to be a quiet place, but it was filled with shock.


    The voice belonged to Ophelia. Yong-Ho felt a bit flustered by Ophelia''s unexpected reaction, but he quickly nodded his head.


    "I did. I cleared the first floor. And thanks to that, me, Catalina...and Eligor and Skull, all changed."


    Yong-Ho looked at Eligor and Skull while replying. Eligor and Skull had become stronger, just like Catalina. Eligor still had the same number of horns, but his mana became stronger, so his body now released a beast-like energy. Skull, who had become the Iron Skeleton Knight, had no way of releasing his mana, so Yong-Ho instead felt an immense amount of mana within Skull''s body.


    Ophelia couldn''t control her excitement. It was refreshing to see this side of her because she was usually always calm and cold.


    ''Did she hear something from her father?''


    That wasn''t the only thing. Catalina, who had obtained a third horn, was sitting in front of Ophelia.


    Based on the amount of mana and the purity, Ophelia was still stronger however. Excluding Aamon, Ophelia was the strongest out of all the living spirits in the House of Mammon.


    But if this continued, then someone else would likely end up taking that spot.


    Yong-Ho was expecting such a thing to happen and would be overjoyed if it did.. Since it would mean that the House of Mammon''s spirits had become that much stronger.


    But, it didn''t mean that he wanted Ophelia to fall behind. She might not be as strong as her father, but she still wanted to become stronger. She was extremely competitive, however it was better than not being competitive at all.


    "Please, please make me your personal spirit, sir!"


    Her request was straightforward.


    Yong-Ho smiled awkwardly.


    Of course Yong-Ho wanted to make her his personal spirit. But the reason why he didn''t bring it up was because she would be "bound" to him.


    Spirits that belonged to the dungeon also belonged to the owner. If the dungeon died, then they would die as well.


    They were different from ordinary spirits since ordinary spirits were able to terminate their contract at any time. Bound spirits would end up sharing the same fate as their owner.


    They devote their entire body and soul to their owner.


    That was the difference. That''s why he couldn''t make such an offer so easily.


    On the other hand, there was a reason why Ophelia didn''t make the request before.


    It wasn''t because of the constraints that Yong-Ho had thought of and it wasn''t about having anxiety about having to give her life to him.


    The places were limited.


    The owners in the empty regions tended to have a minimum of three and a maximum of five personal spirits. Even the six strong kings that were controlling the demon world probably only had about 10.


    When thinking about the Power of Evolution and the House of Mammon''s dungeon characteristics, the spirits were bound to grow at a fast rate. During these two months, Catalina and Eligor had become so much stronger.


    For Skull, Yong-Ho purchased him from the dungeon shop and he was nothing more than an ordinary Skeleton Worker, but Skull had grew a lot since then.


    That''s why she didn''t say it. But, now she couldn''t wait any longer. The moment she was suppressed by Greed and Aamon, she had figured out that Yong-Ho was the new King of Greed and that was when she had made her decision.


    That she would be the King of Greed''s spirit.


    "Ophelia, please calm down. You''re in front of the Master, so please be respectful."


    When Eligor spoke calmly, Ophelia realized that she had been acting too excitedly. But instead she moaned and couldn''t sit back down in her seat.


    Eligor looked back at Yong-Ho for her. He spoke while showing his respect.


    "Master, I would like to make the same request. Ophelia will definitely be a great help to the House of Mammon."


    Ophelia was touched by Eligor''s unexpected support, she looked at him with a grateful expression. It felt like someone was cheering her on.


    Before answering, Yong-Ho looked back at Skull and Catalina. Skull had a satisfied smile and Catalina lightly nodded and agreed with Eligor''s comment.


    Which meant that everyone had agreed.


    "Okay, if it''s okay with you Ophelia, I''ll make you my personal spirit. But, there''s something else I need to tell you."


    Ophelia, who had lost her cool, quickly sat down and listened to Yong-Ho. Eligor also paid attention to him.


    Yong-Ho took a deep breath and organized his thoughts. The first topic was obvious.


    "The owner from three generations ago. Kaiwan, the Queen of Distortion, is alive."


    As soon as he finished talking, both Eligor and Ophelia stood up from their seats.

 82 Thunder 2

    "She''s...alive?"


    "Did you see her at the Arena?!"


    They both stood up at the same time, but the emotions in their voices were different.


    Ophelia sounded shocked, but affectionate. It was quite different from Eligor''s shocked reaction. Ophelia couldn''t control her feelings. This type of excitement that she felt was different from the other ones she had expressed before. She sat down and mumbled to herself.


    "Oh my. Oh my gosh. She''s¡­"


    Ophelia has never met Kaiwan before.


    But she was the daughter of Endelyeon, the one that admired Kaiwan. She heard a lot of stories from her father and naturally, she started admiring Kaiwan as well.


    Ophelia recalled her father''s face. He left because Cayenne, Kaiwan''s brother, was weak, but he couldn''t forget about the House of Mammon. She remembered him saying that the House of Mammon was going to rise up again after watching it fall.


    What would she say if she met Kaiwan?


    That her father abandoned her brother? That he left the House of Mammon because it wasn''t up to his standard?


    She wasn''t scared of Kaiwan''s anger. She was scared of facing her sadness.


    Kaiwan would probably understand. If she was the Kaiwan that Ophelia knew, she would say that she knew he was going to leave.


    Kaiwan wrote a letter in case she disappeared and in that letter, she mentioned that if Endelyeon left, she would respect his decision.


    But, but still!


    Ophelia was extremely worried.


    She came up with an excuse.


    Endelyeon was extremely heartbroken when Kaiwan disappeared, so he wondered around in the empty wilderness for a long time. When he returned with the young Ophelia, the House of Mammon had already fallen.


    And if he didn''t leave?


    Then the dungeon monsters wouldn''t have taken the armory and the gold mine.


    Even though Cayenne was a weak owner, the House of Mammon still wouldn''t have fallen that much.


    The excuse no longer sounded like an excuse.


    Yong-Ho couldn''t read all of Ophelia''s feelings. But, he had a feeling. Whenever she greeted him, she mentioned her father''s name. She respected and loved him that much, so it was only natural that she would be shaken up after hearing that Kaiwan was alive.


    "The Arena rewards the competitor when they clear the floor, but there''s a punishment if they lose. The punishment can get worse depending on the floor, but...I think Kaiwan became part of the Arena as punishment for losing."


    Ophelia used Yong-Ho''s voice as a guide and after managing to calm down, she bit her lips.


    Yong-Ho continued talking.


    "It''s not just Kaiwan. I can''t confirm it, but I think there''s more. I think out of all the House of Mammon''s owners, most of the ones that disappeared may be in the Arena."


    If what Yong-Ho said about the owners was true, then.


    And if there were spirits at the Arena that were strong enough to take down those owners, then.


    "Gusion, the manager of the Arena, said this. If I clear every floor of the Arena, then I''ll be able to control all the spirits that are serving in the Arena."


    Yong-Ho spoke. Eligor and Ophelia, who were still shocked by the news, had huge reactions.


    "Gusion, the one with superhuman strength."


    Ophelia said his name as if she was sighing. Eligor yelled as he clenched his fist.


    "One of Mammon''s 12 spirits. The strongest one. Out of all the Red Demons, he''s known to be the strongest one in history!"


    That was Gusion.


    He was so strong, that he was known as the strongest Red Demon in history.


    "I apologize for my immature behavior. But...but it''s hard to not react to that news. If you were able to complete the Arena...and if you''re able to control all the spirits that are in the Arena¡­"


    "He''ll even be able to go against the six kings that are controlling the demon world."


    Ophelia finished Eligor''s sentence.


    It wasn''t an exaggeration.


    Having Gusion under his control would be a huge success. And if the previous owners and the spirits that defeated them were under his control, then!


    Just imagining it made him excited. It made him shudder.


    However, Catalina didn''t seem excited at all during the conversation. Her ears actually looked weak. It was easy to tell that she was worried.


    That sight calmed Eligor down.


    He had forgotten about the dangers it could cause because he was so focused on the big prize.


    Kaiwan and the other owners were in the Arena because they had failed.


    The same thing could happen to Yong-Ho as well.


    The excitement that Eligor felt disappeared.


    He sat back down and when he slightly moved his mouth, Yong-Ho waited for him to speak.


    Moments later, Eligor managed to talk.


    "Are you planning on going back to the Arena? Like Kaiwan?"


    "That''s right."


    Yong-Ho answered camly. Yong-Ho had already thought about all the things that both Ophelia and Eligor were thinking about.


    Of course, he wasn''t going to go without a plan.


    But that didn''t mean he was going to back out.


    He wanted to get stronger through the Arena.


    He wanted to rescue Kaiwan.


    "I understand. Eligor the butler will follow you, sir."


    Eligor spoke seriously and Yong-Ho displayed a warm smile. The spirits were really worried about him, so Yong-Ho brought up another topic.


    "Those are the two announcements that I had for you guys. Next is something a bit different."


    Yong-Ho stopped talking for a moment and turned his head. Everyone else followed Yong-Ho and looked in the same direction.


    "Skullll?"


    Skull tilted its head. Yong-Ho took out a scroll.


    ***


    As he created the Skull Army, Yong-Ho naturally inspected different types of Skeletons.


    Of course each Skeleton had different personalities. The potential evolution and the advancement routes were proof of that.


    But as a race, they shared the same characteristics.


    Skeletons were undead monsters that were made out of bones. Skeleton Workers were the lowest rank and Death Knight and Elder Lich were the highest rank, but they all belonged to the Skeleton race. Bone Dragons were technically part of this race too.


    Lower rank Skeletons rarely had consciousness.


    Skull was a rare case because it had an ego despite starting out as a mere Skeleton Worker. Skeleton Soldier was right above the Skeleton Warrior and their ego was about the same as a Golem.


    Among the Skeletons that were in the Skull Army, there was one that barely had an ego despite being a Skeleton Warrior.


    Yong-Ho was standing in the corner of the library and he ripped the Skeleton Mage scroll that he earned from the Arena.


    Even though he didn''t use his mana, the scroll still activated the magic.


    White and blue lights appeared. The two colors started spinning in the air like a distortion and as it spun faster, it released another strong light.


    A Skeleton stood where the light was. Like the other Skeletons, it looked like a human.


    "Skeleton Mage?"


    Despite being a Red Demon, Ophelia was known to be the strongest mage in the House of Mammon and she noticed how special the Skeleton Mage was.


    Yong-Ho nodded his head. The scroll used the remaining mana and displayed letters of light in the air. It wasn''t like the message that Lucia displayed. They were letters used in the demon world.


    [Skeleton Mage]


    [Thunder]


    [Magic Ability: Enchant Magic (Thunder) / Lightning Arrow]


    Just like the other Skeletons, the mage probably didn''t have an ego because it just stood there.


    Ophelia spoke.


    "A Skeleton Mage is a spirit that''s only created through a special order. It''s impossible for them to learn new magic, but they''re very skilled in the magic they already know. Since they don''t really have an ego, they''re required detailed instructions, but with Enchant Magic and Lightning Arrow...I believe it''ll increase our fighting power."


    Enchant Magic enveloped a weapon with thunder and Lightning Arrow was a arrow that released magic shaped like lightning.


    But Yong-Ho wasn''t going to be satisfied with just that. If he were to only use the mage for its magical powers, then Greed wouldn''t have reacted to that scroll.


    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution. He looked at Skull and noticed that after it became an Iron Skeleton Knight, the Mid-Rank Training Ground didn''t really help in increasing his development rate.


    A light appeared. The light connected Skull to the Skeleton Mage. The words that Yong-Ho was expecting were showing up in the box of light.


    [Skeleton Magic Knight]


    A unison between the Skeletons.


    On top of that, the Skeleton Mage had a low ego. Skull had a strong ego even when it was a Skeleton Worker, so there''s no way that the Skeleton Mage would consume Skull.


    He did think about evolving the Skeleton Mage, but decided that this was the best route.


    For warrior spirits, increasing their physical strength was enough, but for magic spirits, it was important that they learned new spells. There was no guarantee that the mage would learn a new spell if Yong-Ho evolved it. And if the Skeleton Mage''s ego became stronger after the evolution, then things could turn out differently than what Yong-Ho had imagined.


    This unison was an investment for the future and also a test.


    And since he didn''t have plans to create a High-Rank Training Ground anytime soon, he had saved the development rate for just this moment. And it was time.


    "Ready?"


    Yong-Ho asked Skull. Since this was Skull''s third time, Skull answered without any hesitation.


    "Skullll!"


    This was the first time Ophelia was seeing a unison, so she didn''t know what Yong-Ho was going to do. Catalina and Eligor smiled and took a few steps back.


    "Master? Eligor?"


    Eligor grabbed the confused Ophelia and pulled her back. He made sure that she stepped back far enough so that Yong-Ho had enough space.


    Yong-Ho raised his hands. He placed his hands on Skull and the Skeleton Mage''s shoulders and drew out the dungeon''s mana through Lucia. He poured a large amount of mana into both spirits.


    Unity Evolution.


    A large, green light appeared. And when that light disappeared, a Skeleton Knight enveloped in blue light was standing before them.


    Ophelia''s eyes widened when she felt the Skeleton Mage''s mana from Skull. She didn''t say anything and just looked at Yong-Ho, Eligor and Skull.


    Excluding the mana that was needed to manage the dungeon, Yong-Ho used nearly all of it. He took his hands off of Skull and carefully called his name.


    "Skull?"


    "Skullllll!"


    Skull answered energetically, then grabbed the hammer and raised it up high and casted a spell.


    Enchant Magic!


    A blue thunder enveloped the hammer.


    The Skeleton Mage''s mana was added on top of the mana that Skull already had. And Skull understood how to control the new power.


    Skull swung his hammer that was enveloped in thunder and then pointed it towards an empty part of the library.


    Thunder was released from the hammer. It was the Lightning Arrow.


    "Oh! Ohhhhh!"


    When Yong-Ho exclaimed, Skull swung the hammer in the air again. Skull was going to show this during the Skull Army''s training.


    Every time Skull swung the hammer, the sound of thunder filled the air. Because there was a spark, it sounded like a small thunderbolt.


    Yong-Ho was extremely satisfied. He whispered to Catalina, who was standing next to him.


    "I''ll give the Nightmare to Skull. You''re okay with that, right?"


    Catalina, who was competing against Skull over ownership of the horse-shaped spirit, nodded. Skull was the leader of the Skeleton Army and on top of that, Skull was now a mage that had the ability to cast spells, so giving the Nightmare to Skull seemed like the best choice.


    When Catalina happily approved, Yong-Ho looked at Skull happily. The final goal he had in mind for Skull''s changes.


    Death Knight?


    No.


    A being that mixed the Death Knight''s power and the Lich''s mana. The first Undead Magic Knight!


    Just imagining it made him proud.


    ***


    That night, Ophelia left the House of Mammon like she had planned and returned to the Free City. She would be returning a few days later. They decided to register her the next time she returned.


    After Yong-Ho finished eating with the spirits, he returned to his bedroom and took out Kaiwan''s journal. He wanted to check the information about the Arena.


    But after turning a few pages.


    Yong-Ho''s hand stopped. Instead of looking through the journal, he took out a different book.


    Cayenne''s record.


    Cayenne''s journal.


    He recalled the face Kaiwan made when she asked about her brother. Yong-Ho opened Cayenne''s journal.


    He slowly read the information written there.

 83 Free City War

    Yong-Ho saw light beyond the darkness.


    It shined like the stars on a night sky and as it displayed different colors, it created an image.


    Yong-Ho was dreaming and as he saw that light. He was suddenly aware that he was dreaming and realized that this wasn''t the first time he had experienced this.


    It was similar to when he had peeked into Kaiwan''s memories.


    He looked into the light. The images that the light created became a vivid reality.


    "Elune looked at me!"


    "No! Elune looked at me!"


    It was an aerial garden that was built in the demon world. Among the red and blue colored sky, purple was also mixed in, making it seem like the sky was painted.


    Gusion was standing in the aerial garden and was looking down. He chuckled when he heard the voices from the ground. They probably thought no one could hear them, but they were wrong.


    The aerial garden was created by attaching large, thick chains to a enormous floating stone. This aerial garden was one of the places that Mammon enjoyed resting in. The ones that were talking underneath the floating stone were Wood Elves and they took care of managing the aerial garden.


    "Right, so which one did you look at?"


    Gusion asked while chuckling and a frown appeared on the face of the woman that he asked. She just pointed to her eyes instead of answering.


    A red, leather string was covering her eyes.


    The woman had long, gold hair that went past her butt and was wearing a bright pink outfit. Overall, it was short and revealing, but its purpose wasn''t to make her look more feminine. She liked it because it was comfortable and felt cool.


    She was a mix between a dragon and an Elf, but she looked like an Elf. The scale that was located somewhere on her body was the only dragon-like feature she had.


    This applied to most of Mammon''s spirits, but she was pretty popular among the spirits that were in the House of Mammon. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that she was the most popular.


    The red string covered her eyes because she was blind. However, she had the ability to look at the world through a different method.


    "Elune is contemplating whether to get rid of this good-for-nothing spirit that jokes around all day. No, really."


    He heard a cheerful voice.


    It belonged to a male and this was the first time he had ever heard it. But the moment the sound touched Yong-Ho''s ears, he felt his soul tremble.


    It was the voice of Mammon, the King of Greed.


    He wanted to turn around. He wanted to turn his head and look at Mammon''s face.


    But he couldn''t. Just like the time when he looked into Kaiwan''s memories, his eyes were fixed and the only thing he could look at was Gusion, who was busy laughing, and Elune, who was pouting.


    He heard laughter. Many different laughters that were mixed in with Mammon''s. It was probably Mammon''s spirits.


    Elune, who was still frowning, looked like she was going to stay something, but in the end turned her head. Instead of using her eyes, she had a different way of looking at the world, and she noticed something approaching the garden. She expressed her discomfort when she heard Gusion''s joke.


    "She''s coming. She''s by herself this time too."


    She tried to suppress her emotions, but a part of her was still on edge.


    Gusion and everyone else looked in the same direction as Elune.


    Yong-Ho and Gusion both looked at the same thing.


    A woman was on top of the aerial garden.


    The wind was blowing around her red hair.


    ***


    "Red."


    Yong-Ho opened his eyes as soon as he had said it and instead of looking at the garden, he saw the ceiling of his bedroom. After he had obtained four horns, he was able to see in the dark better and could make out the different patterns on the ceiling.


    Along with Kaiwan''s, he saw Mammon''s memory.


    Was it a memory that remained in the mana that he had absorbed in the Arena?


    ''But still¡­''


    Then, how come he wasn''t able to see Foras or Jungceros''s memory? Of course, he would only feel uncomfortable if he did.


    ''Maybe Mammon''s blood is the key for seeing these memories.''


    He didn''t plan on going to sleep, however the exhaustion had forced him to do so. Instead of sleeping more, Yong-Ho decided to get up from the bed. After briefly washing his face, he headed to the library.


    Kaiwan created the library for her younger brother.


    Even though Kaiwan enjoyed books, she had major responsibilities, so she wasn''t able to really take her time in reading the books that were in the library.


    She expressed her love towards her brother by placing high-quality furniture in the library. The library also had preservation magic, so the books looked brand new.


    Yong-Ho stood in front of the bookshelf that contained books related to Mammon''s spirits.


    Mammon''s spirits were historical figures and since they were the spirits of the most powerful demon king in history, they were quite popular.


    The winners of that period were usually lenient towards the dead.


    When the House of Mammon suddenly fell, the demon kings that lived in the same era as Mammon didn''t get rid of or suppress his spirits.


    In the demon world, there were many stories and songs about Mammon''s spirits and there were several books about them as well.


    Cayenne liked these stories a lot. His journal contained many stories about Mammon''s spirits.


    ''This one?''


    Elune, the one that cuts down the night.


    She was one of Mammon''s spirit and at the same time, was one of the guards that protected Mammon''s side.


    Even though she was blind, she was one the greatest ever warriors and the citizens of the demon world adored her by calling her the Witch of the Sword.


    There were a lot of stories about Elune among Mammon''s spirits.


    Elune had great beauty and even though she was blind, she was so strong that she was given the name, Witch of the Sword. And since she was also in a romantic relationship with Mammon, it was obvious that there would be a lot of stories about her.


    ''And death.''


    After Mammon died, Mammon''s spirits weren''t sealed away. Some lost their lives and out of those spirits, Elune was the first spirit to have died.


    Even though Yong-Ho saw him once in his dream, he thought it was really unfortunate. It may of been because he had talked to Gusion only a few days ago.


    If he asked Gusion, assuming that Gusion would tell him the truth about her, he would be able to find out, however Yong-Ho already knew that Elune was Mammon''s lover anyway.


    The one that he wanted to ask about, was the woman with red hair that had expressed her discomfort.


    He couldn''t see her face. All he saw was her red hair dancing in the wind.


    But he was still able to tell.


    ''Sitri.''


    He was certain it was her. He couldn''t think of anyone else other than her.


    Like Sitri mentioned before, she wasn''t one of Mammon''s spirits. Then, what was her relationship with him? Was she another lover of his?


    ''Was that the reason why she was keeping a close eye on the House of Mammon?''


    Because it belonged to the man she loved?


    ''Let''s stop here.''


    The more he thought about it, the wilder his imagination would become.


    Yong-Ho grabbed the books that contained information about Elune as well as Gusion.


    And then, Lucia spoke.


    "Master."


    "Bugrim finished the items that he''s been working on."


    She must''ve waited until he finished grabbing all the books. After Yong-Ho gave her several tasks, he exited the library, and headed towards the workshop.


    ***


    Even though he was standing still as a rock, Yong-Ho saw desperation in Bugrim''s eyes, Skull and Salami and Nightmare were having a staring contest.


    "Skulllll!"


    Skull raised its hammer to show respect towards Yong-Ho. After being unified with the Skeleton Mage, Skull must''ve understood the idea of showing respect because he didn''t roll about on the ground as much as before.


    Salami also bowed and to show that it wasn''t going to lose to Salami, Nightmare copied and bowed its head as well.


    Yong-Ho lightly nodded his head in response and approached Bugrim. Bugrim, who wasn''t able to speak, bowed his head and handed one of the items that was on his worktable.


    It was a well-made saddle.


    The saddle was created from the Land Worm''s skin, that Ophelia had provided, and the various magic, bones and leather that were in the House of Foras''s warehouse. Even though Yong-Ho was ignorant about these things, he was still able to tell that this saddle was very well-made.


    ''He''s really talented.''


    After checking the pouch and stirrup that were attached, Yong-Ho gave the saddle to Skull. Bugrim then handed Yong-Ho a large saddle that was made for Salami.


    Even though Salami was just as big as Nightmare, its body was different, so an ordinary saddle wouldn''t fit. Yong-Ho happily took the saddle and approached Salami. Salami looked over at Nightmare once and then kneeled on the ground after putting its wings down.


    When Nightmare saw Salami, it approached Skull. They must''ve become rivals while Yong-Ho was away.


    The saddle changed the riding experience. There was a handle on Salami''s back, so no matter how fast Salami flew, the rider probably wouldn''t fall.


    ''The issue is what happens after the evolution.''


    Salami would become physically bigger after it evolved. Bugrim may have to create a new saddle every time Salami did so.


    Skull also rode on Nightmare after putting the saddle on. He was pretty heavy since his body was made out of steel, but Nightmare didn''t seem to be bothered by it.


    ''Or is Nightmare just enduring it because Salami was here?''


    Yong-Ho was going to have to search for Skull''s next unison for Nightmare. The first thing he thought of was titanium, but he wasn''t sure if there was such a thing as a Titanium Golem. It would probably be faster to find mithril or orichalcum.


    After getting off of Salami, Yong-Ho looked at Bugrim. Even though he couldn''t speak, Bugrim was able to communicate with his eyes, just like Kaiwan.


    Lucia spoke as if she felt bad for him.


    "When he doesn''t have any work, he''ll train really hard at the training ground."


    He must''ve heard that he needed to fill his development rate in order to get "healed."


    But Yong-Ho was the only one that was able to see his stats. The only thing Bugrim could do was work hard and train hard.


    Thanks to his efforts, his development rate was completely filled. Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution without any hesitation and placed his hand on Bugrim''s bulky shoulder.


    [Mana Evolution 1/2]


    Even though there was a green light, there wasn''t a big difference. Yong-Ho looked uneasy when he looked at Bugrim and Bugrim looked at himself excitedly, but was soon disappointed. But it only lasted for a moment. Even though Bugrim''s mana hadn''t been fully recovered, his body was still in a better condition.


    Yong-Ho immediately spoke to Bugrim.


    "I''m sure there will be good results after you get cured one more time. But, don''t overdo yourself."


    Bugrim excitedly nodded his head. He looked like he wasn''t going to hold himself back.


    ''I''m looking forward to it.''


    Bugrim was able to make high-quality saddles without mana. He would be able to make amazing magical items once his mana recovers. Yong-Ho had high expectations on defensive items far more than weapons. Like magical armor.


    After Yong-Ho told Bugrim not to overdo it again, he exited the room with Skull.


    Yong-Ho stopped in the dungeon passageway. Usually, he would rest up, because he was planning on completing the Arena''s second floor tomorrow morning.


    But he wanted to connect to the dungeon shop''s Virtual Space first. He wanted to ask Sitri about Gusion, Mammon''s spirits and the Arena. He also wanted to know if Sitri knew about Kaiwan being trapped in the Arena.


    Since he could do this in the throne room, Yong-Ho started walking. But, right when he passed the bathhouse there was an emergency.


    "Master, I received a report from the Dungeon Meerkats."


    "Ophelia is currently approaching the dungeon at a fast pace. She''s riding a monster that''s able to fly instead of a horse."


    "I think there''s something wrong."


    Ophelia''s visit to the House of Mammon was always kept a secret. But it was different this time. If she didn''t obtain it while coming here, it meant that she had rode that monster all the way from the Free City, which was an act that was quite noticeable.


    According to the conversation he had with Ophelia yesterday, she was planning on visiting two days later. What happened? Did she want to become a spirit that badly?


    There''s no way. He was sure that something serious had happened.


    "Lucia, call Eligor, Catalina...and Rikum to the dungeon entrance room. We''re going out to meet Ophelia."


    "Yes, sir."


    Yong-Ho rode on Salami while Skull rode on Nightmare. The two raced towards the entrance as if they were racing each other.


    ***


    "Ophelia, the daughter of Endelyon, would like to have an audience with the owner of the great House of Mammon. We have a big problem."

 84 Free City War 2

    "Ophelia, the daughter of Endelyon, would like to have an audience with the owner of the great House of Mammon. We have a big problem."


    As soon as she landed, she ran into the dungeon and quickly kneeled before Yong-Ho. She stated the reason as to why she was here after quickly greeting him.


    "Calm down and drink some water."


    When Yong-Ho handed her a cup of water, Ophelia became flustered, but managed to take the cup. She spoke more calmly.


    "I apologize for showing that side of myself."


    "I''m sure you had your reasons for acting that way."


    Ophelia''s eyes widened and then she displayed a bright smile for a moment when she heard him say that he trusted her. She spoke after activating the magic stone that she had already taken out.


    "I will explain the situation first."


    The small, purple magic stone released a light and displayed a map in the air. It was the map of the empty land.


    "A large number of owners in the west have unified in order to go against Embrio. While, Embrio has also unified with troops in the west to go against them. A big war will happen very soon. There''s a chance that Embrio''s power will crumble through this war."


    Information was displayed on the map.


    There were about 11 houses that had unified to go against Embrio. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that almost all the houses in the west were participating.


    A fight between the north and west. As a spectator, it didn''t matter who won. It wasn''t going to be an easy fight and the winner would definitely suffer some injuries.


    ''Or, is this type of war different?''


    That would often happen in fights between humans. But in the demon world, and between demon kings that ruled dungeons, the fights were a bit different. They may lose their spirits, but there''s also a chance that the winner would become stronger after consuming the spirit of the defeated owner.


    This aspect of the battle was very important. If the group that fought against Embrio wins, it would put Yong-Ho at an advantage.


    The war between the northern and western region was so important that it would decide the future of the entire empty region. But Ophelia wouldn''t have rushed over here just because of that.


    As expected, when Ophelia manipulated the map, instead of focusing on the northern and western region, she instead zoomed into the southern region.


    "While the northern and western region are fighting amongst themselves, the owners in the eastern region are fighting amongst themselves instead of attacking Embrio. And one of the owners from that group is targeting the southern region."


    She zoomed in again. It was safe to say that she was only showing the southern region now.


    Out of the three houses that were around the Free city, one of them had disappeared while the other two where having a difficult time controlling their dungeons.


    The fact that Yong-Ho brought down both Jungceros and Foras hadn''t been known yet, so it was obvious that there would be a gap in power. Some of the owners would want to take this opportunity to take advantage of the southern region.


    "Agares, an owner in the eastern region, is targeting the southern region. He is so strong that several owners have already surrendered their dungeons to him."


    The three dungeons that were located in the eastern region glowed at the same time. Those were the dungeons that Agares was controlling.


    "Is Agares targeting the House of Mammon?"


    Ophelia bit her lips when Yong-Ho asked. She replied a few minutes later.


    "In the end, yes, but...Agares is currently targeting the Free City."


    It was an unexpected answer, so Yong-Ho tilted his head without knowing. Ophelia then explained further.


    "Powerful owners with large dungeons tend to claim the areas around their dungeon as their territory. The Free City can be considered a place that doesn''t have a demon king or a dungeon."


    "It''s definitely an appealing place."


    "Yes, and there''s a lot of spirits that are living in the Free City. And the Free City can also be used as a base when attacking the dungeons near it."


    The second explanation was probably the reason.


    The Free City was the perfect base since it allowed the attackers to attack the many dungeons that were near it.


    "How are the rulers of the Free City reacting?"


    "As you already know, three powers exist within the Free City. The bar that I''m controlling, the group of outlaws, and the guild for workers. The leaders of the outlaws and the guild are saying that we should fight. As a spirit of the House of Mammon, I was planning on following your orders, but...I''ve already told the two leaders that I agreed with their decision."


    He had an idea as to why Ophelia had rushed here.


    When Yong-Ho didn''t say anything, Eligor spoke carefully.


    "I''m surprised the two leaders said that."


    Yong-Ho wasn''t able to understand. After Eligor looked at Ophelia, he spoke to Yong-Ho.


    "It''s obvious that they want to protect their position, but their life is on the line. I''m not trying to look down on Ophelia, but the rulers of the Free City believe that their life is more important than honor."


    They weren''t owners or spirits that were tied to a certain location. If the opponent was too strong, surrendering was the best plan.


    Ophelia, who was one of the rulers, agreed.


    "Eligor is right. Usually, they would think about surrendering rather than fighting for their lives. Because Agares really is that strong. But despite that, there''s a reason as to why they''ve decided to fight."


    Ophelia paused. After gulping, she started to talk again.


    "Agares is a cannibal demon. He''s more of an evil spirit than a demon in human form. If the rulers surrendered to him, not only would he consume their spirits, but he would eat them as well. While those working under them would also share the same fate. All the owners that have already surrendered to Agares have ended up that way."


    Surrendering was no longer an option if their life couldn''t be saved.


    Yong-Ho asked again.


    "What about running away?"


    "They''re rulers that have followers. And the Free City has been their homes for a long time...running away without trying to fight is unreasonable."


    Ophelia was a spirit that belonged to the House of Mammon and was also the owner of the pub. Because of that, she felt the same way as the other rulers.


    "Agares can be considered as the smaller version of Embrio. The owners in the southern region consider both as their enemies. Because of that, the two rulers are thinking about asking the owners nearby for their help."


    It meant that they were going to work together to fight against Agares.


    Yong-Ho looked at the map again. He didn''t say it out loud, but he only saw one owner that was willing to help the rulers of the Free City.


    Ophelia knew what Yong-Ho was thinking about. Even if Ophelia wasn''t a spirit that belonged to the House of Mammon, she probably would''ve been standing in this same spot.


    "Like I''ve mentioned before, the daughter of Jungceros is unable to control her house, which is unexpected. And there''s a high chance that Laura will remain quiet. Most importantly...it''s important to question whether the owner of the House of Laura even has the power to go against Agares."


    The powerful Foras and Jungceros didn''t exist anymore.


    But a new powerful figure had emerged.


    "The other two rules are expecting a lot from the Demon King of Fire. And as we already know each other, I came here on behalf of the rulers of the Free City."


    According to Ophelia''s information, Agares was a figure Yong-Ho was going to have to go up against eventually.


    If the groups in the Free City became his ally, then this could be his chance.


    But Agares was targeting the Free City, not the House of Mammon. It wasn''t a dungeon where traps were going to be installed in different areas. There was a high chance that this was going to be something like the Korean War.


    This was going to be totally different from the previous battles he had experienced.


    It was a big war between large groups.


    "Ophelia, how much do we have left until Agares attacks the Free City?"


    "I can''t say exactly, but earliest will be 10 days and the latest will be 15 days."


    She was thinking about the amount of time Agares needed to move his troops. Yong-Ho then asked a different question.


    "And what about the strength of the two groups? Are they similar to the pub''s?"


    "They''re pretty similar. Having a large amount of outlaws is an advantage and even though the workers lack fighting experience, but along with the Gigantes, they have several tools that can be used in the fight."


    "Gigantes?"


    "It''s a war weapon that can be driven with mana. Um...you can think of it as a large Living Armor or...Golem."


    Yong-Ho''s eyes started sparkling when he heard the explanation, causing Ophelia to stop talking.


    Yong-Ho coughed to stop daydreaming and then started counting. Before making a decision, he asked his last question.


    "Ophelia, what do you think?"


    Ophelia fixed her posture. She looked at Yong-Ho with a serious expression.


    "Agares is an enemy you''re eventually going to have to face. I''m saying this as the spirit of the House of Mammon, not as the owner of the pub, but I recommend that you use the Free City and fight Agares. If you win this battle, you''ll not only have taken Agares down, but the Free City will be in your hands."


    The other two rulers would''ve stood up if they heard this. Ophelia was thinking about what would happen after the fight with Agares.


    The other two rulers were thinking about the same outcome. However, unlike them, Ophelia showed her loyalty to Yong-Ho as the spirit of the House of Mammon, not as the owner of the pub.


    Yong-Ho looked at the others.


    Starting with Rikum, they gave their opinions.


    "This is your chance to use the Free City''s power. I agree with Ophelia."


    "I''m worried because you have to go outside of the dungeon to fight, but...I also agree."


    Rikum and Eligor agreed. Instead of giving her opinion, Catalina bowed to Yong-Ho and spoke in a deep voice.


    "I''ll protect you with my life, sir."


    She was going to follow him no matter what kind of decision Yong-Ho made. Yong-Ho looked at Skull last and Skull placed the war hammer on his chest and roared.


    "Skulllll, Skullll!"


    Yong-Ho didn''t know what he said, but he knew what Skull meant.


    "Great, I''ll meet with the rulers of the Free City. Ophelia, please prepare the meeting."


    Yong-Ho gave his orders. The spirits that were in that room all bowed to Yong-Ho. They replied loudly.


    "Master, we will obey your commands."


    ***


    After hearing that Yong-Ho was going to leave in two days, Ophelia immediately left the House of Mammon.


    Her job was to bring the two rulers to the meeting as well as creating a defence.


    After seeing Ophelia leave, Yong-Ho decided to rest. The situation was moving along fast, so Yong-Ho had to move quickly as well. He would still have time to meet Sitri after everything had been taken care of.


    Like Ophelia mentioned, Agares was going to attack in 10 days.


    10 days was a bit tight since he had to negotiate with the rulers as well as help with setting up the defence.


    Despite that, Yong-Ho decided to leave two days later instead of leaving with Ophelia.


    It wasn''t because the House of Mammon needed time to prepare for the battle.


    One day after Ophelia''s visit.


    Yong-Ho and Catalina headed to Kaiwan''s break room. He opened the secret passageway that led to Mammon''s Arena.


    He had one day.


    He wanted to get as strong as possible before encountering the powerful Agares and the other rulers of the Free City.


    The man wearing a beast-shaped mask guided Yong-Ho. Once he arrived, Gusion, who was wearing a white suit, greeted him.


    "You came earlier than I thought. Kaiwan needed a week to start the next floor."


    Gusion was slowly starting to annoy him.


    He was sure that Gusion liked him. Gusion actually had high expectations, unlike before. The reason why he mentioned Kaiwan was to provoke him a little and help him use more of his power. Although it was a relief that he didn''t bring Kaiwan with him.


    But he still didn''t like Gusion.


    ''Someday.''


    He''ll save Kaiwan and make Gusion one of his subordinates.


    Yong-Ho glared at Gusion. He then revealed the reason for his visit.


    "I would like to try the Arena''s second floor."


    "Sure."


    Gusion pointed at the stadium while laughing. The second Floor Master was waiting.

 85 Declare War

    The history of Mammon''s Arena was over 1,000 years old.


    During that time, many owners had challenged the Arena and Gusion had watched all of them.


    "Yeah, they didn''t seem to have that much trouble completing that floor¡­"


    Gusion mumbled. He placed his hand on his chin and rolled his tongue in his mouth.


    Truthfully, there weren''t a lot of owners like Kaiwan that struggled on the first floor and then somehow managed to complete the first floor.


    It took a really long time for the House of Mammon to fall.


    During the King of Greed''s reign, the House of Mammon was strong, so "fall" was the best way to describe it. The house had failed when the previous two owners were ruling the House of Mamon.


    Objectively speaking, the owners of the House of Mammon were pretty powerful figures.


    In the demon world, when a house has power, it meant that they had a powerful dungeon and owner.


    That''s why, excluding Kaiwan who challenged recklessly, owners usually started feeling frustrated on the fifth or seventh floor.


    ''But even if I take that into consideration.''


    Gusion was looking at Yong-Ho, who was standing in the center of the stadium by himself. He was consuming Mammon''s mana with his eyes closed.


    Yong-Ho beat the second floor Floor Master with one blow. He must''ve had experience fighting it before because the fight ended a lot cleaner than when Yong-Ho was fighting the Steel Ox.


    ''Of course being able to control Aamon is cheating¡­''


    There were a lot of owners that succeeded thanks to their equipment. In that sense, Yong-Ho wasn''t anything special since Aamon was helping him based on his skill level.


    ''He''s good. He''s courageous too.''


    His fighting senses were good. He used both fire and coldness really well and when his opponent charged, he didn''t close his eyes or flinch.


    A warm smile appeared on Gusion''s face. Yong-Ho was the first one after Mammon to have the ability to naturally control the Power of Greed and this made Gusion quite happy.


    While Gusion was judging Yong-Ho, Yong-Ho was slowly catching his breath. While he was consuming the mana, he had a similar, but different thought from Gusion.


    ''I was lucky.''


    The Floor Master of the second floor was the fiery figure.


    He fought against the fiery figure when the distortion appeared, so Yong-Ho had used the same method and was thus able to beat the Floor Master with ease.


    The Floor Master was definitely stronger than the figure that jumped out of the distortion. But Yong-Ho has grown a lot stronger since then.


    ''Is her strategy useless?''


    Unfortunately, things didn''t work out like she had written in the journal. He made that assumption when the Floor Master of the first floor was different, but the Floor Master of the second floor was different as well. It seemed like spirits with similar levels were randomly placed as the opponent .


    Anyways, it was an easy win. Yong-Ho gladly consumed Mammon''s mana and looked at Gusion. Yong-Ho was urging him and after Gusion smirked, he stood up and immediately approached Yong-Ho. He waved his finger while grumbling and three boxes of light appeared in front of Yong-Ho.


    "Okay, choo¡­"


    "This one."


    Just like before, Yong-Ho picked a box before Gusion finished his sentence.


    Gusion grumbled again.


    "Hey, owner. Why do you think there are several boxes?"


    "I don''t know. I''m not interested."


    According to Kaiwan''s journal, the quality of the rewards inside the boxes weren''t equal. When she was lucky, she would continuously get good gear, but when she was unlucky, she would either get a small amount of gold or useless items.


    But that didn''t apply to Yong-Ho. Greed helped him choose the best one.


    "You have a talent for picking."


    When Gusion grumbled again, Yong-Ho immediately felt quite satisfied.


    He tapped the box of light with a satisfied smile and grabbed the item that was inside it.


    "Glove?"


    "It''s a magical glove. It can also grow. It''s only the second floor and you managed to pick the best one. If you picked it just based on your instincts, then¡­"


    "Is it like an armor?"


    Yong-Ho naturally interrupted Gusion. Gusion explained with a frown on his face.


    "Wear it. It can be used as an armor and as a weapon. I happen to have a similar item, so I''ll show you a demonstration."


    Gusion took off the white suit jacket and gave it to the male wearing the beast mask. The silver glove couldn''t exactly be called a gauntlet, but Yong-Ho wore it on his left hand.


    "When you pour your mana into it, it''ll react. The final form of a magical glove is different for each one, but...this is what it generally looks like."


    Gusion released his mana. It wasn''t the same as the time when he tried to oppress Yong-Ho. The mana remained on both of Gusion''s fists.


    The red metal covered both of Gusion''s arms and shoulders. Even though it was made out of metal, it was different from ordinary armour. His muscles looked like they were made out of metal. His hands were almost two times bigger and he spoke while clenching and unclenching his fists.


    "A growing magical glove. Horus, the Divine Punisher, was one of Mammon''s spirits and he made it. The magical glove grows when the owner grows, just like when the spirits grow when the owner grows."


    Yong-Ho understood what he meant when he said it could be used as an armor and a weapon. Yong-Ho poured his mana into the glove.


    The glove looked like it was made out of thin chains and on top of it, there were silver plates. The glove covered his wrist and since the metal covered his fingers and the back of his hand, it felt firm and gave a combative-like feeling.


    ''It''s light.''


    He could barely feel the weight. The sharp feeling that he got made it seem like the glove was part of his skin.


    Yong-Ho looked at the glove with a serious expression and Gusion spoke while looking at Yong-Ho with a satisfied expression.


    "You completed the second floor without any issues. How about it? Want to try the third floor? The punishment is...looking at your most disgraceful memory. I think it''s safe to say that this isn''t really a punishment."


    Yong-Ho imagined Mammon having a good time while watching his descendant''s most disgraceful moment. He didn''t know why they even made a punishment like that, but his life wasn''t on the line. Like Gusion had stated, this couldn''t really be considered a punishment.


    Yong-Ho looked at Catalina, who was standing within the crowd. Since she was an Elf, she had good hearing, so she must''ve heard what they were talking about because her expression was telling him something.


    ''Sorry.''


    He was greedy. Since it was different from when he completed the first floor, Yong-Ho nodded his head.


    "Sure. But, can I take a break?"


    "Of course. Should I get you a waiting room?"


    Gusion gladly agreed. Yong-Ho nodded since it would be best to get as much rest as possible. He waved his hand and signaled Catalina to come.


    And within that short moment.


    Yong-Ho looked at the group that was sitting on one section of the seats and then looked back at Gusion. He hesitated for a moment and then asked.


    "Can I ask a question?"


    "I''m only going to accept one question, like you have stated."


    Gusion looked as if he wanted to get revenge on Yong-Ho for being so blunt. Because they were constantly quarreling like this, the oppression and fear Yong-Ho felt disappeared.


    Yong-Ho looked at the audience again. Gusion looked at Yong-Ho and recalled the information about Kaiwan.


    How many level did Kaiwan complete?


    Are those people in the audience former owners of the House of Mammon?


    Those were some of the questions he was expecting.


    Which one was Yong-Ho going to ask?


    Yong-Ho turned around again. Gusion, who was quick-tempered, prepared the answers and waited for Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho opened his mouth. The answers in Gusion''s head got erased immediately.


    "Gusion, do you know a woman named Sitri?"


    Gusion couldn''t answer right away. It was totally different from what he had experienced before and after putting on a fierce smile, Gusion spoke.


    He answered Yong-Ho''s question.


    ***


    The Free City can be divided into three big powers.


    Ophelia was the owner of the pub and also the head of courtesans, gamblers and wanderers.


    Run away spirits and mercenary soldiers were part of the outlaw group.


    While the workers'' guild was made up of people that produced and worked in the manufacturing industry in the Free City.


    The three groups wasn''t hostile towards each other and instead of creating unnecessary fights, the leaders would often come together and negotiate.


    Of course it wasn''t like that in the beginning.


    This was possible because the three groups had an equal amount of power in the Free city. And this balance didn''t just happen. This was the result after many struggles and protests.


    The three leaders were gathered at the top of the gate.


    It''s been about 10 years since the three leaders gathered together in an open area.


    Mad Oros, the leader of the workers'' guild, had hands that were bigger than an Ogre''s and had a big cigarette in his mouth while displaying a frown. He had blue skin and was wearing a white gown that had energy marks all over it.


    He was a doctor as well as a pharmacist and was the best alchemist in the city.


    But that didn''t erase the fact that he was a Troll. He cut more flesh with his scimitar, placed on his waist, than with his scalpel.


    Next to Oros was Dargon, the leader of the outlaws. He was wearing a black, magical armor and was considered a very rare type of Ogre since he was an Ogre Mage.


    Since he was a magician, he was a lot smarter than ordinary Ogres, but just like Oros, he didn''t forget about his race. Instead of using spells to blow up the enemy, Dargon enjoyed beating the enemies with his mace.


    The two males looked like they would reek of blood and between them, a slender, beautiful woman was standing crookedly.


    It was Ophelia, the female owner of the pub.


    "He''s making us wait."


    Dargon growled while looking below the gate. Ophelia frowned when she felt the hot wind blow through her hair and then she swung her tail violently as if to express her discomfort.


    "He''s the only one that answered our call. And it''s not that he''s making us wait...it''s just that we''re impatient."


    Agares would soon attack.


    Mad Oros and Dargon had a fixed fighting style, but they weren''t used to attacks that came from outside of the city.


    Lack of experience was usually paired up with fear. On top of that, Agares had already shown many times just how strong and brutal he was.


    Oros and Dargon were nervous. They were scared and they couldn''t hide their impatient personality.


    It''s because they had gathered on top of the gate way earlier than they had originally planned.


    Instead of expressing his nervousness like Dargon, Oros kept on smoking.


    He didn''t like this situation.


    The owner of the House of Mammon was unknown.


    According to Ophelia''s report, he did kill Foras and Jungceros.


    They knew that the owner was a lot stronger than them.


    But they didn''t know how much stronger.


    Foras and Jungceros? Oros and Dargon were strong enough to fight against them.


    If the city''s leaders increased from three to four, it would be a very significant thing.


    But that wasn''t enough. Agares was literally eating the owners in the eastern region and in order to stop him, they needed more.


    Oros thought a lot more than Dargon. The owner of the House of Mammon had to be strong, but if he was too strong, then that would be a problem. It was like calling for a tiger to chase away a wolf.


    He was done with his third cigarette. Oros took out his fourth one and Dargon had a bigger frown. Ophelia, who standing between them, was slowly swinging her tail while having her arms crossed. While she was trying to hide her nervousness, she spoke.


    "He''s coming."


    Ophelia pointed far away. Oros and Dargon quickly looked at the place that Ophelia''s finger was pointing at.


    Six large horses were running towards the Free City. In front of the horses, there was a black vehicle that was covered in green smoke.


    "Undead?"


    While Oros tilted his head without knowing, the horses were still running and getting closer and closer to the city.


    A group of Skeletons were sitting on top of the vehicle.


    But their outer appearance were different from ordinary Skeletons. They were wearing black armor and released an usual energy. They couldn''t be compared to the few Skeletons that were in the Free City.


    Everyone had their eyes fixed on Nightmare as it was now taking the lead.


    The five horses that were following behind Nightmare could be considered evil spirits, but one could question whether Nightmare could be called a horse.


    Nightmare''s black hair absorbed the light and the green smoke that was around its body suppressed the areas near it.


    And the one that was riding on top of Nightmare.


    The figure was the same, yet different from the five that were behind them. A red cloak was attached on the back of the black armor and was blowing in the wind. The figure was holding a war hammer and it released a blue lightning bolt.


    "Skullllll!"


    The Skeleton taking the lead roared. No one would believe that the roar belonged to a Skeleton because the roar was so loud that it even shook the ground.


    The Skeleton didn''t stop there. The Skeleton swung his war hammer and raised it towards the sky. The concentrated lighting bolt was released into the sky, causing sounds of thunder to fill the sky.


    They naturally looked up. The three rulers as well as the people that were on top of the gate looked up as the sky was filled with light and the sound of lightning. And something a lot more intense than lightning was in the sky.


    A fiery sky tore the the original sky apart. The demon world''s sky was filled with different colors and this helped confirm the owner''s existence.


    "Fire Dragon?!"


    No. It was too small. But the fire that split the sky was strong enough to remind people of a Fire Dragon.


    "Get down!"


    Someone yelled. Within seconds, the red flames were right above the gate and it turned into green waves of fire. That blocked everyone''s views. Oros and Dargon took a step back and quickly protected their heads.


    The fire disappeared. The wave of fire didn''t hurt anyone that was on top of the gate. Salami flew through the waves of fire using its fiery wings and landed. On top of Salami was a man holding a red lance and a female Dark Elf with white hair.


    "My name is Chun Yong-Ho and I''m the owner of the House of Mammon."


    Yong-Ho got everyone''s attention and Oros and Dargon felt suppressed after what they saw, causing them to gulp without noticing.


    Ophelia looked at Yong-Ho and she scrunched up her face to hold in her laughter.


    ***


    "First, I''ll say that you...displayed a successful show."


    Ophelia''s bar was located at the top floor of the pub.


    Ophelia was behind the bar, just like the first time they met, and she spoke with a slightly mischievous face. Yong-Ho sat between Catalina and Skull and shrugged his shoulders.


    "You think so too, right?"


    Making a good first impression was important.


    The reason why Oros and Dargon extended their hands out to him was simple. They wanted to "use" Yong-Ho.


    There was no reason to act unsophisticated in front of them. There was a need to leave a strong impression though.


    It wasn''t easy. They probably won''t fall that easily.


    Ophelia knew Yong-Ho''s intentions. That''s why she answered seriously.


    "Oros and Dargon aren''t naive. They may have been surprised during that moment, but they''re just trying to test the waters."


    Agares wasn''t going to retreat after seeing some fire show in the sky.


    In order to kill the opponent, they needed to use an actual sharp knife and not a wedding knife that was used for decorations.


    It wasn''t completely ineffective. The fact that Yong-Ho left a strong impression on the two rulers as well as those that were part of the groups was important.


    Yong-Ho and Ophelia knew even if no one mentioned it, so after exchanging a few glances with each other, they intentionally kept quiet about it.


    Yong-Ho grabbed the glass cup that Ophelia handed and asked.


    "Anyways...was it because of that that the meeting was pushed back?"


    Yong-Ho assumed he would be in a chaotic meeting with the rulers, but that wasn''t the case. After Oros and Dargon briefly introduced themselves, they returned to their house and pushed the meeting back.


    Ophelia, who was officially in charge of taking care of Yong-Ho, shrugged.


    "That''s not really the reason...they need to have an idea who you are as well. It''s my job to help the new owner slightly open up through banquets."


    "Ban...quets?"


    Yong-Ho looked around as he said it. There was nothing here that was related to that.


    Well, of course Ophelia was beautiful, but if this was considered a banquet, then it was quite a bland one and Ophelia probably wasn''t referring to this as the banquet.


    "Oh my, so you really want me to prepare one for you? Shall I call the girls?"


    Ophelia asked with a smile on her face and Yong-Ho just waved his hand.


    "Well, it''s good that it''s just us. We can continue with the work that we''ve been pushing back."


    Ophelia''s eyes widened when she heard Yong-Ho''s answer.


    Work that''s been pushed back?


    Skull laughed as usual and Catalina stepped back while pouting.


    Ophelia blinked her eyes again and came to a realization after tilting her head several times. She jumped over the bar happily and stood in front of Yong-Ho.


    "Let''s start the registration."


    Yong-Ho spoke. Ophelia happily showed her respect.

 86 Declare War 2

    There were several reasons why Yong-Ho pushed Ophelia''s registration back, but the main reason was simple.


    Yong-Ho didn''t have any reserved power.


    Registered spirits were very special beings.


    Ordinary spirits worked through contracts. Based on the type of spirit, the magical binding power may be different, but other than that, it wasn''t any different from the contracts that humans used in the human world.


    Registered spirits had a relationship with the user. Since the soul of both sides were being connected, they were closer than those that were related by blood.


    When the owner became stronger, the spirit became stronger and vice versa.


    That meant that the owner could become stronger just by increasing the number of registered spirits.


    However, there was a limit to the number of registered spirits that an owner could have. It wasn''t because there was a limit to the expected growth rate of the owner as the number of spirits increased.


    It was because there was a limit to how many spirits the owner was able to control.


    The total amount of mana, control and the size of the spirit were all important factors.


    There were a lot of factors, but in the end, it was more about the owner''s reserved power.


    The stronger the owner''s mana and spirit was, the more spirits they were able to register.


    The reason why ordinary owners limited the number of spirits to three, sometimes up to five, was because they had no choice.


    It was as if Yong-Ho''s reserved power was divided into 10 boxes.


    Among them, Eligor took two and Catalina and Skull took three. He had already used up eight boxes because of those three spirits.


    He had two boxes left, but Ophelia demanded four, so to Yong-Ho she was a spirit that demanded a lot more than he was able to offer.


    The same reason applied to Aamon.


    Even though Aamon suppressed most of his powers for Yong-Ho, he was a supreme being. Even if Yong-Ho gave up Eligor, Catalina and Skull''s registration, he still wouldn''t have enough to register Aamon as a spirit.


    Mammon, the King of Greed, was an extremely strong being, because he was able to register 12 spirits and those spirits were on the same level as Aamon.


    Yong-Ho had continuously grown stronger ever since he had become the owner. And thanks to Yong-Ho, Catalina and the other spirits were able to grow just as much.


    Thanks to the four horns that he had obtained, his total amount of mana had increased a lot, but his ability to control hadn''t grow as much as his mana. Yong-Ho still needed time to train so that he could have complete control over his mana.


    For a few days,Yong-Ho continuously competed in the Arena and just like the time he had consumed the distortion, his maximum mana amount increased. He now had enough reserved power.


    Registered spirits belonged to the owner as well as the dungeon. It seemed like she already knew that information because she continued to urge Yong-Ho with her eyes.


    Ophelia wanted to get stronger.


    It wasn''t because she grew up watching her father long for power.


    While working as the pub owner, Ophelia had seen many spirits.


    The law of the jungle was the governing principle of the demon world.


    The strength of one''s mana even decided their lifespan and age in this world.


    Everyone desired growth.


    Everyone desired greater and stronger mana.


    But there were limitations.


    There were those that overcame those limits through constant training, but it was rare. The process was long and tough. There were a lot more that gave up because they weren''t able to overcome their limitations despite working really hard.


    Ophelia was the same. Even though she was carrying out her father''s teachings and improving her skills, her mana level had remained the same for a while.


    That was why she was so desperate.


    Ophelia suppressed her anxiety and closed her eyes. She kneeled in front of Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho did the same and placed his hands on Ophelia''s shoulders. He leaned in slowly and placed his forehead on her''s. The mark of the spirit, that was already engraved on her forehead, started to shine.


    "It''s done."


    Yong-Ho finally spoke after placing his forehead against Ophelia''s for a couple of minutes.


    Yong-Ho released a deep sigh and stood up. Ophelia had a blank expression and just blinked.


    That''s it?


    Was that really it?


    Her expression displayed her true feelings and Yong-Ho displayed a slightly embarrassed smile. He did as Lucia instructed him, but did it fail?


    However they were both being too hasty. Both Yong-Ho and Ophelia''s spirit felt a shock. Catalina and Skull, who were watching, however didn''t really feel anything.


    Yong-Ho roared. All four of his horns were completely exposed and the mana that was hidden was suddenly released.


    Ophelia trembled and she let out a cry that sounded like a scream. Her small horns were exposed as well. In between the two horns that were on her forehead, a third horn came out.


    Ophelia originally had three horns. But there was a stronger power that prevented her horn from growing out. Now that she was Yong-Ho''s spirit, she felt pleasure in her growth. It was a feeling that she had forgotten and had been desperately wanting to experience again for a long time.


    Now that Ophelia was his, Yong-Ho became stronger and both Catalina and Skull were affected by it too. It wasn''t as much as Yong-Ho and Ophelia, but they both felt a growth within themselves.


    A strong mana shook the bar. The mana belonged to the owner and his spirits and even though the colors and the elements were different, the mana looked beautiful.


    Yong-Ho looked down at Ophelia as he breathed heavily. Ophelia, who was also crying out, while having her arms wrapped around herself, looked up at Yong-Ho.


    They felt a bond that was different from before. Just like how Yong-Ho was able to communicate with Catalina with just his eyes, Yong-Ho and Ophelia were able to feel each other''s thoughts and feelings.


    ''This place is soundproof, right?''


    Ophelia smiled brightly despite being exhausted. Yong-Ho extended his hand towards her. They communicated using their voices.


    "Congratulations on being the House of Mammon''s spirit. You''re under a slave contract now and won''t be able to get out of it. Make sure you''re prepared for it."


    "Will it be any different from before?"


    Ophelia replied as she grabbed Yong-Ho''s hand, with both the owner and spirit exchanging satisfied smiles.


    ***


    Half a day had passed since Yong-Ho arrived and night had now fallen.


    The three rulers were gathered in a secret room that was located under the central plaza. Just like their ordinary meetings, they sat around the round table with no one behind them. The rule of this meeting was that only the rulers could stay in the room.


    "So, did it have any effect?"


    Dargon''s question sounded urgent, but Ophelia just shrugged her shoulders.


    "It had no effect. He must have banquets every day. I even called in a few girls, but he didn''t budge. You saw the guard that follows him around, right? I haven''t checked all of them, but I''m sure his registered spirits are all beautiful women."


    The smile she displayed after finishing her sentence was odd, but they didn''t notice.


    Oros mumbled to himself.


    "Is he a lady-killer?"


    It wasn''t bad. Right now, the Free City''s rulers needed a warrior to fight along with them, not a master they were going to start serving.


    Being a lady-killer was just a personality trait, not a flaw.


    Even if he was used to women like Ophelia had mentioned, it meant that he liked women and they would be able to use that to their advantage.


    "The most important thing is how powerful the owner of the House of Mammon is. If he''s the same as Foras, then things will become complicated for us."


    When Oros spoke, Dargon nodded his head. Ophelia placed her right hand on her chin and replied.


    "But the House of Mammon was the only one that answered to our call, right? Having another ally means a lot for us, don''t you think? Even if we exclude the House of Mammon''s spirits."


    "Our enemy is Agares. It won''t be easy. All three of us will have to fight. We''ll have to use all of our powers. Since we''re going to fight against a strong opponent, it''s important for us to know how powerful the House of Mammon''s owner is."


    Oros made a reasonable argument. Before Ophelia could reply, Dargon spoke.


    "Should I try fighting him?"


    It sounded like he didn''t want to figure things out. Oros frowned.


    "And if you lose?"


    "Huh?"


    "If it ends in a draw or you lose...fighting against Agares is a different issue, so the real issue is when you lose to the owner of the House of Mammon. Are you going to give up your power after the fight?"


    The reason why these three became the leaders of the Free City was simple.


    It was because they were the most powerful figures within their groups.


    A ruler couldn''t act on their own. If they were to lose to the House of Mammon''s owner in front of everyone, the consequences would be severe. And Dargon was known to have the best military force.


    The days of washing blood away with blood was gone. The three rulers had balanced their power and through that, they were able to maintain peace for about 10 years, so now, they had an odd brotherly love for each other.


    Dargon was able to figure out fighting strategies and since Oros had a good relationship with him, it wouldn''t do him any good if Dargon was overthrown.


    "Hm...should I send my right-hand man, Jacoby? Or ask to spar in secret."


    "If he was an idiot, I''m sure he''ll agree without any hesitation."


    Oros let out a sigh because Dargon was being pathetic and then he looked over at Ophelia.


    Ophelia waved her hands.


    "I''ve met him several times and even drank with him, so I can tell you that he''s not an idiot. If you want to test out his power...then I''m sure he''ll ask the same thing from us. Let''s not be hasty."


    The House of Mammon''s owner may lose as well.


    On top of that, he came to the Free City to help. It was best to avoid unnecessary conflict.


    "But, there is a need to test him though. I agree with Dargon on that."


    Oros spoke again and Dargon nodded his head.


    Ophelia shrugged her shoulders again.


    "Well, we still have time. Let''s think carefully."


    The official meeting was tomorrow and they didn''t have anything else to talk about. Like always, Ophelia was the first one to leave even though they hadn''t officially ended the meeting.


    Ophelia lightly waved her hand and Dargon asked a question while looking at her back.


    "Ophelia."


    "What?"


    When she answered without looking back, Dargon didn''t say anything. He spoke as if he was suspicious of her.


    "Something has changed. Is it your aura?"


    Dargon easily controlled the outlaws that were in the Free City. Even though he was simple-minded, he wasn''t dumb. When it came to his fighting senses, he was a lot stronger than Oros.


    Ophelia calmly replied.


    "Oh, it''s that day."


    Dargon closed his mouth and Oros frowned. Ophelia calmed her surprised heart and continued walking. She exited while swinging her tail.


    ***


    The official meeting took place during lunch time.


    Yong-Ho arrived at the secret room with Catalina and Skull and saw Dargon, who was prepared to fight him.


    The round table was located behind Dargon and both Oros and Ophelia were sitting in front of it.


    Oros had a frown on his face and Ophelia looked at Yong-Ho indicating that she didn''t have a choice.


    The meeting room was made out of stone and since the building was also used as an arena, it was quite big.


    Dargon spoke while holding up his mace.


    "I''m pretty simple-minded. It can''t be helped because I''m curious about your skills. Let''s spar."


    Dargon wasn''t dumb. He wasn''t going to put his life on the line. That''s why he even displayed a friendly smile.


    Skull glared at Dargon and tightened his grip on his hammer and Catalina released her black mana. They both glared angrily at Ophelia and Oros.


    Yong-Ho sighed. Based on the conversation he had with Ophelia, he expected this to happen, but he didn''t think it would happen like this.


    ''Anyways.''


    One of their assumptions was correct. Instead of being surprised, Yong-Ho spoke to both Dargon and Oros.


    "I''ll start."


    There was really no reason to fight.


    Yong-Ho took a step forward. The mana that he had hidden while within the Free City was released.


    It showed how strong he really was.

 87 Declare War 3

    Yong-Ho''s mana erupted like an explosion.


    An unexpected rainstorm.


    The horns above Yong-Ho''s ears had initially been hidden, but now they were growing. They grew straight out and created a sharp triangular shape above his head, comparable to the blade of a knife.


    The concentrated mana didn''t disappear. Instead it started to violently spin around Yong-Ho and cover the entirety of the inside of the meeting room.


    Oros gulped. Yong-Ho now had two horns on each side, meaning he now had a total of four. Oros knew that Yong-Ho was strong, but he never knew that Yong-Ho even had four horns.


    The number of horns represented the user''s mana class.


    The owners in the empty region of the demon world usually had two to three horns. Where out of all the owners in the entire demon world, owners with four horns make up less than half.


    ''Horns do not determine everything.''


    Oros screamed it in his head. He controlled his mind so that he wouldn''t be swept away by the mana.


    It was true.


    The numbers of horns was a sign of how strong one''s mana was, but it didn''t determine everything.


    There has been owners with just three horns that have had much more powerful mana than some owners with four.


    Having the same number of horns didn''t mean that the strength of mana was the same. There was usually a definite difference in strength between users.


    It only took Oros a short time to recover. While he was catching his breath, he felt relieved by that thought. He had managed to succeed in looking at Yong-Ho without panicking.


    Horns didn''t determine everything.


    Mana didn''t determine everything either.


    The strength of mana wasn''t enough to determine one''s power. It''s true that the stronger one''s mana was, the greater the advantage they had during a fight, but there was no guarantee, for instance, that an opponent holding a sword was a skilled swordsman.


    Furthermore an Ogre or a Troll could use their physical strength to overpower the strength of an opponent''s mana. Mana alone wasn''t enough to determine the result of the battle.


    ''But!''


    Oros still felt himself cower. Cold sweat was rolling down his back.


    He still had a hard time breathing. It seemed like the mana that Yong-Ho released was pushing Oros really violently.


    Simply saying that his mana was strong wasn''t enough to describe it.


    It was heavy. It couldn''t be compared to the mana of Foras or Jungceros.


    Oros gritted his teeth. He activated his physical skill and tried to escape the suppression he was feeling from Yong-Ho''s mana.


    ''It''s not strong!''


    It was strong. It was definitely strong. But it wasn''t absolute. His mana was about 1.5 times stronger than the mana that Jungceros and Foras had. However he was sure that the mana that Agares possessed was a lot stronger!


    It had only been 10 seconds since Yong-Ho released his mana.


    Oros had no choice but to acknowledge Yong-Ho''s power. He gave up on resisting it. That''s why during those past 10 seconds, he had completely forgotten about Dargon''s existence.


    Oros felt like he was being blown away by the mana rainstorm. Whereas Dargon was face-to-face with the root of the rainstorm.


    The oppression that he was feeling couldn''t be compared to what Oros was feeling.


    ''Dargon.''


    Dargon used his mana to resist as well. As an Ogre Mage, he was able to control a larger amount of mana than Oros.


    Dargon smiled. He put his mace down and spoke loudly.


    "You''re strong. There''s no need to fight. You...no, I acknowledge you, owner of the House of Mammon."


    He didn''t sound good. It was obvious that he was forcing himself to say it.


    Oros could imagine the expression that Dargon had as he looked at his back. It felt like he could see Dargon forcing a smile.


    Yong-Ho looked straight at Dargon, and then burst out laughing.


    "One who wields the sword must know that they can get hit by the sword as well."


    He raised his right arm. The mana that was flowing violently around him suddenly calmed down. But he couldn''t put his guard down yet. For this was just the calm before the storm.


    Yong-Ho focused his mana in one place. Aamon''s fire then rose out of Yong-Ho''s right hand and transformed into a lance.


    "Even though you started it, I''ll be the one ending it. I also need to test your strength."


    The flowing mana transformed into fire. The oppression they felt was now a lot stronger than before.


    Mana wasn''t the only thing. There was something else within it. Oros didn''t know what, but he definitely felt something special.


    It was the worst situation.


    Dargon couldn''t avoid the fight anymore. Like Ophelia had stated, the owner of the House of Mammon wasn''t a fool. There was a good chance that it wasn''t going to end with a simple spar and that the result of this fight would end up breaking the equality between them.


    Dargon breathed heavily. He started spitting out profanities and tightened his grip on his mace.


    Oros contemplated. The moment felt like an eternity.


    What was he supposed to do? Should he join Dargon? Should he fight together with Dargon so that they could prevent Yong-Ho from dominating over them?


    But that was unreasonable. This may ruin their relationship with the House of Mammon''s owner. It was a fight Dargon shouldn''t have started.


    What was he supposed to do? Was he going to acknowledge the fact that he couldn''t take responsibility for Dargon''s mistake? Was he going to let Yong-Ho take the lead? Should he try convincing Yong-Ho that fighting amongst themselves was useless and that they should focus on taking down Agares?


    It was a close call.


    Oros was focusing on Yong-Ho and Dargon when an unexpected thing happened.


    "The owner of the great House of Mammon, I ask that you calm your anger. Please forgive Dargon''s mistake and blame me for not being able to talk him out of it."


    The calm voice belonged to Ophelia.


    Oros widened his eyes when he saw who the voice belonged to. Ophelia was known for being full of pride, but currently she was kneeling on the ground.


    ''Ophelia?!''


    Oros has known Ophelia for 10 years. No matter what kind of owner she saw, she spoke formally to them, but that''s all she did. He never imagined that she would do something like this.


    Oros felt like his head was going to explode. Ophelia''s actions had completely caught him off guard, but the situation he was in was making him feel extremely confused.


    He was on the same level as Ophelia and Dargon. But Ophelia kneeled on the ground and acknowledged that she was beneath the House of Mammon''s owner. That meant that the other leaders were under Yong-Ho as well. It might be better for Dargon because it would''ve been embarrassing if he lost to Yong-Ho, but in actuality, this was a perfect win for Yong-Ho.


    "I also ask for your forgiveness. No, please forgive me. Please forgive me for testing you."


    Dargon spoke. As the leader of the outlaws, he was the most sensitive out of all the other leaders when it came to superiority. The House of Mammon''s owner was stronger than himself. He had to no choice but to acknowledge and back away. Going up against a stronger opponent was foolish, not courageous, and this situation was the perfect example of that.


    Dargon thought he was immature for even requesting the fight. Since Ophelia was acting that way, there was no need for him to push it. Bowing was his only viable solution.


    Once Ophelia and Dargon acknowledged their defeat, Yong-Ho looked at Oros.


    Oros closed his eyes shut. Just like Ophelia and Dargon, he showed respect towards Yong-Ho. He acknowledged defeat.


    "I ask for your forgiveness."


    He didn''t say much, but it was enough.


    Yong-ho slowly nodded his head while maintaining a sharp, cold expression. The fiery mana disappeared.


    Ophelia looked at Yong-Ho and sent signals with her eyes.


    ''That was too much. Didn''t it make you cringe? How could you say that you were going to end the fight?''


    The level of communication was weaker than Catalina. But, Yong-Ho understood the basics and in order to hide the smile that appeared on his face, he purposely swung his right arm more violently. He spoke with his eyes.


    ''And you''re okay with kneeling?''


    ''It''s not my first time. You''re my owner anyway. It''s a relief that things worked out.''


    This was what he had been expecting.


    Ophelia knew Oros and Dargon''s personality and depending on the situation, she knew how they were going to react.


    ''But¡­''


    Ophelia was actually surprised by Yong-Ho''s strength. It had only been a month since she first saw Yong-Ho. But he had grown a lot since then. He grew at an extremely fast rate.


    Yong-Ho played a big role in making today''s plan successful. If Yong-Ho''s mana hadn''t been this strong and if he wasn''t strong enough to contain Aamon''s power inside his own mana, then today''s plan would''ve definitely failed.


    ''We''re going to get caught. Stop smiling.''


    ''I can''t help it. This was the greatest investment of my life.''


    It was a forced investment though.


    While the owner and his spirit were talking happily, Dargon and Oros accepted their reality while displaying mixed emotions. The House of Mammon''s owner was far more than just an ordinary warrior.


    Skull put the hammer down and Catalina looked at Yong-Ho with affection and respect. Even though her tail and ears were flapping violently, Dargon and Oros were so focused on Yong-Ho that they didn''t even realize the guard''s feelings.


    Yong-Ho walked towards the table. The table no longer represented equality. The moment Yong-Ho took his seat, he was now at the head of the table.


    ***


    "I will now provide an explanation about Agares."


    Ophelia was in charge of the meeting. She stood in front of a portable blackboard that held various data on it and pointed to the map of the southern empty region.


    "Agares is currently located in the House of Ale''s dungeon, which is located to the east of the Free City. According to the scout team, it seems like Agares isn''t even trying to hide. The soldiers that Agares has gathered from the other dungeons are currently gathering there."


    Agares ate the owner of the House of Ale as well as the members of the dungeon.


    Oros knew about Agares, but he couldn''t help but frown. It looked like he really wanted to smoke.


    "Currently, we believe that Agares has about 700 to 1,000 soldiers."


    Foras and Jungceros had about 100-200 soldiers, so when comparing to that, Agares really had a lot of soldiers.


    Ophelia then explained about the three powers in the Free City. The number was correct, so Dargon and Oros gulped once again. It couldn''t be helped, they felt like they were sitting there naked in front of Yong-Ho.


    From the pub, about 70 of them were able to fight.


    The worker''s guild and the outlaw group had about 100 soldiers each, so the pub had the least when looking at just the numbers, but the soldiers that Ophelia picked were just as strong as the other two groups.


    "This is a life and death situation for the Free City, so I''m sure we''ll be able to gather more soldiers. Since we also have a fortress, we shouldn''t have that big of a disadvantage."


    The bigger the group was, the stronger it would become.


    This was common sense during war and it also worked that way in the demon world. However it wasn''t completely identical to the human world.


    Magic was also used in the demon world.


    If one has extremely strong mana, they were able to replace 10s, maybe 100s of soldiers. In the demon world, one soldier had the ability to change the entire flow of war.


    The result of this war depended on Agares''s existence.


    The reason why the Free City''s leaders asked for Yong-Ho''s help was because they needed someone to fight Agares with them.


    Ophelia continued her explanation.


    It was regarding Agares''s army and his powers that were somewhat known in the demon world.


    One week after the meeting.


    Agares''s army left the House of Al''s dungeon.

 88 Mighty Warrior

    Dry wind was blowing from the east.


    Agares wasn''t trying to hide his movements and everyone in the Free City realized that an army was approaching with the easterly wind.


    There were those that ran away from the city.


    However some acted like their usual selves, while others were showing willingness to fight.


    It took two days.


    The time that Agares''s army took walking through the desert was like an invisible hand choking the Free City''s neck.


    "They''re almost here."


    Oros was on top of the gate and looked into the distance while putting a cigarette in his mouth. Even though it was his sixth one, no one stopped him.


    Agares''s army was made up of about 1,000 spirits.


    While the Free City''s defensive forces only had about 500, so Agares had almost twice as much as them.


    Oros rolled his eyes. It wasn''t easy to look away from the army that was approaching to kill them, but he looked at each and every one of their soldiers that were stationed on top of the gate.


    He also saw Dargon''s large frame at the end of the eastern gate. The outlaws that were in his group were standing around in an unorganized manner. He was far away, so he couldn''t tell, but Dargon was nervous. Even though he fought in many battles, it seemed like war was an unfamiliar thing to him.


    Ophelia looked down at Agares''s army with a cold expression while having her arms crossed. Even though she looked calm, her tail revealed that she was worried and anxious. Her slightly slouched position revealed her true feelings.


    All three leaders of the Free City were on top of the gate. But the House of Mammon''s owner wasn''t there. He wasn''t even in the Free City.


    Two days ago.


    The moment Ophelia picked-up Agares''s movement, Yong-Ho left the city.


    He wasn''t running away. They desperately hoped he wasn''t, and he did say one thing before leaving.


    ''When the war starts, I''m going to cause chaos at their base. Keep defending and once things become chaotic, open fire.''


    They asked how he was going to do it, but Yong-Ho didn''t answer. They also asked how they would know when to open fire, and all he told them was that they would know once they saw it.


    Oros gritted his teeth. The House of Mammon''s guard and the Skeleton Knight was standing right next to Ophelia, which helped calm Oros down.


    The House of Mammons'' owner was the only one that left.


    According to Ophelia, the Dark Elf guard was the owner''s lover. If he planned on running away, then he wouldn''t have left his lover in the Free City.


    Agares''s soldiers stopped in front of the various weapons that were installed outside of the gate. It seemed like he was giving them a break before ordering them to attack.


    There were Goblins, Orcs, Ogres and even Trolls. Next to the group that looked like Lycanthropes, there were insect type spirits in various sizes and next to them, there were siege weapons and Golems.


    They were pressured by the fact that there were around a 1,000 of them.


    Oros took a deep breath. He heard Dargon''s voice through the close-range communication device that was in his ear.


    "No news from the House of Mammon''s owner? Do you, do you think maybe he ran away?"


    "There''s no way. He''s not the type to do that. He''s definitely going to come. You saw his eyes too. He''s not the type to run away. He''s definitely going to fight with us."


    Oros answered right away. He said that to reassure both Dargon and himself. They came this far, so they had no choice but to believe in him.


    Ophelia didn''t say anything. That''s why Oros was feeling more anxious. He tried recalling the look that Yong-Ho had. The Yong-Ho that he saw in the meeting room wasn''t the type to run away. If he was going to run away, he wouldn''t have answered to their request in the first place.


    More time passed. The wind that was blowing stopped and Agares''s troops started advancing again. No, it was more like they charged.


    Screams and roars filled the desert. The sounds could even be considered to be weapons. The warriors in the Free City started trembling in fear when the screams and roars hit their walls.


    "Prepare for battle!"


    "Prepare for battle!"


    They couldn''t wait any longer. They had to fight now. Oros spat out the cigarette that was in his mouth and then screamed. Dargon also tightened his grip on his mace and prepared to command the warriors. The warriors were standing in front of the weapons and were waiting for him to signal them.


    The ground started shaking. Agares''s troops were getting closer. Oros waved his hand and ordered them to attack.


    The Orcs'' roars hit the walls and the various weapons flew over Agares''s troops.


    Oros erased the thought of Yong-Ho from his head. The spirits that were charging rushed through the incoming artillery fire. The arrows that both sides released covered the sky and rocks and spells were flying through the air.


    More sounds filled their surroundings. Roars, cries and screams were coming from all over the place. But because of that, they were able to hear better. A small whisper ripped through the cries and entered Oros''s ear.


    "Coming."


    Ophelia wasn''t looking at Agares''s troops. Catalina, the Dark Elf guard that was standing next to her, turned around towards the southern region with a bright smile. The siege weapon hit the walls. But Oros didn''t care. He followed Ophelia and Catalina and turned around. There was a loud sound behind them.


    "Skulllll!"


    There was a fiery path in the distance and it split the sky. Oros had seen it before, so he knew. It was Yong-Ho. Oros was sure that he had returned.


    Yong-Ho wasn''t the only one that returned.


    The ground was shaking. The spirits near realized it. It wasn''t because Agares''s troops were charging, and it also wasn''t because their weapons were hitting the walls and ground.


    Oros knew what this shaking was. He experienced it several times while living in the southern region.


    That''s why he almost couldn''t believe it.


    He almost doubted it. Before he could say it, the thing that he was imagining appeared in front of him.


    Roaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!


    It shot out of the ground while roaring. It was a large Land Worm. On top of that, there were three of them.


    "Land Worm! Is he really controlling a Land Worm?"


    Dargon was shocked. Oros shook his head. He realized what was happening after seeing the Land Worm and fire moving faster than Agares''s troops.


    "He''s being chased. He''s being chased! He''s brought the Land Worms here!"


    The Land Worm''s roar was louder than Oros''s scream. Agares''s troops stopped moving during that moment.


    Both sides were attacking each other nonstop, but now both sides had stopped at the same time.


    Everyone looked at one area. And Yong-Ho gave his order while everyone was looking at him. Salami flapped his fiery wings once more.


    "Attack!"


    He soared into the air. The fire provoked the Land Worms and Salami started descending while feeling thrilled and excited. Salami descended as low as possible.


    Yong-Ho focused. He gathered the mana that was contained in the bracelet on his left arm. It was the reward he earned from clearing the third floor. It was the same bracelet that Kaiwan had and mana was contained within it.


    Two days.


    That''s how long it took Yong-Ho to find the Land Worms. And he was even able to gather three of them. He was extremely lucky with the timing.


    Salami charged through Agares''s troops. His troops couldn''t even touch the fire because it was charging at an extremely fast rate. The moment Salami descended to the lowest point, Yong-Ho released all the mana that was inside the bracelet.


    The mana exploded. While the gray-colored mana was moving violently, Yong-Ho grabbed the handle that was on Salami''s back. He ordered Salami again.


    "Fly!"


    Salami''s fiery wings were flapping in the air. Salami felt like his body was going to break, so he used gravity to help him fly. He soared vertically. Salami was able to fly faster thanks to the wind and the fire that flew all over the place.


    It''s only been a few seconds since he released his mana.


    A black shadow appeared above Agares''s troops'' heads. The shadow covered the skies and they believed that it was a disaster they couldn''t escape.


    The Land Worms were no longer chasing Yong-Ho. They instead started to attack Agares''s troops as if they were drunk by the mana that was floating in the air. The ground started shaking and screams and cries filled the air. The result of the smaller Land Worms'' movements were terrible.


    The roars were louder than the screams. Bones and flesh had been crushed and within moments, many spirits had lost their lives. What made it worse was that the Land Worms weren''t planning on stopping. This was just the start of the disaster.


    The ones that were on top of the gate were at a loss for words.


    Oros looked shocked.


    What happened?


    How did Yong-Ho bring those Land Worms here?


    Do they just watch?


    No.


    Even though the Land Worms were large and strong, they couldn''t kill 1,000 spirits. Even though Agares''s troops were in a chaotic state, they weren''t just going to be killed by the Land Worms.


    Yong-Ho only gave one order. And there were those on top of the gate that didn''t forget.


    "Attack! Attack with everything you got!"


    Opehlia ordered. The Free City''s warriors felt overwhelmed, but they soon came to a realization. This was the time for them to attack. The Land Worms and the Free City weren''t allies. There was no need for them to distinguish between allies and foes.


    "Shoot!"


    "Shoot!"


    They attacked both the Land Worms and Agares''s troops. And then there was another order.


    "Skullll!"


    The gates opened.


    A black vehicle left the Free City like an arrow that had been shot. Behind them, monsters that were carrying the Skeletons charged forward. Ophelia''s elite troops also followed behind.


    Skull went around the battlefield. The Land Worms were rampaging in the middle of Agares''s troops. The area was big and soldiers were standing around where the Land Worms were. Even though they didn''t die from the Land Worms'' attacks, they were still in a chaotic state.


    Skull and the elite soldiers were charging towards them. Thunder was released from Skull''s hammer and the Skeletons and elite soldiers attacked Agares''s troops with their lances. It almost looked like a very strong black wind.


    Fire appeared in the sky. Yong-Ho rolled his eyes after watching the fight while riding on Salami. He saw Catalina releasing black mana from the top of the gate. Even though she was far away, he assumed she felt him watching. He thought he had even heard her voice.


    Yong-Ho smiled. He raised his right arm and grabbed the lance that was created from the fire.


    He wasn''t just going to watch. This war was Yong-Ho''s.


    Salami roared and flew down again.


    The left side of the battle.


    Skull and the elite soldiers were fighting on that side, so Yong-Ho and Salami also headed in that direction.


    Yong-Ho''s lance then transformed into a fiery one.

 89 Mighty Warrior 2

    The Land Worms were jumping around everywhere.


    Even though the brown-colored mana wasn''t specifically targeted at someone, it was useless. The moment the Land Worms entered, many spirits died and the spirits that survived instinctively started to attack them. Since both sides were fighting to live, it was extremely violent.


    It was a mess. Piles of corpses were either flying in the air or being buried in the ground. Every time the Land Worm''s body hit the ground, the earth shook violently.


    The spirits'' screams filled the air. The siege weapons were now targeted towards the Land Worms instead of the walls, but aiming was meaningless because they couldn''t tell the difference between the two. On top of that, the Free City was attacking as well. Arrows filled the air and the spirits that were fighting the Land Worms had no choice but to die.


    A thousand spirits wasn''t a small number.


    However, it didn''t mean that they were able to look after each other on the battlefield. The chaos that began in the center spread out to other parts of the battlefield like wildfire.


    "Skulllll!"


    Skull and the soldiers that followed him passed through the left side of the battlefield. Agares''s troops were made up of different types of spirits and they were separated based on that.


    Skull''s decision to go left wasn''t on impulse. The group before them was made up of Goblins, Imps and Orcs and the soldiers that were with Skull just didn''t have the ability to fight them.


    A head exploded. Skull used his war hammer to cast a thunder spell and destroyed an Orc''s head. Skull then tightened his grip on his hammer and instead of aiming for the next target, he commanded Nightmare to continue running.


    The soldiers that stopped couldn''t do their jobs. On top of that, evading large monsters such as the Golems, Ogres and Trolls was a lot better compared to fighting them. Skull''s war hammer helped fight against the enemy as well as clear the path for the soldiers following him.


    Even though there were only a dozen soldiers, it was enough. One group that didn''t stop fighting fought against a group of enemy spirits that also had about a dozen in the group.


    Skull and Nightmare rushed through the group and were now outside of the battlefield. Skull''s hammer was covered in blood and brain and as Skull loosened his grip, he looked out into the distance. An extravagant and flashy fire filled the sky.


    "Skullll!"


    Skull screamed again. Fire exploded on the right side of the battlefield, as if it was responding to Skull''s scream.


    "Roaaaaaaar!"


    Fire enveloped both Salami and Yong-Ho as they turned into a javelin. They flew towards the ground where the shock and fire of their attack destroyed Agares''s troops. Thanks to that, the battlefield became even more chaotic.


    The Golem''s fist targeted Salami. The extremely large Golem was created to block off its enemies and its fist was big enough to destroy both Salami and Yong-Ho with a single swing.


    The single punch distorted the air. Salami barely missed the Golem''s fist and flew up while riding the Golem''s arm. Instead of targeting the Golem''s head, Yong-Ho stretched Aamon out towards the other side of the ground and burned the ground by releasing his mana.


    Kyahhhhhh!


    A grotesque scream filled Yong-Ho''s ears. Half of Agares''s troops were insect-type monsters and they were weak against fire. Yong-Ho was releasing fire in various different areas and they didn''t have the strength to go up against him. They would either fire sharp bullets or acid from a distance.


    Salami flew higher. Yong-Ho took a deep breath and looked out into the distance. The Land Worms were still jumping up and down. Agares''s troops looked like they weren''t going to stand by and watch, because a Golem, large insect-type monsters and mages were put into the battlefield, however arrows that were shot from the Free City kept raining down on their heads.


    The plan was a huge success. A thousand wasn''t a small number, but if they kept doing this for a few more minutes, then that thousand would eventually break apart.


    ''They''re going to fall apart.''


    That was what Yong-Ho was expecting. And he started seeing it.


    Agares''s troops were in a chaotic state. While Agares was incorporating the dungeons that belonged to other owners, the spirits that were under his control couldn''t really be considered his.


    Just a little more.


    A little more until they''re completely defeated!


    Boom!


    The loud explosion came from the edge of the battlefield. There were many different sounds within the battlefield, but this one was distinct.


    Yong-Ho instinctively turned his attention towards the sound. And he witnessed a whirlpool of mana that he had never seen before.


    It was a monster.


    The monster had six eyes, a huge jaw and a gray scale that was covering its head. There were bumps and horns on its long body and it had six legs, making the monster look like a spider. The monster also had a large tail with sharp thorns on the end.


    It had a lot of arms too. Out of those arms, two of them that stretched out towards the sky caught Yong-Ho''s attention. Those two arms were larger than the others and at the end of those arms, there were large blades that were about two meters long.


    The monster released a large amount of mana and kicked off the ground. It started to approach the center of the battlefield. The arrows that filled the sky and the Land Worms that were jumping around weren''t enough to stop it.


    One of the Land Worms saw the monster. And the monster also saw that Land Worm. The monster didn''t stop and started swinging the blades that were attached to its arms.


    The blades broke the Land Worm''s hard shell. Then, the monster cut off part of the Land Worm''s head. It destroyed the Land Worm and poured acid onto the Land Worm''s destroyed head.


    The monster slashed it apart. Despite the fact that the Land Worm was quite big, the monster used its blades to quickly cut the body. The monster ripped it apart and used its teeth attached to its huge jaw to bite into it.


    The Land Worm''s blood and scream summed up what was happening. After ripping the Land Worm apart, the monster opened its mouth wide. It released a roar that shook the battleground.


    Kyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!


    Silence came after the roar. Everyone on the battlefield looked at the monster. It seemed like time had stopped.


    The monster looked around. Out of the six eyes, two of them looked towards the sky.


    There was a purple light. Yong-Ho saw it and had a hunch. And then realized.


    That was the demon king, Agares.


    The one that came from the east to take over the south!


    He roared again. He broke the time that had stopped.


    More arms appeared on Agares''s back. They were wings that were covered in film.


    Out of the six eyes, two of them were still looking at Yong-Ho. But the remaining four were looking somewhere else.


    The remaining two Land Worms roared and charged towards Agares. But it wasn''t the roar of a predator. It was more like a desperation of trying to resist him.


    Agares kicked off the ground. The Land Worms were three times bigger than him, but he was able to take them down. After cutting the Land Worms'' bodies using his blades, he spread out his wings.


    The Land Worms weren''t dead yet. They still had the ability to fight. But Agares didn''t waste his time on killing them. All six of his eyes were on the Free City''s walls.


    "Fire!"


    Someone from the top of the wall yelled. That command was their signal to fire, but at the same time, it was also the beginning of fear.


    Soldiers on top of the gate were scared. The arrows and cannonballs weren''t hitting Agares.


    Agares spread out his wings again. After kicking off the ground, he flapped once and soared into the air. He charged towards the walls.


    Agares wasn''t an ordinary monster. He was a demon king and had already destroyed several dungeons.


    He was going to destroy the walls and stop them from attacking him. His troops were about to fall and in order to make time for them, he focused his attention on the Free City''s walls.


    There was also another reason.


    Agares wanted to win. He wanted to put fear into them and after killing the leaders that were commanding them, he was going to destroy the Free City''s troops.


    His assumption was right. Just charging towards them was enough to instill fear into them. The battlefield was now under his control.


    Kyahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!


    He roared. The predator''s rage was strangling the necks of the prey. The acid that was pouring out of Agares''s mouth covered the sky.


    Boom!


    There was a loud explosion. A part of the wall fell apart when Agares slammed his body against it and the soldiers near it shared the same fate as the spirits that were killed by the Land Worms. The acid that covered the sky landed on the soldiers that were on top of the wall, causing them to experience an agonising death.


    Agares''s eyes were all looking in different directions. A gleeful laugh escaped Agares''s mouth when he saw soldiers charging towards him.


    Oros took out the potion he had made earlier and injected it into his body. The potion made his large body even larger as he charged towards Agares. Even though he kept on swearing, he didn''t stop.


    Dargon was also casting a spell. He strengthened his body and grabbed his mace. The fighting spirit within him was talking. That monster is stronger than you. He''s a lot stronger than you are. But he''s not someone you can avoid. The leaders were the only ones that could go up against him and if they didn''t do anything, he would kill everyone.


    Ophelia made her decision. This wasn''t the time to hide her strength. All three of her horns were now showing and she released all the power she had obtained by becoming Yong-Ho''s spirit.


    Agares didn''t wait for them. He broke the wall and charged. His first target was Oros.


    Oros swung his scimitar. But it didn''t reach Agares. Agares was about four meters tall and was known to be extremely violent. His two blades attacked Oros and caused him to fly in the air. Oros tightened his grip on his scimitar. One of the blades had cut open at least half of his chest.


    Even in that moment, Agares''s eyes didn''t stop moving. All of his eyes were moving in different directions and was watching everything that was happening.


    Agares spread his wings when he saw Dargon and Ophelia attacking from behind. He violently bit into Oros''s body. He jumped into the air and spat Oros towards Dargon and Ophelia.


    Dargon stopped. Opehlia dodged Oros by kicking off the ground. Agares saw her. He flapped his wings to fly higher and then released acid towards the ground.


    His six eyes were moving once again. He saw that his troops were starting to kill the Land Worms and the Free City that was now completely filled with fear. He also saw Dargon casting a healing spell on Oros while Ophelia was glaring at him with hatred. He also noticed the soldiers of the Free City crying out in pain because of his acid.


    And his last eye noticed something else.


    It was a Dark Elf that had black magic wrapped around her. She was standing on top of the gate with a dagger in her hand and was looking up towards the sky.


    Agares had a hunch. He quickly moved his eyes and was trying to find the one that was supposed to be on this battlefield. Despite the fact that he focused all of his attention on the battlefield, he didn''t appear.


    The Dark Elf moved. Agares noticed something with his senses, not his eyes. He quickly turned around and looked up.


    The fiery lance was charging. It was coming straight down from the sky and he could feel a large amount of mana accompany it.


    Agares moved his body. While flapping his wing, he swung his blades. He also released some of his acid.


    Yong-Ho saw all of it. While Agares was charging towards the walls, instead of chasing after him, he flew up high just for this very moment.


    Salami released fire and burned the acid. Yong-Ho didn''t wait and threw himself towards Agares''s blades.


    Yong-Ho focused. He saw the flow of mana. It was a very clear indicator.


    Agares''s blades cut the air. Salami and Agares were very close to each other. All six of his eyes were on Yong-Ho and Yong-Ho used Aamon to attack while looking at his eyes. He released the lump of mana that he had condensed!


    The green mana attacked Agares''s back. The heat melted his thick shell.


    There was some distance between Salami and Agares. Instead of looking back at Agares, Yong-Ho commanded Salami. Salami charged towards the gate.


    "Catalina!"


    He yelled. Catalina jumped off the gate. Ophelia followed behind her. The two spirits jumped into the air and got on top of the flying Salami.


    Salami rotated in the air. Salami''s back felt heavier and because it was flying around so much, it also felt tired. However, he endured it. After Agares fell from Yong-Ho''s mana, he charged straight towards him.


    Agares saw Salami. He endured the pain and spread his wings. Instead of falling, he flew and instead of running away, he charged towards Yong-Ho and Salami.


    He didn''t clash into them this time either. Salami and Agares missed each other.


    But it was different from before.


    The green fire grew bigger. The fire blocked the sight of all six of his eyes.


    Yong-Ho didn''t charge at him. He focused on Salami and Agares''s mana. He commanded while dodging the blades.


    Catalina and Ophelia leaped. The two spirits jumped in different directions and got on Agares''s back. They listened to Yong-Ho''s command and became his sword.


    Catalina used her dagger that was enveloped in dark mana and Ophelia used her weapon to cut off Agares''s wings.


    Agare''s back was already weak because of Yong-Ho''s fire and his wings weren''t strong enough to endure their attacks. His wings eventually broke.


    Agares released a painful scream. Catalina and Ophelia jumped off Agares''s back and threw themselves toward Salami and Yong-Ho.


    The fire died down. Salami could no longer fly and headed towards the ground. Yong-Ho looked back while holding Catalina and Ophelia. The wingless Agares smashed himself to the ground while screaming.


    But this wasn''t the end.


    Agares roared as if it was trying to forget about the pain. All six of his eyes were looking at Yong-Ho.


    Yong-Ho didn''t dodge Agares''s eyes. He released his mana while showing his four horns.


    Yong-Ho tightened his grip on Aamon.

 90 Mighty Warrior 3

    Mana was boiling within him while he was waiting.


    The flashy and extravagant sky of the demon world was responding positively to the two manas.


    Everyone on the battlefield was looking at one area. Everyone was looking at Yong-Ho and Agares.


    Agares was the first to move.


    Mana was focused on his destroyed back and on the area where his wing was ripped off. It wasn''t like time was moving backwards. It was more like change. As Agares kicked off the ground, the injured area disappeared. In the area where the wings were, arms with blades at the end shot out. And several layers of new shells formed on his melted back.


    Fire and water.


    Agares changed his body so that it was more aggressive. As he got closer to Yong-Ho, all six of his eyes were looking in different directions. He commanded while releasing an intimidating roar!


    Everyone on the battlefield cheered. Agares''s real spirits, the insect-type monsters cried out at the same time. And the monsters that ripped the Land Worms apart looked up. They listened to their owner and started moving.


    Hundreds of them cried towards the sky. The ground shook when they all jumped off the ground at the same time.


    The insect-type monsters charged towards Yong-Ho from different directions. The battlefield was right outside the gate and Agares had the advantage when it came to numbers.


    Yong-Ho heard their cries as well. He also felt the ground shaking. But he didn''t look away. He glared at the monsters that were charging at him.


    It was really intimidating. They were so violent that it felt like just looking at them could kill you.


    But, he could go against them. Yong-Ho thought about Aamon. He recalled the way Gusion looked down on him.


    He took a step forward and gave his command!


    "Skullll!"


    A black storm broke through the monsters'' roar. Skull and the soldiers that followed were between Yong-Ho and the monsters. Even though there were only about 10 of them, it was almost like an iron barrier.


    Catalina and Ophelia also moved. They were behind Yong-Ho and they became Yong-Ho''s blades. They charged towards Agares.


    Agares swung his four blades. His attacks were extremely violent. Catalina saw his attack and naturally read its trajectory. She moved to the right and dodged his blades.


    Ophelia did the same as Catalina. She moved her body to the left to dodge his attack and then after kicking off the ground, she attacked his side.


    Agares didn''t have a choice but to slow down. He attacked his sides with his blades.


    He wasn''t trying to dodge their attacks. He was trying to attack. Even though he was only using two blades, it was even more dangerous.


    It was a strong attack. But his shell was too thick. Even though Agares''s head was immediately bent down, he wasn''t shocked by the attack.


    Ophelia wasn''t disappointed. The moment she landed, she jumped back. She kept her guard up and looked at Agares''s back.


    Catalina focused on her black mana. She found a weak spot on Agares''s new shell. Since the new shell formed in areas where the old shell was destroyed, it was unbalanced, so Catalina used her dagger to pierce into his back.


    Catalina wasn''t experienced in controlling her mana. That''s why she performed the easiest attack. Her mana exploded!


    Agares felt the pain. But it was still weak. Catalina jumped off of Agares''s back without any hesitation. Catalina looked ahead of Agares and looked at Yong-Ho.


    And that made him mad.


    The moment Catalina and Ophelia turned their attention elsewhere, Agares attacked. Even though he had the body of a monster, he was a demon king.


    Lightning and thunder were released from Agares''s body. They enveloped both Catalina and Ophelia.


    There was a short scream. Catalina fell and Ophelia endured it by gritting her teeth. Agares moved all six of his eyes. He was getting ready to swing his blades in different directions.


    And then there was fire.


    Agares saw the fire that was in front of him, so he started swinging his arms. Instead of going against the one that started the fire, he jumped off the ground. Agares threw himself in the direction that Yong-Ho didn''t expect.


    Catalina landed on her back. Ophelia gritted her teeth once more and turned her head.


    Agares was targeting the soldiers in the Free City. They came out of the city in order to protect Yong-Ho and his spirits from the insect-type monsters, but now, they had to face Agares himself.


    The tall and large Gigantes were the first sacrifices. The soldiers weren''t able to dodge Agares''s blades like Catalina and Ophelia did. The moment he swung his arms, their upper and lower bodies went flying. Agares destroyed three Gigantes, but he didn''t stop there. The slaughter that Oros was worried about was happening.


    Blood and corpses flew in the air. Agares was covered in those and the lightning that he released exploded, slaughtering more soldiers.


    Agares looked all around him at the same time. The insect-type monsters were starting to overpower the soldiers. And some of Agares''s soldiers that came from other places were about to fight the soldiers that were in the Free City.


    It wasn''t a fight against two small groups.


    It was a fight against two big groups.


    What they wanted was for Agares to lead the battle.


    One of Agares''s eyes found a threat. Oros, the leader that Agares took down first, was on top of the gate and was charging at him through the blood and corpses that were in the air.


    Agares swung his sword. Oros swung his scimitar and it clashed with the blade. But, it was a bad move. Even though Oros drank a potion that helped him increase his strength, it wasn''t enough to go up against Agares. His scimitar broke. Oros''s right arm was cut off.


    "Grease!"


    The moment Agares was going to cut Oros''s waist, a spell had been activated. The spell that Dargon casted made the ground beneath Agares slippery and as Agares lost his balance, he swung his blade in the air.


    But it was only for a moment. Agares used his other feet to jump off the ground that wasn''t slippery. He ignored Oros, who was in pain, and charged towards Dargon.


    Since Agares was moving too fast, Dargon gave up on casting another spell. He tightened his grip on his mace as he watched Agares kill the soldiers in front of him.


    Oros wasn''t dumb. Catalina and Ophelia were the only ones that were able to dodge Agares''s attacks. It would be different if he wasn''t fighting at all, but the moment he saw Agares, he knew that the only thing him and Dargon could do was block his attacks.


    Dargon concentrated. Agares broke through the bloody wall and Dargon blocked his blades with his mace. The moment they clashed, his knee went out. He activated his Ogre strength and the moment he tried to push the blade, another blade cut his stomach.


    The fear he felt only lasted for a moment. Blood and internal organs flowed out of his stomach. The blade that stabbed his side broke his bones. Dargon couldn''t do anything and the blade that was in his body vertically cut his body.


    Screams and cries filled the battlefield. Some expressed their fear and that was affecting the others. And the insect-type monsters started killing off the Free City soldiers. Death was everywhere.


    Oros started thinking. Should he not have left the gate? Should he have watched Agares and his troops get murdered by the House of Mammon''s owner?


    They were useless questions. If they couldn''t stop him here, then it would be all over.


    Oros re-grew his severed arm. He was breathing heavily because he had used too much of his energy, but he managed to lift his head and look at Agares.


    Agares was eating Dargon. His large teeth were painted with blood and his eyes were moving in different directions. Oros knew that Agares was enjoying himself.


    He yelled. Catalina and Ophelia ran past Oros. The two charged towards Agares once again and Agares, who was chewing Dargon''s upper body, spat it out and turned his body. Out of the six eyes, four of them were on Catalina and Ophelia. The other two were searching the sky.


    Catalina and Ophelia had to take a bigger risk. Even though the number of blades and speed was the same as before, the situation on the battlefield had changed. The large pool of blood and corpses disrupted their movements.


    Agares released more lighting. Instead of swinging his blades at them, he decided to release the lightning and make them explode.


    The shock started spreading. The ground was slippery and sticky.


    But Catalina and Ophelia didn''t stop. They couldn''t stop.


    They threw their bodies between the blades. They barely managed to dodge his attacks, but still got closer to Agares. They attacked Agares with everything they had.


    Catalina made her black mana explode. Ophelia kicked one of Agares''s legs and broke it.


    Agares endured the pain. Out of the six eyes, two of them were looking at Catalina and Ophelia. The other four were now looking around to find the one that would soon arrive.


    A fiery tower shot down from the sky.


    Agares, who had been looking at the sky, swung both of his arms. He was trying to intimidate Catalina and Ophelia and at the same time, he jumped back to dodge the fiery tower.


    The fiery tower crashed into the ground. Agares saw Salami flying in the air with two of his eyes.


    Agares blinked. He noticed that the color of the fire was different from before and no one was riding on Salami''s back. All six of his eyes were looking towards one direction.


    "Swoooooooosh!"


    A green fire broke through the fiery tower.


    Yong-Ho was enveloped in Greed''s fire and broke through Salami''s fiery tower. Within seconds, he was near Agares.


    Agares swung his blades, but it was late. Yong-Ho was already close to him. Agares opened his mouth and shot out acid.


    It was bad for Yong-Ho too. He was too close. While charging, he couldn''t dodge the acid.


    That''s why Yong-Ho didn''t back out. He took a step forward and raised his left arm.


    "Kaiwan!"


    He yelled. The Power of Distortion that was released from his left hand protected Yong-Ho. The acid bounced against the wall of space and a part of it landed on Agares''s body.


    "Kyahhhh!"


    Agares expressed his pain and anger. Yong-Ho ignored it. He jumped up and stepped on Agares''s leg. He pulled Aamon back and looked at Agares''s eye.


    It pierced.


    Aamon''s tip broke through Agares''s glass-like eye. At the same time, the tentacle that quickly grew from Agares''s body pierced through Yong-Ho''s abdomen.


    Agares screeched. Yong-Ho gritted his teeth and used his power.


    The green flames burned Agares''s eye. From there, the fire burned into Agares''s head. This pain couldn''t be compared to the first time his eye was attacked.


    Agares jumped around crazily. He screamed while waving all four blades in different directions. Green flames escaped his eyes and mouth.


    Yong-Ho didn''t attack him again. Aamon transformed into a bracelet and fell on Yong-Ho''s wrist. As soon as Yong-Ho landed on the ground, he looked up and read the mana''s flow.


    Agares''s mana was raging. His will to live activated his regenerative power and he focused his body''s mana into one area.


    That''s why Yong-Ho was able to clearly see it. The area where Agares was focusing his mana. The area where Agares''s spirit was located!


    Yong-Ho wielded Aamon again. Agares couldn''t move because of the regenerative power, so Yong-Ho looked at his abdomen. He pulled Aamon back and produced a very hot fire.


    The single attack that broke through the Steel Ox that was on the first floor of the Arena.


    Yong-Ho remembered the things he learned from Aamon. He was going to use them now.


    The lance pierced into Agares''s body. The hot fire broke Agares''s shell. Aamon broke through Agares''s abdomen and destroyed the concentrated mana that was helping Agares regenerate.


    There was only one thing left.


    A radiant fire was released from Aamon. He consumed Agares''s spirit.

 91 Mighty Warrior 4

    It was a lump of blue light. It was so beautiful that it was hard to believe that it came out of a terrifying monster like Agares.


    The fire enveloped the bright light. The tip of Aamon became a part of Yong-Ho, allowing him to consume Agares''s spirit.


    He first felt pleasure and then trembled. It was a big shock, which made it difficult for him to breathe.


    It was blue. It was a lightning type.


    Greed was awakened, and it consumed Agares''s spirit through the fire. It suppressed its powers so that it wouldn''t lose anything. Instead of swallowing it whole, Greed broke it apart into a million pieces and thoroughly analyzed it.


    It''s safe to say that one''s spirit was that family''s history. There were traces of all the spirits that Agares had consumed up until now.


    They were useless. They were just traces that couldn''t be used.


    But Greed didn''t allow it. When Yong-Ho''s mana grew stronger, the Power of Evolution wasn''t the only thing that grew too.


    The spirit''s color and element that remained within the traces. It was different from the ones before.


    It was impossible for Yong-Ho to control the element separately, like how he did with Foras''s coldness. But he could build it up, analyze it and help his body to accept it.


    Color and element weren''t the only things he acquired.


    Agares was a predator. He acquired new traits by eating and that''s how he evolved.


    It wasn''t the power of a demon king. It was a natural trait that his race had.


    That trait.


    The Power of Evolution yelled. For the Power of Evolution, Greed stored that skill on one side of Yong-Ho''s mana.


    It was impossible for Yong-Ho to use that skill, but it was possible for him to transfer that skill to someone with similar characteristics and strengthen their skill.


    Yuri.


    The Princess Ant''s face popped into his head. He then felt an exhilarating pleasure, interrupting his thoughts.


    Agares''s spirit was bigger than any of the other spirits that Yong-Ho consumed. It was really distorted, so it wasn''t very pure, but the amount made up for it.


    It felt like his spirit and physical body was going to blow apart. He had to release his power. He was disappointed by the fact that he couldn''t consume some of the power, but he had to release it. All the other demon kings had to do the same when they consumed a spirit and it was more than they could handle.


    But Greed rejected him this time too.


    If Yong-Ho''s body couldn''t handle Agares''s mana, then it would make it so that his body could handle it.


    A new bowl.


    A larger and stronger bowl that can be filled with strong mana!


    The Power of Evolution was activated. Agares''s mana evolved Yong-Ho''s body.


    A flash of green light enveloped Yong-Ho''s entire body. It began to restructure his body.


    His body became stronger. His bones became stronger as they contained more mana and his physical skills increased.


    Yong-Ho didn''t forget about his wish. He grew a bit taller. His body looked a lot more appealing.


    And lastly.


    Someone was cheering for Yong-Ho''s development.


    Aamon, the Red Lotus Demon Lance, had been waiting for this moment.


    The moment where he won''t have to suppress his powers. The moment where he''ll be able to use his powers.


    Of course, Yong-Ho was still lacking. He still had a long way to go.


    But it felt like he could take a step forward. He could use his powers a little more freely.


    Fire appeared on Yong-Ho''s wrist, which was still enveloped in the green light. The red fire transformed into a lance. Aamon wanted to show his owner a part of his true form.


    Fire and fire.


    The green and red fire clashed against each other. They burned together and created a giant light. It disappeared with the wind.


    Yong-Ho took a deep breath. It was the first breath he took after his body transformed.


    His senses became more sensitive. Even though his eyes were closed, it felt like he could feel everyone''s presence really well.


    The transformation only took ten seconds.


    But it was safe to say that the time on the battlefield stopped during that time.


    The insect-type monsters realized that Agares had died. Some of them became weak and others started moving more violently.


    The spirits that weren''t directly connected to Agares saw the enormous fire. They saw the lifeless Agares and realized that his shell was the only thing that was left.


    Agares was dead. He lost and the owner of the House of Mammon - the demon king of fire consumed his spirit.


    Yong-Ho opened his eyes.


    Instead of looking at Agares''s corpse, he looked elsewhere. He looked at Salami, who landed on the ground and looked slightly scared.


    "You''re exhausted."


    Salami was the spirit that worked the hardest out of all the spirits that belonged to the House of Mammon.


    Salami calmed down when Yong-Ho spoke and tried to smile with its eyes.


    Yong-Ho petted Salami''s nose and spoke.


    "Hang in there."


    Salami was confused and blinked, but Yong-Ho didn''t stop smiling.


    The fight wasn''t over.


    Even though Agares was dead, his troops were still standing. Even though they were on the brink of collapsing, there were still over a hundred spirits.


    Salami''s wings were at its limit. Yong-Ho knew that too. That''s why he said that earlier. With his new body, he gathered his mana and activated the Power of Evolution. Green flames rose up from his eyes and he saw a box of light.


    [Salamander - Assault Type Development]


    The green light that appeared on the tip of Yong-Ho''s finger enveloped Salami''s body.


    Salami roared. The wings grew bigger and stronger and its body transformed into a more aggressive one.


    Salami''s front feet and shoulders became bigger. His claws became sharper and scales appeared on his body, similar to a dragon''s. Thorns grew on Salami''s slim waist and tail.


    If Salami looked like an ordinary car before, now he looked like an armoured car.


    After the evolution finished, hot air was released from Salami''s mouth. Yong-Ho smiled and looked around. His eyes landed on Catalina and Ophelia.


    Catalina covered her face with her hands as her tail and ears flapped. The gap between her fingers was pretty big, so he was able to see her blue eyes filled with excitement and her red cheeks.


    Ophelia on the other hand had a smirk on her face. She signaled Yong-Ho with her eyes.


    "Impressive."


    Yong-Ho looked down, wondering what the two ladies were looking at and when he realized, he laughed awkwardly and put his hands down. While his body was transforming, the fire burned everything, so he was naked.


    ''I was wondering why it was chilly.''


    Yong-Ho used his mana. After activating a dark green light, he used it to cover the lower part of his body and then got on Salami''s back.


    "Shall we finish this?"


    Yong-Ho spoke. Catalina and Ophelia both answered in their own ways.


    Salami spread its wings. After kicking off the ground and flapping its wing, a strong wind covered the ground.


    ''My young owner.''


    He heard Aamon''s voice. Yong-Ho swung his right arm as if that was his reply to Aamon''s calling. Just like his body, he wielded the lance''s new form.


    The spirits that witnessed Agares''s death were running away.


    The insect-type monsters were violently jumping around as if this was their last attempt at bringing Yong-Ho down.


    "Skulllll!"


    He saw Skull, who was swinging his war hammer around. Yong-Ho didn''t wait any longer. Salami was circling around in the air and he gave his command. Salami''s fiery wings made the sky cloudy.


    The fiery lance that divided the battleground.


    He finished the battle, just like he had stated earlier.


    ***


    The fight with Agares was now completely over, three hours after it had started.


    The insect-type monsters didn''t know how to quit or surrender. They had no choice but to kill each and every one of them.


    Most of the spirits that were under Agares''s control after he devoured their owners had ran away. The insects'' violent movements had given them time to run.


    When looking at just the results, the Free City had achieved victory. Even though Agares had twice as many troops, they had managed to defeat them and even brought down Agares himself. However, the Free City was damaged pretty badly as well.


    Out of the three leaders of the Free City, Dargon had died. Despite the fact that Trolls had strong regeneration skills, Oros fainted right before the war ended because of his injury.


    Out of the Free City''s soldiers, the elite soldiers that Ophelia commanded to go with Skull experienced the most damage. During the most important moment, they became Yong-Ho''s shield, so they fought the most enemies and because of that, they had the most injuries.


    Out of the three leaders, Ophelia was in the best condition, so she took care of the soldiers. The worker''s guild and the outlaws were against following Ophelia''s orders, but since Yong-Ho was standing behind her, they kept their opinions to themselves.


    They didn''t even have the strength to protest. They needed some time in order to make a complaint.


    Ophelia wasn''t planning on standing by and watching them protest, but she wasn''t going to pick on someone either. In the end, the Free City would belong to the House of Mammon. Oros probably realized that Ophelia was the House of Mammon''s spirit before passing out based on the way she talked.


    "I''ll leave the Free City up to you."


    Yong-Ho wore a suit that he obtained at the last minute and spoke while getting on the horse. Ophelia spoke worriedly while her tail moved weakly.


    "Is it really okay for you to start moving? Skull and the others may be okay since they''re Undead, but still¡­"


    "We don''t have a lot of time."


    Yong-Ho and Ophelia were standing in front of the gate. They haven''t even finished cleaning up the corpses, but Yong-Ho, Catalina, Skull and the other spirits were outside.


    He didn''t have enough time.


    If Agares died, that meant that the Spirits of the Dungeons that were under Agares''s control had died as well.


    No matter how many soldiers Agares had, they probably noticed that he had died. The other owners in the east may have realized that there were changes going on in Agares''s dungeon.


    While consuming Agares''s spirit, there were a few things that Yong-Ho realized.


    Agares was an actual predator. The reason why he was able to gather a thousand soldiers was because he emptied the dungeons after he took them over.


    It was impossible to take all the dungeons that were under his control. But he could at least take the two dungeons that were near the Free City.


    Things had already been delayed. He had to move now.


    "I''m fine."


    Ophelia looked at Catalina worriedly, so she spoke to both Ophelia and Yong-Ho. Just like Yong-Ho, she was exhausted after continuously fighting, but that didn''t mean she was going to fall behind. Catalina was Yong-Ho''s personal guard.


    Salami worked the hardest and despite letting a small cry, no one heard it.


    Yong-Ho and Catalina got on Salami''s back. Skull laughed while petting Nightmare''s mane and the Skull Unit didn''t look tired at all as they waited for everyone to start heading out.


    "I''ll be back."


    Yong-Ho spoke, and Ophelia gave up in the end. She showed respect by seeing him off.


    "''s daughter, Ophelia will gladly wait for your return, Master."


    Salami flapped his wings and flew towards the east.


    "Skullll!"


    Nightmare started to gallop. The Skull Unit closely followed their leader.


    Ophelia, who was now alone, brushed back her gold hair. She looked at the House of Mammon''s spirits who were heading to the east.


    She recalled the face her father made when he shouted that the House of Mammon was going to be revived.

 92 Return

    Yong-Ho''s first stop was the dungeon of the House of Ailee.


    It was a natural choice because it was only two days away from the free city. If he moved quickly, it would be possible to get there even sooner.


    Acquiring the dungeon was much easier than he had expected.


    Since it was the starting point for the mobilization of his army, Agares had completely emptied Ailee''s dungeon. The few troops left behind by Agares, had all seemed to have fled after noticing Agares''s demise.


    Agares was a natural predator. He literally devoured the fallen King of the dungeon, and was the object of terror to those who had surrendered. Moreover, the traces left in the dungeon of Ailee indicated that not only was the King devoured by Agares, but some of his servants were as well.


    Except for the insect type spirits, who basically acted as his limbs, the rest of the spirits that followed him were dominated by ''fear''. The source of that fear was now gone, so it was quite natural for them to escape.


    That wasn''t the only good news


    Not only were there no spirits, but the dungeon was void of traps as well. All that remained were the wreckages of broken traps.


    They were probably traps that Agares had destroyed in the process of devouring the House of Ailee.


    Agares did not restore the traps, and instead only used the dungeon of Ailee as a place to rest.


    There were no spirits, and no traps.


    In the end, it was only the complexity of the structure of the dungeon that impeded Yong-Ho''s movement, but that was no hindrance to the power of greed.


    The only issue was that the heart of the Dungeon of Ailee was in a severe state.


    The dungeon wasn''t the only thing that had suffered a severe wound, the heart looked like it had been mutilated by the teeth of an animal.


    Yong-Ho extracted the mana from the heart of the Ailee''s dungeon, and then wrapped it in cold mana and stored it in his pocket. It was not that he didn''t covet the mana of the Dungeon''s heart, but he decided it would be better to give it to Lucia.


    Lucia still hadn''t obtained full control over the first floor of Mammon''s dungeon. In order to acquire the legacy left by Mammon, it was important for Lucia to grow Lucia to gain control of the lower floors.


    After resting for half a day in Ailee''s dungeon, Yong-Ho then headed straight to the next dungeon.


    Judging from the state of the Ailee''s dungeon, the other dungeons under Agares'' control were likely in a similar position. If the other owners in the East had noticed Agares'' death then they too would have probably have entered the dungeons, just like Yong-Ho had done.


    Nightmare, who was carrying Skull, hid its tiredness and pretended to remain strong, which also caused Salami to stop groaning as well.


    Unlike Ailee''s dungeon, there were a few insect monsters left, but in front of the elite of the Mammon family, they were equivalent to just scraps of firewood.


    After extracting the mana from the heart of Yubing''s dungeon, Yong-Ho had a brief moment of conflict.


    He was greedy.


    Could he take a third dungeon? If they strained themselves a little more, then he would be able to collect even more mana.


    Greed arose. Although it didn''t ask Yong-Ho to choose, it mirrored his deepest desires.


    He wanted to consume. He wanted to possess.


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He tamed his greed. He suppressed his desires.


    It was too much. They were already exhausted from days of travelling.


    It had already been three days since Agares''s death. It would take more than two days to travel to the next nearest dungeon, so by the time he would arrive at the third dungeon, it would be far more likely that they would have to face other forces, besides Agares''s remaining troops.


    Yong-Ho thought of the map of the empty Southern Region inside his head. It seemed that by visiting Yubing''s dungeon, they were already outside of the South and now inside the Eastern Zone of the empty Southern Region.


    It was right to go back. Didn''t Sitri say that unrestrained desire wasn''t true Greed.


    Yong-Ho asked Salami with his eyes to hold for a bit longer and return to the Ailee''s dungeon. After a sufficient rest at Ailee''s dungeon, they would then head back to the Free City.


    An hour after they arrived at Ailee''s dungeon.


    Yong-Ho gathered the remaining furniture in the dungeon''s entrance room, and invoked the power of evolution while watching the burning bonfire.


    Some of the members of Skull''s squad had filled their evolutionary rate. It was a natural result considering that they had fought some of the most intense battles in the Free City.


    The only disappointment was that Skull himself, who had fought incredibly valiantly, had only half filled his evolutionary rate. However, that was most likely because Skull had already benefited the most from the power of evolution amongst all the spirits of the House of Mammon.


    In games, the higher the level that one achieved, the slower it would then take one to grow again.


    ''It''s still a pity though.''


    The promotion rank after the Skeleton Magic Knight had still not been revealed. Perhaps he would have to evolve him in a specific direction.


    Maybe he had to strengthen his mana or increase his physical ability like before.


    It was painful, yet exciting worry.


    Yong-Ho then turned his attention to the Skull Squad''s transportation. Just like their riders, the horses had filled their evolutionary rate. Feeling the importance of endurance from their long march, Yong-Ho evolved the stamina of all five of them.


    And finally, the long awaited highlight, Nightmare.


    "From now on, you shall be named Bucephalas."


    He was going to give Skull the opportunity to give it a name, but that seemed a bit difficult. At the current rate, it would have been named either Skull, Skull or Skull.


    Of course, the Nightmare didn''t know of the origin of the name, Bucephalas, the legendary horse of Alexander the Great, but regardless it still gave out a pleasant whinny, as if she like like the name very much.


    [Name: Bucephalas (Female)]


    [Race: Nightmare]


    [Attributes: Darkness - Level 1]


    [Individual Trait:


    Proud]


    [Individual Skills:


    Stamina / Agility]


    [Evolution Rate: 100/100]


    [Stamina - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Strength - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Toughness - Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Agility - Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Mana - Level 1 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]


    [Available Promotions]


    [Nightmare - Attack Type] / [Nightmare - Agility Type] / [Nightmare - Mana Type]


    Yong-Ho raised his hand towards the window of light and then called Skull after thinking for a moment. Yong-Ho expressed his intention to Skull as concisely and simply as possible.


    "Which one do you want me to evolve?"


    Skull answered immediately, with a single concern. How to interpret Skull''s answer could have been a problem, but Yong-Ho immediately understood Skull''s wish. That was only possible because of the bond between spirit and owner.


    Yong-Ho evolved Bucephalas into the attack type. Like Salami, Bucephalas evolved to be quite large, but she was still a mare so there her body retained her beautiful curves. She looked more like an armored tank from science fiction rather than an armored vehicle.


    After completing her evolution, Bucephalas looked back at Salami, and gave out a pleasant snort, as if she was smirking. Salami gave out a low growl in response and then looked at Yong-Ho with sparkling eyes. He seemed to want another evolution.


    However, it was too soon. Yong-Ho stoked Salami''s snout, although he had grown bigger he also looked more cute. Yong-Ho then called Catalina.


    Catalina was Yong-Ho''s personal guard, so she had participated in every battle he had, except for the Arena. Thanks to her outstanding performance in the recent battle, Catalina had filled her evolutionary rate.


    Yong-Ho allowed Catalina to choose her evolutionary route just as he had done for Skull. However unlike Skull, Catalina was able to clearly express her desire.


    "I would like to increase my specialisation in mana."


    Catalina was able to wield dark mana after evolving into a Shadow Runner.


    This time she didn''t desire to be faster, but instead she desired to be able to better weird her newly acquired powers.


    Yong-Ho also agreed with Catalina''s wish because he thought, from the battle with Agares, that it was essential to increase her offensive power .


    "Okay, close your eyes and relax. You''ve done this countless times before, so you already know how this works."


    "Of course."


    Catalina knelt down in front of Yong-Ho and gently closed her eyes.


    As he was looking at Catalina, Yong-Ho suddenly noticed her long protruding ears.


    Her ears were fluttering so fast, that it looked like she was about to fly away.


    Yong-Ho unknowingly grabbed her eyes without thinking. Catalina flinched in surprise, but she didn''t open her eyes.


    ''Lord, I think I''ll get addicted to this feeling.''


    The texture of her ears in his grasp was truly a strange feeling. Yong-Ho closed his eyes, and chanted the Heart Sutra, which he had picked up from somewhere. He invoked the power of evolution.


    "It''s done."


    Yong-Ho spoke, and let go of Catalina''s ears. Fortunately, Catalina was distracted by her sudden increase in mana so she didn''t mention anything about her ears. Her ears fluttered as she began to examine her dark mana.


    But, it was too early for him to feel relieved. Yong-Ho quickly brought up another topic as soon as Catalina finished checking her mana.


    "By the way. If one were to absorb the mana from the heart of the dungeon, the dungeon itself would die, right?


    "Yes, master."


    "So would the dungeon continue to shrink until it disappeared? Do dungeons occur naturally in nature?"


    At Yong-Ho''s question, Catalina''s eyes looked up as if she was searching her memories for an answer.


    "Just as you said, dungeons do occur naturally. But infant dungeons are usually very small and fragile at birth. So they would probably soon die, without the proper care of an owner.


    After Catalina mentioned an ''infant dungeon'', Yong-Ho thought of Lucia. Catalina continued to talk.


    "Other than that, I''ve heard that, very occasionally, the Dungeon Market will sell something like the seed of a dungeon. Perhaps, it''s more accurate to call it an artificial dungeon. I''ve heard that they can be quite powerful, but... I also heard that they''re incredibly expensive. Apparently they''re hard to produce on mass."


    It was quite an intriguing story. If it wasn''t for the current turbulent times, then it would be unlikely for a dungeon to die. So it seemed that the natural cycle of the birth and death of dungeons was roughly equal.


    Catalina currently wore a cool expression, as if she was satisfied with the fact that she had answered well.


    Yong-Ho smiled and looked again at Catalina''s ears. He then noticed her wagging tail. He suddenly asked without knowing.


    "Hey Catalina."


    "Yes, master."


    "Could I touch your tail."


    Catalina''s expression once again took on a dynamic change.


    ***


    While Yong-Ho was in danger of falling into a new addition, Ophelia was calmly peeling an apple with a calm expression.


    She was currently inside the hospital, the only medical facility in the Free City and the home of the mad Oros.


    The room that they were in was quiet. Oros lay on the bed and didn''t say a word, while Ophelia quietly devoted herself to peeling apples. The peeling sound of the apple apple amplified the silence instead of abating it.


    How long has it been? Ophelia took a bite of her freshly shaven apple, which caused Oros to open his eyes. He looked up at the ceiling, instead of towards Ophelia and broke the silence.


    "When was it."


    It was an endlessly open question, but Ophelia understood. The mad Oros was a wise author from the days of old. So Ophelia answered him in a gentle manner.


    "Since the first visit to the Free City by the House of Mammon. You know that my house was originally in servitude to the Mammon family, right?


    Opehlia''s father, Endelyon, didn''t hide his title. Oros exhaled a long breath.


    "I knew that. But... I didn''t think that you would serve the Mammon family again like that so soon. "It was impossible."


    "No, you''re right. At first, I didn''t have the slightest intention of serving under his command. If I hadn''t been completely overwhelmed by his pressure... then the story would have been quite different."


    Ophelia happily smiled. Oros rolled his eyes, as he looked at the Ophelia before him.


    "I don''t think Dargon''s death was within your calculations. Dargon died valiantly. However... it''s true that I did consider that after the fight I would have to devote the Free City to the House of Mammon.


    "Yes, I was planning on asking the House of Mammon for help."


    Ophelia did not deny it. She acted coolly, so he wouldn''t get angry.


    ''No, perhaps it''s because I''m also quite positive about the situation.''


    The moment that Agares decided to invade the Free City, everything was already set in motion. This was just a natural step.


    "The Master will be back soon. Then the Free City will become the territory of the Mammon family."


    "You''re already got everything prepared, I guess. The fact that you and I are having a private meeting like this proves that everything is true."


    No matter how much friendship they had built over the past decade or so, the bar hostess and the guild leader had always been hostile to each other.


    However, Ophelia was now facing the defenseless Oros, one-on-one. It would have been an impossible scenario unless Ophelia had not already taken over the guild.


    "What about the outlaws?"


    "They give in to strength. The problem will be solved as soon as the Master returns. There may be a few who rebel to the end... but it won''t be a big deal."


    Ophelia cut the apple. She placed a piece into her mouth and looked at Oros. She began to talk slowly.


    "Become a spirit of the House of Mammon. Just because the Free City will be under the ownership of the Mammon family, doesn''t make much of a difference."


    Will he agree? Ophelia''s suggestion was to turn the wolf into a hound.


    Oros laughed bitterly.


    "What if I refuse?"


    "Don''t. "I don''t want to lose you after Dargon."


    Ophelia appeared friendly and determined. Oros once again let out a laugh.


    "Embrio is coming."


    "Yes, that''s right. The Western owners are united against him, but perhaps he''ll win. We''re going to have to fight him."


    "Do you think the Mammon family can win?"


    Ophelia smiled gracefully at the provocative question. No more questions or answer were necessary.


    Two days later.


    The mad Oros greeted Yong-Ho alongside Ophelia.


    He became a spirit of the House of Mammon.

 93 Return 2

    The sight of the free city had not changed much. Many had been killed or injured, walls needed to be repaired, but that didn''t change the color of the free city itself.


    Yong-Ho had recently registered the mad Oros as a dungeon spirit and was now facing Ophelia in the pub. He wanted to receive not only the status of the free city but also information regarding the movements of the neighboring dungeons. Of course, he also needed to share what he had personally seen and heard, and especially what he had received in his travels.


    "The Free City is quickly being cleaned up. Not that Oros has registered as one of your spirits, it''s no exaggeration to say that the Free City is now the territory of the House of Mammon. However, not everyone knows this yet, and I don''t think that it''s necessary to publish this information right now either."


    "Isn''t it really important?"


    "Yes, I suppose it will be okay if we announce it later."


    Ophelia smiled and offered Yong-Ho a cocktail.


    There were many reasons why the mad Oros joined them.


    Ophelia was the leader of one of the three factions. To take complete control of the city, she needed the help of Oros, the leader of one of the other three factions.


    Furthermore, Oros was a competent man. He was a doctor, an alchemist and an outstanding pharmacist.


    One more reason was that Ophelia didn''t wish to kill Oros.


    What would happen if she let Oros live and he left the free city?


    There would be members of the guild who would inevitably want to follow him. After letting people leave one by one, the free city would end up as a shell of its former self. The guild was a vital part of the free city, especially at a time when the outlaws were expected to leave following Dargon''s death.


    Of course, it wouldn''t matter if they had time on their side.


    There were enough people travelling to the free city to allow them to eventually rebuild the city''s power.


    But there simply wasn''t enough time. Like water rising from underfoot, an inevitable danger was quickly approaching.


    "It seems that battle has begun in the west of the region."


    The Wolf Demon, Embrio, has clashed with the Western Owner''s Alliance.


    "A long war would typically be expected, but this is Embrio, who we know has been making aggressive moves. We don''t know what variables are in play."


    While listening to Ophelia''s explanation, Yong-Ho carefully looked at the map of the Southern Region.


    Unlike the other forces that had clashed with Embrio, the Western Owner''s Alliance wasn''t just fighting in a single field. They understood that their strength lay in numbers, and had expanded out their front.


    It was impossible for Embrio to appear in every battle.


    Even if they lost to Embrio in one battle, they could win in another.


    "Is there any chance that Embrio will lose?"


    "It exists. And that would be a much better outcome for us. But I''m not sure. With all due respect... Embrio''s actions somewhat resemble your own.


    Yong-Ho tilted his head in confusion. Ophelia laughed bitterly.


    "Because, despite the odds, he''s winning every fight with overwhelming power."


    Yong-Ho didn''t immediately respond to Ophelia''s sudden flattery. Ophelia liked that Yong-Ho would sometimes show a soft side. She felt that it was a sign of his humanity.


    "Considering the length of time that you''ve been the owner of Mammon''s dungeon, and what you''ve accomplished... then I''m not wrong. And we always have to assume the worst. The worst scenario I can imagine is that Embrio defeats the Western Owner''s Alliance and still has the power to hit the south."


    Yong-Ho nodded


    It was an inhumane thought, but the longer the war, the better. The greater the damage between the two sides, the better it was for Yong-Ho.


    "Now, let''s talk about the threats nearby. Some of the outlaws have noticed a change in the free city. And some are even trying to stage armed protests without prior notice.


    "Is it serious?"


    "If Oros hadn''t joined use, then it would have been quite a problem... but not anymore. I should be able to handle it on my own."


    Ophelia smiled with fierce eyes. However, Yong-Ho liked how she looked.


    Yong-Ho pleasantly replied.


    "You''re also outstanding."


    "Thank-you."


    Skull, who was standing in the background, suddenly let out a laugh at the warm atmosphere and Catalina smiled softly.


    Ophelia only had one item left to report.


    "Jungceros''s daughter seems to be extremely anxious. Although she doesn''t yet know that the free city is in the hands of the House of Mammon, however the results of the battle with Agares are enough to scare her. If we just leave her be, then there''s a high likelihood that she''ll surrender to whoever comes down south, whether its the Western Owner''s Alliance or Embrio.


    "Didn''t you say that she wasn''t the type to surrender?"


    "She can''t just die. Moreover, the divisions within her household are accelerating."


    Yong-Ho nodded. The dungeon of the House of Jungceros was quite far from the House of Mammon, but not the free city. Yong-Ho had been so active in the battle of the free city, that she was right to be afraid.


    "I think it''s time to consider staging a dungeon attack."


    Of course not immediately. But that didn''t mean that it wouldn''t be soon.


    So far, Yong-Ho had experience several dungeon battles, but he had never actually attacked a properly guarded dungeon. The fight against Jungceros''s daughter would be the first.


    When Ophelia''s report was over, Yong-Ho briefly told her what happened during his journey to the east. Ophelia had already confirmed the evolution of Salami, Bucephalas and Skull''s squad and was now envious of Catalina''s development.


    She wanted to evolve, too.


    She also wanted to become stronger.


    Yong-Ho wasn''t sure if it was because she was mistress of the pub, but Ophelia seemed to have many different faces. One moment she was a dignified woman, now she looked like a little girl. He recalled an image he had seen on the internet once of a boy staring at a trumpet through a glass window.


    "Shall we? Ophelia?"


    "Can I? Are you able to evolve me?"


    Ophelia asked like a little girl.


    Yong-Ho nodded Ophelia had fought two battles after joining the House of Mammon, and had trained with Eligor dozens of times, which one could interpret as picking on the elderly.


    Although Ophelia''s evolution rate had slowly increased, it was now full.


    "What do you want to specialize in?"


    "Uh, wait for a moment. Let me think about it."


    Skull laughed as Ophelia visibly became excited. However Catalina looked a little strange. She alternated her gaze between Yong-Ho''s and Ophelia''s hands with widened eyes. Her lips clenched.


    Yong-Ho felt her gaze. But why? Perhaps she found it exciting watching from an outside perspective. Yong-ho bit his lip and endured his laughter. He looked at Ophelia, who had only just made her decision.


    ''It would be fun to ask if I could touch her tail.''


    Yong-Ho shook his head. He spoke to Ophelia, whose head was tilted in confusion, and Catalina, who was focusing on them with outstretched ears,


    "Let''s begin. Close your eyes."


    Ophelia closed her eyes, and Catalina focused even more. Yong-Ho looked at Ophelia''s tail for a moment and reached out his hands. He placed his hands on her shoulders and injected his mana.


    He invoked Ophelia''s evolution.


    ***


    "Give my regards to brother Eligor."


    Ophelia had evolved with mana specialization and was now seeing Yong-Ho off. Yong-Ho smiled at her affectionate eyes and voice.


    He wanted to stay in the free city for a few more days, but he couldn''t.


    He had to go back to the House of Mammon.


    He had to reassure Eligor, who was waiting for his return, and also evolve Lucia.


    Furthermore if Yong-Ho continued to stay in the free city, there was the possibility that Jungceros''s daughter would die of a nervous breakdown or make an extreme decision. The former didn''t matter, but the latter did.


    The mad Oros had already made up his mind, and didn''t have an uneasy attitude in front of Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho let go of his worries about Oros because he knew that the talented Ophelia would remain at his side.


    Yong-Ho left the free city and headed back to the House of Mammon.


    Perhaps because of the thought of going back ''home'', he seemed rather light footed.


    ***


    The Dungeon Meerkats, which had evolved into High Meerkats, were now able to observe from longer distances than before.


    After earlier finding out of Yong-Ho''s return, Eligor came out to meet him with the rest of the spirits.


    Yong-Ho was pleased to see all of the spirits greeting him. Yong-Ho felt that he really had returned while facing Eligor, who now resembled more of a middle age man rather than an elderly butler.


    The Goblin Rangers and Spot admired Salami, who had evolved once again, with widened eyes. While the Princess Ant, who was always accompanied by Spot, stared at Bucephalas with glistening eyes. She looked just like a cute girl, perhaps because of the dress she was wearing that Catalina had worn as a child.


    Meanwhile Rikum and the Orcs eagerly inquired about the battle in the free city. However, Skull''s squad couldn''t talk, and all Skull could say was Skull. Yong-Ho and Catalina were the only ones that could satiate their curiosity, so they sent pleading eyes to Catalina, who was quite easy going.


    Yong-Ho allowed Catalina a short break to reunite with the other spirits, however that was exactly was she didn''t want as she was dragged away by the Orcs, led by Rikum.


    Yong-Ho, instead brought along Skull as he headed to the heart of the dungeon. On the way, Lucia made repeated coos and cheers.


    [I''ve missed you so much! Master!]


    Lucia cried out, as soon as Yong-Ho entered the Heart of the Dungeon. He couldn''t see her, but her voice was enough. Yong-Ho stroked the Dungeon''s Heart as if he was patting her head and then took out the mana from both Ailee''s and Yubing''s dungeons.


    Lucia, as always, expressed her feelings with onomatopoeias.


    [Gulp gulp. I''m salivating.]


    Yong-Ho understood why the expression ''spoilt daughter'' existed. While laughing, Yong-Ho injected the mana into the Dungeon''s Heart, the body of Lucia.


    Lucia shuddered with excitement. Yong-Ho could feel her soul tremble.


    [The mana of the dungeon has rapidly increased.]


    [The dungeon''s control is now much stronger. A larger area can now be controlled.]


    [A new area has been detected. I only know that it exist, but the area is... underground. I can feel the presence of an underground floor. There is even more space on the underground floor than the first floor!]


    [Ahhhhhhhhh! It''s so delicious!]


    [It''s now possible to upgrade existing facilities.]


    [I think we can start building a Space Door now.]


    [Master is the best.]


    There was some mixed personal feeling in Lucia''s report, but it really was great news.


    In particular, the last piece of news shook Yong-Ho''s heart.


    "Are you saying that we can start construction of the Space Door now?"


    [Yes, Master. Enough mana has been gathered. We don''t have the right materials yet, and construction will take a while, but it''s still possible!]


    Yong-Ho''s happiness was also Lucia''s happiness.


    He tightly clenched his fist. After that pleasant surprise, he once again stroked the Dungeon''s Heart.


    "Well done. You''ve done really well, Lucia."


    [Hehehe.]


    [Let''s get started right away. I''ll transfer some of the spirits involved in other construction work. Please give me permission.]


    While acting a little silly, Lucia projected a window of light in front of Yong-Ho''s eyes. It was a list of the spirits in construction and a report on what they were currently doing.


    Yong-Ho quickly reviewed the information, and signed the permission.


    Lucia spoke again.


    [Since you''ve been away for such a long time, I recommended that you should take a really long rest.]


    "Only for today."


    [Are you going right back to work tomorrow? You should rest for a little longer.]


    [Are you planning on visiting the Arena or exploring the second floor? If it''s the latter, I can prepare some of the spirits to accompany you.]


    At Lucia''s question, Yong-Ho shook his head. He wasn''t planning on doing either.


    "There''s a place I have to go."


    When Yong-Ho spoke, Lucia immediately understood where that place was.


    ***


    "My valuable customer, how can I help you today?"

 94 Return 3

    "My dearest customer, how can I help you today?"


    As soon as Yong-Ho entered the virtual space of the Dungeon Market, he heard a voice. As he opened his eyes, Sitri greeted him with a bright smile as usual.


    It was something he experienced every time he saw her, but it truly was stunningly beautiful


    Catalina and Ophelia were also beautiful, but they seemed different. While the two of them still felt like people, Citri had the feeling of some sort of mystical being, like a angel or a goddess, rather than a person.


    Like a masterpiece or a sculpture created by a master in the pursuit of perfect beauty.


    But there was natural emotions and expressions added to it.


    Yong-Ho stared at Sitri for a moment, and Sitri tilted her head in response to Yong-Ho''s slightly different gaze.


    "My dearest customer?"


    "It''s been a long time."


    He responded with a smile. Sitri tilted her head again, but only for a moment. She then immediately smiled again and waved her finger. A chair for Yong-Ho rose from the floor.


    There was quite a distance between Yong-Ho and Sitri. It was close enough to easily allow a conversation, but it wasn''t enough to enable them to reach each other. So Yong-Ho was able to see Sitri''s full body in front of him. Not just her, but the pure white world that she had created.


    It was because of Gusion.


    His conversation with Gusion had given him quite a different perspective.


    Yong-Ho consciously buried himself a little more into the back of the chair. Gusion''s voice and expression, when talking about Sitri, rang in his head.


    ''If she had... or if she''d done it a little better... he might not have died.''


    The number of feelings contained within Gusion''s words were uncountable.


    Anger, sorrow, pain and hatred were all mixed within a single terrifying emotion.


    Why was Mammon, the King of Greed, dead?


    Why did he suddenly disappear?


    ''It''s too early. It would be better if you never had to know.''


    Gusion then became silent. He added a few words about Sitri, but he didn''t mention again about Mammon''s death.


    Gusion said that Sitri was one of Mammon''s women.


    But it was never that simple.


    She was one of the two people who could say that they received Mammon''s true love.


    The other, of course, was Elune, the one who cut the night


    ''I''m not going to hurt you. It sounds strange... but you are the successor. The true successor who has emerged after more than a thousand years.''


    That was what Gusion had said.


    Yong-Ho woke up from his thoughts and blinked. He almost screamed when he saw how close Sitri''s face was. He could almost feel her breath.


    "My dearest customer? Are you sick? I don''t think that you have a fever."


    Sitri raised her hand naturally and touched Yong-Ho''s forehead.


    Yong-Ho controlled his breathing. He attempted to keep a straight face as he spoke.


    "I''m a little tired. Here''s a list of items that I would like to buy."


    Sitri squinted her eyes as if she was slightly suspicious, but she accepted the document of light that Yong-Ho had formed in the air. Sitri sat down further away to a more suitable distance and reviewed the document of light.


    "Interesting."


    The purchase list contained the names of various spirits and materials. Among them, Sitri was particularly interested in the materials required to construct the ''Space Gate''.


    "Are you planning to construct a space gate?"


    "Yes, Kaiwan first started to build it. I''m going to finish it."


    "Hmm."


    Sitri turned her attention back to the document. Yong-Ho looked at Sitri and began to think.


    Why did Kaiwan try to build a space gate?


    It took an enormous amount of mana and a considerable amount of material to create it. Yong-Ho himself wanted the space gate because he needed to return to Ingye, but what was Kaiwan''s reason?


    "By the way."


    Sitri opened her lips again. She asked with a subtle knowing smile.


    "Do you clearly know how the space gate works?"


    "What?"


    Yong-Ho asked unknowingly. Instead of immediately answering, Sitri just expressed that she knew something.


    The space gate that Yong-Ho knew was a two-way connection between two places.


    It was a passageway to return to Ingye, Yong-Ho''s hometown. A device that can freely create doors in space, which Catalina and Eligor previously opened incompletely.


    "Don''t look like that. If you complete the space gate, you''ll be able to open a door back to Ingye. But, it''s a little tougher than you might think."


    Sitri waved her hand. One of the items in the document of light expanded and spread out within the air.


    "This material is currently not in stock in the Southern branch. Although, I think there''s some extra in my private warehouse, but... it''s my own private collection."


    Yong-Ho''s mind felt complicated.


    Was it because of what Sitri had said, about the supply of materials? It wasn''t. It was about something else she had said.


    And also what he had said.


    Yong-Ho stretched his shoulders.


    "Is there anything that you want from me?"


    Sitri smiled brightly. Then, once again, narrowed the distance between them and spoke.


    "Tell me. What happened in the free city. I heard that you defeated Agares."


    Sitri was interested in Yong-Ho himself.


    There was always a deep goodwill in her eyes.


    Was it because, as Gusion had said, that Yong-Ho was Mammon''s true successor?


    ''I don''t know anything else, but it''s clear that she was in love with Master. At least I believe so. That''s what Elune had said.''


    Yong-Ho recalled Gusion''s voice again and then closed and opened his eyes. He began to talk about his experiences in the free city as lightly as possible.


    Sitri was a good listener. She always gave a good response when it was required. Yong-Ho seemed to be skilled at bringing the story to life.


    "That''s how it happened."


    After finishing the story, Yong-Ho exhaled a long breath. Although all he had done was talk, he now felt very tired.


    Sitri showed a gentle smile. Instead of expressing her thoughts, she buried herself deeply into her chair and for a moment her lips parted and smiled like a young girl.


    "I think we should keep our last promise. Do you remember what I said last time? Where I said that you should experience more of the world."


    He couldn''t forget it. Yong-Ho nodded.


    "You mean the auction house."


    "Yes, the auction house. A gathering place for many powerful people. There''s an auction two days later, so the timing is great. What do you think? Would you like to participate?"


    Sitri''s beauty always caused him to be nervously tense, so he didn''t immediately accept.


    He felt a bit out of shape, but he asked what it would take.


    "Is there anything like an entry fee? An amount that should be paid to the auction house in advance."


    He asked since he had once read about an high-end auction house from a novel when he was younger. Sitri laughed loudly.


    "There is, but I''ll exempt you. That''s what I promised. From what you''re saying, I presume you''ve accepted."


    Sitri stood up from her seat. She lowered herself in front of Yong-Ho''s knees. She looked up at him and asked.


    "To the Master of the great House of Mammon, would you give me the honor of placing my lips to the back of your hand?"


    Although the typical position of man and woman had changed, Yong-Ho quickly reached out the back of his hand. Sitri gently held Yong-Ho''s fingertips and placed her lips on the back of his hand. The softness of her lips felt like melting snow, quickly followed by a dizzying heat.


    "Think of it as an admission ticket. It''s your first time, so I''ll escort you."


    A pae red crest appeared on the back of Yong-Ho''s hand. It was the familiar symbol of the Dungeon Market.


    "One person can accompany you. I''ll you up at night in two days time, so I''ll see you then. I''ll also ship your order."


    Sitri went back to her seat.


    And as if it were a sign, the whole white world around him collapsed.


    The connection to the virtual space had been lost.


    ***


    Just as he promised to Lucia, Yong-Ho took a rest.


    However, it was only one day - in fact, just half a day.


    As soon as the next morning dawned, Yong-Ho began to start the work that he had postponed.


    Perhaps because of the trouble with the Orcs, who were led by Rikum all day, or simply due to his current low blood pressure, he began to meet with all the ministers along with Catalina, who had started to doze off.


    The purpose of these meetings were listen to the grievances and hardships of each spirit and improve their working conditions, but the main purpose was different.


    It was the evolution of the spirits.


    Yong-Ho didn''t just value Skull and the other main combat spirits. The spirits guarding the dungeon such as Rikum, the Orcs and the Treant were also very precious to him. Without the Golbin Rangers and Burgrim, Mammon''s dungeon wouldn''t be able to operate as efficiently.


    While Yong-Ho advanced his evolution rate through warfare, the spirits who remained in the dungeon also increased their evolution rate in their own way. For the spirits of the House of Mammon, training at the spirits'' training ground was now routine.


    Among the spirits, the Goblin Rangers, who were now considered the seniors, had evolved to take advantage of their strengths.


    Jon had strength, Ron had stamina, Yon had agility and Jun had her intellect.


    It had been proven time and time again that the power of evolution had a certain amount of power to change aspects of ones appearance. The Goblin Rangers differed from the usual Hobgoblins. Not just their face, but their actual body shape now resembled more like a human.


    Rikum and the other Orcs also benefited from the power of evolution.


    Unlike the other Orcs, Rikum specialized in endurance. If Rikum were continue to grow, he might evolve into an Orc Emperor, the top Orc Warrior.


    It took Yong-Ho a long time to meet each spirit. HIs mana also wasn''t an infinite resource, so he was eager to rest.


    However, he couldn''t just that he was done for the day, especially with faced with earnest look of his spirits.


    It was now Burgrim''s turn.


    After the Orcs evolved, he had been waiting for his turn with longing eyes, and he now finally stood in front of Yong-Ho.


    He was nervous, but his face was hardened. Lucia whispered to Yong-Ho.


    [Since his first evolution, he has been devoted to his work. Currenty, there is not a single thing within Mammon''s dungeon that hasn''t been touched by his hands.]


    [He almost lived within the training grounds.]


    Yong-Ho understood why Burgrim was so nervous.


    Only Yong-Ho himself could see the evolution rate.


    From Burgrim''s position, it wasn''t possible to know how much his evolution rate had progressed and how long it would take to fill up. It was best for him to just continue to train and work in silence.


    How frustrating and irritable it must have been.


    Still, it was a relief. Burgrim''s evolution rate was now completely full.


    Yong-Ho spoke to Burgrim.


    "Well done. Close your eyes and stand still."


    Burgrim had been watching the meetings from behind all this time. Burgrim tightly closed his eyes and gulped. Yong-Ho placed his hand on Burgrim''s forehead and invoked the power of evolution.


    Once again, he evolved the mana attribute.


    Suddenly, there was a reaction. Yong-Ho felt Burgrim''s mana. It was very small but it was clearly pulsating. Burgrim''s mana pool had been reborn.


    Burgrim also felt it.


    He began to shed tears unknowingly.


    It was a feeling that he had thought he would never feel again. But now he felt it. It felt like a light in the darkness, although it was small, it was like a dazzling star.


    Burgrim knelt on the floor. He kowtowed to Yong-Ho several times in a row.


    Yong-Ho raised him up. He ordered him to go back and rest since he was currently overwhelmed with emotion.


    [Now we can create magical equipment.]


    [Congratulations, Master.]


    It was as Lucia had said. However, Yong-Ho didn''t feel much joy in that fact. It was because now that Burgrim had recovered his mana, he had now regained his purpose in life, which caused Yong-Ho to feel far more profound.


    Yong-Ho happily sat down on his throne. He then began to talk with Yuria and Spot, who approached him after being surprised by the weeping Burgrim.


    The evolution of Spot was simple, but Yuria''s evolution was not so easy. This was because he wanted to give her the characteristics absorbed by Agares.


    In the end, Yong-Ho couldn''t help but have a break.


    And by the evening. With the last spirit in front of him, Yong-Ho finally had a smile on his face.


    "Uh... Master?"


    Eligor faced Yong-Ho''s smile with shaking eyes. Unlike the other spirits, Yong-Ho didn''t have to wonder how to evolve Eligor.


    After evolving into the Red Demon Beast, Eligor had also worked hard. Even in the absense of Ophelia, he had continually cultivated his martial arts.


    Yong-Ho spoke with a natural expression.


    "Eligor''s evolution route was set out by Ophelia. You want to evolve your stamina? You''re still weak in your lower back and lower body. Oh, and Ophelia says hello."


    There wasn''t any choice. Eligor fondly remembered Ophelia, who had first twisted his arm and then kindly called him brother He gently closed his eyes and accepted the power of evolution.


    Another day had passed.


    For the first time since absorbing Agares''s spirit, Yong-Ho, who had exhausted all his mana, slept in. While Catalina, who had also overslept, rejoiced in her bliss.


    There was no exaggeration to say that the person to accompany Yong-Ho to the auction house had been decided from the beginning.


    Yong-Ho, who was dressed in a sharp demon suit, one of the few heirlooms of the Mammon family, looked around. Just like when he had first met her, Catalina wore a beautiful dress and tried to look cool, as if she was attempting to go back to that time.


    [People from the Dungeon Market have arrived in front of the dungeon''s entrance.]


    It was the news they were waiting for.


    Yong-Ho, who was already waiting in the entrance room, took a deep breath. He looked around at Catalina again.


    "Shall we go?"


    "Yes, Master."


    As Yong-Ho waved his hand, Lucia opened the entrance to the dungeon.


    They were greeted with the spilling moonlight.


    Just as it was a long time ago, in the age of the King of Greed.

 95 The Dungeon Market’s Auction House

    The night sky of the demon world was overwhelming in a different sense than the daytime.


    There wasn''t a dazzling harmony of brilliant colors.


    Instead a heavy blue, close to black, covered the sky. The darkness looked as if it was made to be cold and heavy. The horizon couldn''t be distinguished, as the darkness melted from the heavens to the earth.


    Starlight cascaded down. And beyond, the white moon shone.


    The moon was brighter in the dark.


    However, it never pushed the darkness away. The moonlight was in harmony with the darkness, as it conveyed warmth in the coolness of the dark.


    And now they stood under such moonlight.


    Yong-Ho now understood what it was like to be ''breathless'', even though it was just for a moment.


    Sitri was beautiful enough to disturb someone''s mind, even if they had a clear mindset. It seemed that Sitri knew this and purposely cultivated her own beauty. Moreover, she now stood under the dazzling moonlight.


    Catalina wasn''t that much different from Yong-Ho. The fact that she was a woman didn''t matter.


    Sitri smiled gently as she met them. Her naturally flowing white dress was reminiscent of a Moon Goddess.


    Time froze.


    There was power in Sitri''s beauty.


    However, there was one that kept calm even amidst the still time. There was one who was not dazzled by the beauty of Sitri, but merely looked calmly at it.


    ''Aamon.''


    Sitri spoke with her eyes.


    Aamon didn''t respond. His body was currently in the form of a bracelet on Yong-Ho''s right arm.


    Mammon''s twelve spirits each had different feelings for Sitri.


    For Elune, the one who cuts the night, it was a love-hate relationship.


    For Gusion, the strong, it was resentment.


    And for Aamon, the Red Lotus Demon Lance, it was sympathy. His feelings were a mix of fondness and sadness.


    Sitri still had a small smile, but it was cracked. Some of her deepest feelings, hidden within her heart, were revealed.


    However, her emotions only wavered ever so slightly. Sitri''s beauty was like the moonlight which conveniently covered her emotions, which in comparison were like fireflies.


    "My dearest customer, it''s time for our appointment."


    Her voice was gentle. Her red hair was slightly raised, so the curve of her white neck was clearly revealed.


    Yong-Ho took a deep breath. He lightly held the stunned Catalina''s frozen hand, and gave her a smile. He then gently pulled her hand and headed towards Sitri.


    Sitri looked at Yong-Ho and Catalina with a warm expression. As they walked closer, she bowed gracefully and then waved her hand. She pulled two masks out of thin air and held them out to Yong-Ho and Catalina.


    "This is an anonymous auction. You don''t have to wear it right now, but you''ll have to wear it once you enter the venue."


    The mask that Catalina received also exposed the lower part of her nose, but it was rather colorful and looked like a butterfly. With rainbow colors harmoniously blending in with the large black wings.


    While Sitri was giving an explanation to Yong-Ho, other things were going on. The Dungeon Market courier, dressed in an all-white costume, delivered the package to Eligor.


    After looking down at his mask for a moment, Yong-Ho looked back at Sitri. He was curious about Sitri''s mask.


    Yong-Ho didn''t know where the auction was going to be held, how long it would take to get there or how he was going to get there. If Gusion hadn''t told him that Sitri was ''Mammon''s woman'', then he would have never accompanied her, no matter how good their relationship was.


    ''if you thought about it... she''s basically an old lady.''


    It would be natural for someone to be stunned by that revelation, but it wasn''t something that Yong-Ho would mention.


    Yong-Ho smiled unknowingly, and Sitri tilted her head slightly in response.


    "My dearest customer?"


    "It''s nothing."


    He took a deep breath again. He remembered. Sitri wasn''t the guardian of the House of Mammon. She had ignored the two previous owners, and didn''t provide any decisive help to Kaiwan.


    It was the same for Yong-Ho. She did show him favoritism, but only through slightly indirect help. Of course, if he thought about things such as the mana recovery potions given to him by Sitri, then it wasn''t all small.


    However, when he fought Foras or Agares, Sitri was just a bystander.


    "Alright, let''s get started. We have a long way to go."


    Sitri took a step back. And clapped her hands while looking at Yong-Ho.


    Catalina was the first to notice something strange in the sky as she widely opened her mouth. Yong-Ho also lightly exclaimed.


    A carriage began to descend from the night sky, amidst the moonlight.


    The white wagon was without a roof and looked incredibly beautiful, but Yong-Ho and Catalina saw something other than the wagon.


    Dozens of cats running through the night sky.


    What Sitri had prepared was a cat carriage.


    ***


    Freya, the goddess of magic and beauty, from Northern European mythology, was said to have travelled through the night sky in a cat carriage to keep her promise with Odin. It was her mission to spread the seeds of chaos all over the world to create Einherjars, the warriors of the gods, for the last war.


    The cat carriage raced through the night sky.


    For Yong-Ho this was a completely new experience because he had never flown through the night sky with Salami.


    Moonlight and Starlight.


    Mana flowed through the blue darkness.


    The wind slapped his cheeks. The cat carriage was faster than Salami The starlight turned from a point into a line, and then soon became indistinguishable from the darkness.


    It wasn''t physically fast.


    The cat carriage seemed to leap through space. In an instance it seemed to magically leap over a vast distance.


    When the starlight regained its shape, the cat carriage began its descent that seemed close to falling. The thrill, as if he was riding a roller coaster, caused his whole body to tighten up.


    Fortunately, it didn''t last long. When they landed on the ground, Sitri was the first one to step out of the cat carriage. Followed closely by Yong-Ho and Catalina.


    As soon as the three of them got off, the surrounding landscape quickly transformed, while the cat carriage returned to the sky unnoticed. They had only taken a few steps before the place where they stood suddenly transformed from a white desert into a cozy wooden corridor.


    Despite the reality in front of him, Yong-Ho felt like he was accessing the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.


    Sitri took another few steps forward. She turned around in front of the door at the end of the hallway and faced Yong-Ho, while wearing her own mask. Unlike Yong-Ho and Catalina, her mask was in the shape of a lioness that covered her entire face.


    "Beyond this door, is the auction house of the Dungeon Market, led by Samael, the ''Fastest Wings'', one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market. Please put on your mask."


    Yong-Ho put on his mask, which helped to calm his agitated mind and was a symbol of anonymity.


    "My dearest customer, didn''t I tell you that I would let you experience greater things?"


    The lioness mask completely obscured Sitri''s face. She grabbed the doorknob.


    "Please, don''t feel overwhelmed."


    The door opened with a pleasing sound.


    And then Yong-Ho realized.


    The meaning of what Sitri said about experiencing greater things.


    ***


    Beyond the door was a banquet hall for the giants.


    The moment the door opened, the air changed. Unbearable weight suffocated his whole body.


    It reflexively conjured up past memories.


    When he had first met Aamon.


    When Aamon and Gusion clashed with each other.


    However, this was different. This was a completely different kind of pressure from that time.


    It was like a whirlwind. Dozens of giant pools of mana collided and tangled together, creating a complex stream of mana.


    Not just one, but several.


    Forming a dense suffocating tightness.


    There was no such absoluteness from Aamon.


    However, the mana was indifferent. The streams of mana seemed to be tanged up at random.


    Yong-Ho attempted to draw out his mana. He tried to resist the raging mana.


    But, Sitri shook her head, as if to say not to do that.


    For what reason. How come.


    Yong-Ho clenched his teeth. And then he realized that Sitri was just standing there naturally. And so were the many people behind the door.


    They didn''t concentrate their mana. They just radiated it naturally. And their emanating mana tangled together created the current heaviness.


    Ophelia had previously said that four horns indicated the strength of one of the pillars of the Southern Region.


    However, if you talked about the whole demon world, then it was only enough to be slightly influential.


    It was ridiculous to compare the number of demons in the Southern Region to the number of demons that existed throughout the entire demon world.


    What kind of beings existed beyond his horizon?


    How many horns do they have? How much power do they possess?


    Yong-Ho didn''t forcefully draw out his mana. He accepted the weight. He endured and took another deep breath.


    Of course, it was still overwhelming.


    But, he tried to get used to it. He was not afraid of the new world before him.


    The real reason Sitri had brought Yong-Ho to the auction house.


    Was this.


    To remind him of the fact that skies exist beyond skies.


    To show Yong-Ho what kind of world he would be venturing into in the future.


    The significance of this auction was the attendance itself.


    How much time has passed?


    Having just barely regained his ability to look around, Yong-Ho heard harsh breathing coming from Catalina. The burden was heavy even for Yong-Ho, who had four horns. The weight felt by Catalina, who had three horns, was several times greater.


    Catalina endured the pressure. It was thanks to Gusion. If she hadn''t tasted Gusion overwhelming pressure in the arena, she would have likely passed out.


    Yong-Ho grabbed Catalina''s hand. Even in the midst of hardship, he shared his mana. Catalina''s breath suddenly became calmer.


    Sitri quietly looked at him. She then swept aside the magical curtain that obscured the beings beyond the door.


    "Come this way. I''ll show you to your seats."


    Sitri did not protect Yong-Ho and Catalina, as Aamon had done. She took a turn and led them to their seats, while Yong-Ho followed behind alongside Catalina to keep her from falling behind.


    The area beyond the door was magnificent. It reminded Yong-Ho of a grand ballroom scene seen in movies.


    There was those who gathered together and chatted, while there were those who stood in secluded spots and quietly observed their surroundings.


    Sitri walked slowly. Which allowed Yong-Ho to be able to take a look around.


    Masks covered the faces of all of the participants. However, he knew that they were demons. The were many characteristics that could be used to identify an opponent, such as skin, body shape and unusual features.


    However, Yong-Ho lacked any information in the first place. Instead of trying to forcibly identify clues, he could simply feel the participants and their natural aura.


    A few minutes had now passed since they had walked through the door.


    Yong-Ho realized that the mana that filled the banquet hall wasn''t natural.


    Most of the participants tightly controlled their mana.


    Concealing the color and attributes of ones mana was one of the very basics. Even the mana that was exhaled with their breathing had been finely tuned.


    ''No, that''s not it.''


    It was clear to Yong-Ho that such coordination was almost entirely done at a subconscious level. Their level of mana control was unparalleled compared to the foes that Yong-Ho had encountered before. This was true for all of the participants.


    When the door was first opened, an abnormal shock pierced Yong-Ho''s back. It took his breath away. Instead of controlling his breathing, he tried to control his mana. It was impossible to do it like the other attendees right now, but he tried anyway.


    He erased the color and attributes of his mana. However, he didn''t forget to act in conjunction with Catalina''s mana.


    Yong-Ho felt like he was walking naked inside a storm. Sweat began to secrete from his hand that was holding Catalina''s.


    Time passed by extremely slowly.


    A single moment seemed to split into dozens or hundreds of equal lengths.


    And when he took a step forward, Yong-Ho suddenly turned his head.


    It was an inexplicable impulse. Greed had guided his action, but it was different from usual.


    At the end of his gaze, a large man came into view. The man was also looking at Yong-Ho, his face obscured with a terrifying ghost mask.


    As soon as Yong-Ho turned his head their gazes instantly collided.


    The slow passage of time suddenly came to a standstill.


    The man was a considerable distance away, but it felt meaningless.


    Why? What did Greed feel in that man?


    "Dearest customer? This way."


    Sitri''s voice broke the frozen time. She didn''t even look at the man. The moment Yong-Ho heard Sitri''s voice, he was able to free himself from the man''s gaze.


    "Master."


    Catalina spoke, and Yong-Ho squeezed her hand once again in response. He smiled at the bottom of his mask, and followed Sitri into the auction house.


    He could still feel the man''s gaze.


    But Yong-Ho didn''t look back.


    ***


    "Master."


    A woman in a parrot mask called to the man wearing the ghost mask in a quiet voice.


    Instead of directly responding to the woman''s call, the man in the ghost mask squinted his eyes. He was now picturing the small black-haired man, who was now out of sight.


    He was so inexperienced that he even struggled with the air of the auction house.


    But why?


    It bothered him. It wasn''t just a hunch.


    "Master?"


    "Nothing. Let''s go."


    The woman in the parrot mask looked perplexed at her master, but she soon regained her composure. She guided her master with a gentle gesture.


    One of the six kings who ruled the demon world.


    The King of Gluttony took a step forward.


    ***


    "Ladies and gentlemen. Let''s begin today''s auction. The first item for auction today is the Champion of the World, Asran."

 95 Dungeon Market’s Auction House

    The night sky of the demon world was overwhelming in a different sense than the daytime.


    There wasn''t a dazzling harmony of brilliant colors.


    Instead a heavy blue, close to black, covered the sky. The darkness looked as if it was made to be cold and heavy. The horizon couldn''t be distinguished, as the darkness melted from the heavens to the earth.


    Starlight cascaded down. And beyond, the white moon shone.


    The moon was brighter in the dark.


    However, it never pushed the darkness away. The moonlight was in harmony with the darkness, as it conveyed warmth in the coolness of the dark.


    And now they stood under such moonlight.


    Yong-Ho now understood what it was like to be ''breathless'', even though it was just for a moment.


    Sitri was beautiful enough to disturb someone''s mind, even if they had a clear mindset. It seemed that Sitri knew this and purposely cultivated her own beauty. Moreover, she now stood under the dazzling moonlight.


    Catalina wasn''t that much different from Yong-Ho. The fact that she was a woman didn''t matter.


    Sitri smiled gently as she met them. Her naturally flowing white dress was reminiscent of a Moon Goddess.


    Time froze.


    There was power in Sitri''s beauty.


    However, there was one that kept calm even amidst the still time. There was one who was not dazzled by the beauty of Sitri, but merely looked calmly at it.


    ''Aamon.''


    Sitri spoke with her eyes.


    Aamon didn''t respond. His body was currently in the form of a bracelet on Yong-Ho''s right arm.


    Mammon''s twelve spirits each had different feelings for Sitri.


    For Elune, the one who cuts the night, it was a love-hate relationship.


    For Gusion, the strong, it was resentment.


    And for Aamon, the Red Lotus Demon Lance, it was sympathy. His feelings were a mix of fondness and sadness.


    Sitri still had a small smile, but it was cracked. Some of her deepest feelings, hidden within her heart, were revealed.


    However, her emotions only wavered ever so slightly. Sitri''s beauty was like the moonlight which conveniently covered her emotions, which in comparison were like fireflies.


    "My dearest customer, it''s time for our appointment."


    Her voice was gentle. Her red hair was slightly raised, so the curve of her white neck was clearly revealed.


    Yong-Ho took a deep breath. He lightly held the stunned Catalina''s frozen hand, and gave her a smile. He then gently pulled her hand and headed towards Sitri.


    Sitri looked at Yong-Ho and Catalina with a warm expression. As they walked closer, she bowed gracefully and then waved her hand. She pulled two masks out of thin air and held them out to Yong-Ho and Catalina.


    "This is an anonymous auction. You don''t have to wear it right now, but you''ll have to wear it once you enter the venue."


    The mask that Catalina received also exposed the lower part of her nose, but it was rather colorful and looked like a butterfly. With rainbow colors harmoniously blending in with the large black wings.


    While Sitri was giving an explanation to Yong-Ho, other things were going on. The Dungeon Market courier, dressed in an all-white costume, delivered the package to Eligor.


    After looking down at his mask for a moment, Yong-Ho looked back at Sitri. He was curious about Sitri''s mask.


    Yong-Ho didn''t know where the auction was going to be held, how long it would take to get there or how he was going to get there. If Gusion hadn''t told him that Sitri was ''Mammon''s woman'', then he would have never accompanied her, no matter how good their relationship was.


    ''if you thought about it... she''s basically an old lady.''


    It would be natural for someone to be stunned by that revelation, but it wasn''t something that Yong-Ho would mention.


    Yong-Ho smiled unknowingly, and Sitri tilted her head slightly in response.


    "My dearest customer?"


    "It''s nothing."


    He took a deep breath again. He remembered. Sitri wasn''t the guardian of the House of Mammon. She had ignored the two previous owners, and didn''t provide any decisive help to Kaiwan.


    It was the same for Yong-Ho. She did show him favoritism, but only through slightly indirect help. Of course, if he thought about things such as the mana recovery potions given to him by Sitri, then it wasn''t all small.


    However, when he fought Foras or Agares, Sitri was just a bystander.


    "Alright, let''s get started. We have a long way to go."


    Sitri took a step back. And clapped her hands while looking at Yong-Ho.


    Catalina was the first to notice something strange in the sky as she widely opened her mouth. Yong-Ho also lightly exclaimed.


    A carriage began to descend from the night sky, amidst the moonlight.


    The white wagon was without a roof and looked incredibly beautiful, but Yong-Ho and Catalina saw something other than the wagon.


    Dozens of cats running through the night sky.


    What Sitri had prepared was a cat carriage.


    ***


    Freya, the goddess of magic and beauty, from Northern European mythology, was said to have travelled through the night sky in a cat carriage to keep her promise with Odin. It was her mission to spread the seeds of chaos all over the world to create Einherjars, the warriors of the gods, for the last war.


    The cat carriage raced through the night sky.


    For Yong-Ho this was a completely new experience because he had never flown through the night sky with Salami.


    Moonlight and Starlight.


    Mana flowed through the blue darkness.


    The wind slapped his cheeks. The cat carriage was faster than Salami The starlight turned from a point into a line, and then soon became indistinguishable from the darkness.


    It wasn''t physically fast.


    The cat carriage seemed to leap through space. In an instance it seemed to magically leap over a vast distance.


    When the starlight regained its shape, the cat carriage began its descent that seemed close to falling. The thrill, as if he was riding a roller coaster, caused his whole body to tighten up.


    Fortunately, it didn''t last long. When they landed on the ground, Sitri was the first one to step out of the cat carriage. Followed closely by Yong-Ho and Catalina.


    As soon as the three of them got off, the surrounding landscape quickly transformed, while the cat carriage returned to the sky unnoticed. They had only taken a few steps before the place where they stood suddenly transformed from a white desert into a cozy wooden corridor.


    Despite the reality in front of him, Yong-Ho felt like he was accessing the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.


    Sitri took another few steps forward. She turned around in front of the door at the end of the hallway and faced Yong-Ho, while wearing her own mask. Unlike Yong-Ho and Catalina, her mask was in the shape of a lioness that covered her entire face.


    "Beyond this door, is the auction house of the Dungeon Market, led by Samael, the ''Fastest Wings'', one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market. Please put on your mask."


    Yong-Ho put on his mask, which helped to calm his agitated mind and was a symbol of anonymity.


    "My dearest customer, didn''t I tell you that I would let you experience greater things?"


    The lioness mask completely obscured Sitri''s face. She grabbed the doorknob.


    "Please, don''t feel overwhelmed."


    The door opened with a pleasing sound.


    And then Yong-Ho realized.


    The meaning of what Sitri said about experiencing greater things.


    ***


    Beyond the door was a banquet hall for the giants.


    The moment the door opened, the air changed. Unbearable weight suffocated his whole body.


    It reflexively conjured up past memories.


    When he had first met Aamon.


    When Aamon and Gusion clashed with each other.


    However, this was different. This was a completely different kind of pressure from that time.


    It was like a whirlwind. Dozens of giant pools of mana collided and tangled together, creating a complex stream of mana.


    Not just one, but several.


    Forming a dense suffocating tightness.


    There was no such absoluteness from Aamon.


    However, the mana was indifferent. The streams of mana seemed to be tanged up at random.


    Yong-Ho attempted to draw out his mana. He tried to resist the raging mana.


    But, Sitri shook her head, as if to say not to do that.


    For what reason. How come.


    Yong-Ho clenched his teeth. And then he realized that Sitri was just standing there naturally. And so were the many people behind the door.


    They didn''t concentrate their mana. They just radiated it naturally. And their emanating mana tangled together created the current heaviness.


    Ophelia had previously said that four horns indicated the strength of one of the pillars of the Southern Region.


    However, if you talked about the whole demon world, then it was only enough to be slightly influential.


    It was ridiculous to compare the number of demons in the Southern Region to the number of demons that existed throughout the entire demon world.


    What kind of beings existed beyond his horizon?


    How many horns do they have? How much power do they possess?


    Yong-Ho didn''t forcefully draw out his mana. He accepted the weight. He endured and took another deep breath.


    Of course, it was still overwhelming.


    But, he tried to get used to it. He was not afraid of the new world before him.


    The real reason Sitri had brought Yong-Ho to the auction house.


    Was this.


    To remind him of the fact that skies exist beyond skies.


    To show Yong-Ho what kind of world he would be venturing into in the future.


    The significance of this auction was the attendance itself.


    How much time has passed?


    Having just barely regained his ability to look around, Yong-Ho heard harsh breathing coming from Catalina. The burden was heavy even for Yong-Ho, who had four horns. The weight felt by Catalina, who had three horns, was several times greater.


    Catalina endured the pressure. It was thanks to Gusion. If she hadn''t tasted Gusion overwhelming pressure in the arena, she would have likely passed out.


    Yong-Ho grabbed Catalina''s hand. Even in the midst of hardship, he shared his mana. Catalina''s breath suddenly became calmer.


    Sitri quietly looked at him. She then swept aside the magical curtain that obscured the beings beyond the door.


    "Come this way. I''ll show you to your seats."


    Sitri did not protect Yong-Ho and Catalina, as Aamon had done. She took a turn and led them to their seats, while Yong-Ho followed behind alongside Catalina to keep her from falling behind.


    The area beyond the door was magnificent. It reminded Yong-Ho of a grand ballroom scene seen in movies.


    There was those who gathered together and chatted, while there were those who stood in secluded spots and quietly observed their surroundings.


    Sitri walked slowly. Which allowed Yong-Ho to be able to take a look around.


    Masks covered the faces of all of the participants. However, he knew that they were demons. The were many characteristics that could be used to identify an opponent, such as skin, body shape and unusual features.


    However, Yong-Ho lacked any information in the first place. Instead of trying to forcibly identify clues, he could simply feel the participants and their natural aura.


    A few minutes had now passed since they had walked through the door.


    Yong-Ho realized that the mana that filled the banquet hall wasn''t natural.


    Most of the participants tightly controlled their mana.


    Concealing the color and attributes of ones mana was one of the very basics. Even the mana that was exhaled with their breathing had been finely tuned.


    ''No, that''s not it.''


    It was clear to Yong-Ho that such coordination was almost entirely done at a subconscious level. Their level of mana control was unparalleled compared to the foes that Yong-Ho had encountered before. This was true for all of the participants.


    When the door was first opened, an abnormal shock pierced Yong-Ho''s back. It took his breath away. Instead of controlling his breathing, he tried to control his mana. It was impossible to do it like the other attendees right now, but he tried anyway.


    He erased the color and attributes of his mana. However, he didn''t forget to act in conjunction with Catalina''s mana.


    Yong-Ho felt like he was walking naked inside a storm. Sweat began to secrete from his hand that was holding Catalina''s.


    Time passed by extremely slowly.


    A single moment seemed to split into dozens or hundreds of equal lengths.


    And when he took a step forward, Yong-Ho suddenly turned his head.


    It was an inexplicable impulse. Greed had guided his action, but it was different from usual.


    At the end of his gaze, a large man came into view. The man was also looking at Yong-Ho, his face obscured with a terrifying ghost mask.


    As soon as Yong-Ho turned his head their gazes instantly collided.


    The slow passage of time suddenly came to a standstill.


    The man was a considerable distance away, but it felt meaningless.


    Why? What did Greed feel in that man?


    "Dearest customer? This way."


    Sitri''s voice broke the frozen time. She didn''t even look at the man. The moment Yong-Ho heard Sitri''s voice, he was able to free himself from the man''s gaze.


    "Master."


    Catalina spoke, and Yong-Ho squeezed her hand once again in response. He smiled at the bottom of his mask, and followed Sitri into the auction house.


    He could still feel the man''s gaze.


    But Yong-Ho didn''t look back.


    ***


    "Master."


    A woman in a parrot mask called to the man wearing the ghost mask in a quiet voice.


    Instead of directly responding to the woman''s call, the man in the ghost mask squinted his eyes. He was now picturing the small black-haired man, who was now out of sight.


    He was so inexperienced that he even struggled with the air of the auction house.


    But why?


    It bothered him. It wasn''t just a hunch.


    "Master?"


    "Nothing. Let''s go."


    The woman in the parrot mask looked perplexed at her master, but she soon regained her composure. She guided her master with a gentle gesture.


    One of the six kings who ruled the demon world.


    The King of Gluttony took a step forward.


    ***


    "Ladies and gentlemen. Let''s begin today''s auction. The first item for auction today is the Champion of the World, Asran."

 96 Dungeon Market’s Auction House 2

    "Ladies and gentlemen. Let''s begin today''s auction. The first item for sale is Asran, the champion of the world."


    The inside of this auction house was like an opera house. There was a large stage in the center, with seats all around it. However, the shape of the seats was a little different from normal. There were clusters of two to four seats connected together, and gaps between each cluster.


    ''Is this an advancement of couple''s seats in theatres?''


    Yong-Ho briefly recalled a theatre where he worked for a short time. It was similar but different. The auction house looked more akin to the end of year award ceremonies on TV.


    Sitri led Yong-Ho to a spot in the center of the hall. In that spot was a long sofa with a long table beside it, adorned with the number ''27''.


    "This man bravely attacked the dungeon of the King of Violence. Although the King of Violence showed mercy, the very fact that this man survived is a testament to his value."


    The auction continued while Yong-Ho was looking for a seat.


    Sitri silently sat on the left-hand side of the sofa, while Yong-Ho, still holding Catalina''s left hand with his right, hesitated for a moment before sitting beside her. Naturally, Catalina sat next to Yong-Ho on the right side of the sofa.


    There was enough space between Yong-Ho and Sitri to fit another person. Which was quite a striking difference from Catalina who closely sat next to him. It seemed to naturally symbolize Yong-Ho''s distance from Sitri, which had not yet been filled.


    Sitri didn''t mind, however, and Yong-Ho, who had now sat down, was finally able to look at the stage.


    "As a champion, he''s got talents in many areas. He''s a powerful prosecutor, a wizard and an outstanding tactician. He truly is a jack of all trades. Although he is excellent as he is, he''ll still be able to perform satisfactorily even if you resurrect him as an undead."


    The auction was held by a man wearing an elephant mask. It was truly bizarre. Other than the mask, the only thing the man wore was a well dressed suit, but for some reason he looked very attractive. It was the first time Yong-Ho had ever felt this way about a man, rather than a woman, so he suddenly felt quite agitated.


    Whether Sitri had been able to discern Yong-Ho feelings or not, she spoke in a quiet voice.


    "That''s the Incubus, Rod Karot. One of Samael''s henchmen. He''s a dangerous person who can attract others subconsciously. Be careful, because his seduction works on both men and women."


    Sitri finished talking with a smile. Yong-Ho thought he could pay back Sitri, but he decided not to mention it. Instead he focused on the auction again.


    The man in the elephant mask, the Incubus Rod Karot, stood next to the champion Asran.


    It wasn''t his figure or appearance that didn''t match his fancy armor, it was his eyes.


    Yong-Ho thought of Burgrim.


    He had lost all hope in life and was barely alive.


    Yong-Ho fantasized what must have happened in his mind. He would not have attacked the King of Violence alone, so he must have had companions. What happened to those companions? Had they all died? Was he in despair because he had been taken to this strange world and enslave?


    "That''s it for the introduction. Let us now begin. The starting price is 5000."


    It was enough money to purchase hundreds of lower class spirits.


    Yong-Ho cleared away his useless delusions and looked at Asran objectively. Even within this auction house, Yong-Ho did not fight the surging tide of mana. He naturally invoked the power of evolution.


    [Name: Asran (M)]


    [Race: Human]


    [Strength - Level 4 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Stamina - Level 4 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Mana - Level 7 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]


    [Skill - Level 6 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]


    Since he wasn''t one of Yong-Ho''s spirits, he could only see a rough amount of information, but Yong-Ho felt both admiration and disappointment.


    Asran, the champion, was the highest level of existence that Yong-Ho had examined to date. However, he didn''t have much potential for evolution.


    Yong-Ho suddenly turned to his side. Catalina''s breath was calm. It was an incredibly quick adaptation, even despite Yong-Ho''s resonating mana.


    Yong-Ho had four horns, while Catalina only had three. The difference was huge. If considering the absolute amount of mana possessed, it was clear that Catalina had less than half of Yong-Ho''s.


    Nevertheless, Catalina was able to successfully adapt to the flow of mana within the auction house. She protected herself by gently passing on the mana swirling around her.


    ''Come to think of it.''


    Aside from Aamon, who degraded himself, Catalina had by far the most potential out of all of Yong-Ho''s spirits. She had a potential of four stars, which even the warrior Asran did not have, and even her lowest potential was three and half stars, which was comparable to Asran.


    Catalina was a shiny gemstone. The beauty and value of the cut would be dependent on the method of cutting.


    "Master?"


    Catalina noticed Yong-Ho''s gaze and asked him quietly. Yong-Ho responded as if it was nothing and then lifted the power of evolution.


    The champion Asran was auctioned off to a man wearing a dragon mask.


    The auction continued. Like Asran, there were times when a person came up for sale, and there were also times when mysterious artefacts came up as well.


    Yong-Ho enjoyed the auction in his own way. When people came up for sale, he examined their potential with the power of evolution, and when items came up, he evaluated them with the power of greed.


    It was important for him to expand his understanding of the world and fill in gaps in his knowledge.


    Time passed.


    The thirteenth item now came up to the stage.


    "You may think of this as a short break. This is the cursed crown of Einkel."


    A small crown was placed on top of a cart pushed by a woman in a bunny mask. The crown, made out of pure metal, was not only worn but was also covered in damage, as if it had been poorly kept.


    Karot subsequently gave details about the crown. His explanation was so frivolous, that it felt like the only reason for it was for people to just have a break. Even the curse of the crown felt mischievous.


    However, Yong-Ho swallowed dry saliva. Karot''s explanation wasn''t heard.


    Greed raised its voice. But, it was different from before.


    Greed had always been obsessed with value. It pointed Yong-Ho to its desire.


    However, Greed did not point to the crown. It stretched out its branches everywhere except for the crown.


    Nevertheless, Yong-Ho felt a deep coveting feeling towards it.


    Greed was the same. It was saying that he needed to get his hands on the crown, even though it didn''t stretch out its branches towards it.


    It was an unknown sensation.


    It had never been like this before.


    No, was that really the case?


    Had this sensation really never been felt before?


    There had been a similar sensation. But, that just made it even more incomprehensible.


    Just before entering the main auction house, he had encountered a man wearing a ghostly mask. When his eyes met with his.


    It was similar to the sensation that he felt at that time. Obviously it wasn''t entirely the same, but he felt similarities.


    "The price starts at 100."


    Karot''s voice broke through his mind. Yong-Ho reflexively looked at Sitri. And Sitri gently greeted Yong-Ho''s gaze, as if she knew that he would look at her.


    Yong-Ho was embarrassed by Sitri''s gaze, but only for a moment. Instead of hesitating, he asked in a slightly urgent tone.


    "I''ll pay for it as soon as I return. Could you lend me the money?"


    Sitri responded with a smile. Instead of talking to Yong-Ho about Gatabuta - to say that something is right or wrong -, she raised her long slender finger to participate in the auction.


    Few coveted the crown, as evidenced by its frivolous sale in the first place. Even so, after Sitri''s bid became a little too high, all the other potential bidders eventually disappeared entirely.


    The final bid was 500. He couldn''t afford to be extravagant, but he was able to cover this amount.


    Yong-Ho, who prayed whenever the price went up, breathed out a sigh of relief. After Yong-Ho managed to regain his tranquility, Sitri spoke.


    "Then shall we go back now? You''ve now had plenty of experience in the higher skies, your guard has crossed a threshold and you also got an item that you wanted."


    When Sitri mentioned that his guard had crossed a threshold, Yong-Ho hurriedly looked at Catalina. Catalina blinked as if she was wondering what Sitri was talking about, but quickly understood. It was the same for Yong-Ho.


    Catalina''s mana control had noticeably improved from before entering the auction house. Yong-Ho''s mana control had improved as well, but if one were to compare them, Catalina''s improvement was clearly superior.


    "Thank you."


    "Well, I just kept my promise."


    Sitri responded gently to Yong-Ho''s thanks and then stood up first. She then naturally led Yong-Ho and Catalina out, as she had done with them when they entered,


    ***


    It was almost near the end of the auction when the King of Gluttony entered the auction house.


    The King of Gluttony felt rather satisfied, as his secret deal with Samael had been quite successful.


    The woman in the parrot mask politely handed over the catalogue to the King of Gluttony. It was a catalogue of the items that were auctioned off today.


    The catalogue did not simply just contain pictures or descriptions. The catalogue recorded specific moments with mana, making it possible for the reader to get a vivid feel of the item.


    The King of Gluttony suddenly stopped, as he was turning one of the pages with a light touch. The woman in the parrot mask, who was focusing on the King of Gluttony, asked in a quiet graceful voice.


    "Master, have you found anything of interest?"


    The King of Gluttony did not answer. He just stared at the catalogue Instead of repeating her words, the woman in the parrot mask peeked at the catalogue. On the page when the King of Gluttony''s hand had stopped, was the listing of the cursed crown of Einkel.


    It was a small enough item to be a children''s toy. The curse of the crown also seemed rather crude.


    Nevertheless, the King of Gluttony continued to stare at it. He stared at the item for a long time, then spoke in a low tone.


    "Who won this item?"


    That was the King of Gluttony''s question. However, the woman in the parrot mask could not answer. In the case of an anonymous auction, the Dungeon Market never divulged the buyer''s information.


    "Please wait a moment."


    The woman in the parrot mask stood up after barely being able to squeeze out an answer. Now that this was the case, she had to figure out which masked attendee had won the crown. If she were to ask that question from on the auctioneers, she would at least be able to know what they looked like.


    When the woman in the parrot mask left, the King of Gluttony exhaled a long breath. He reached out and touched the image of the crown floating in the air.


    The curse of the crown was crude. The shape of the crown was also of little value.


    But the metal that made up the crown.


    Ordinary people were unable to recognize it.


    Even for discerning blacksmiths, it was difficult to appreciate the true value of the metal.


    But the King of Gluttony knew.


    It wasn''t because he had a good eye.


    The power of Gluttony was telling him.


    The great ancient power was shouting.


    Seven Deadly Sins. Seven Sins.


    A fragment of the great demon king''s soul. A portion of the highest existence.


    Seven Miracles


    A fragment of the great demon king''s flesh.


    And the mysterious fragments. Dozens, hundreds of them.


    The metal that made up that crown was one of those mysterious fragments. But even so, it was a fragment of the body of the great demon king.


    God''s metal.


    Yes, what other expression would suit such a metal.


    The King of Gluttony was a meticulous man. He asked himself.


    Did the buyer recognize the true worth of the crown? Perhaps he just bought the crown for his own amusement.


    It didn''t matter if it was for just personal amusement.


    But if that was not the case, then would he have recognized the true nature of the crown.


    ''No, it can''t be.''


    The only king inside the auction house was the King of Gluttony himself. If there was another king, then he would have known. All six existing kings were kings that the King of Gluttony had personally met and competed against.


    But why? Why did he have such an awkward feeling?


    The King of Gluttony waited for the woman in the parrot mask to return. And suddenly he recalled a man.


    A young man wearing a white mask that he had encountered before the auction began.


    The King of Gluttony shook his head. He turned the pages of the catalogue in the hope that it was just an unfounded fear.


    ***


    "Thank you very much for today."


    Yong-Ho climbed off of the cat carriage and thanked Sitri. It seemed like they had been away for a long time, but the night was still not yet over. The dawn was still far away.


    Sitri laughed. She gazed at Yong-Ho with affectionate eyes.


    "I''m also happy when my beloved customer improves. Just think of it as something I did for myself. And-"


    Sitri suddenly stopped talking. She squinted her eyes and smiled.


    "You look sweet together, but can''t you let go now?"


    Yong-Ho blinked, but soon understood. He glanced at Catalina''s hand which he had still been holding ever since they had left the auction house and returned to Mammon''s dungeon.


    Catalina became flustered, causing her ears to begin to flap. Yong-Ho became startled and quickly let go. Both of her ears were bright red.


    Sitri did not tease the two of them with silence. Instead, she took the crown out from between her breasts and held it out to Yong-Ho.


    "Here''s the crown. You have a good eye."


    Was that just a joke, or was the crown really worth something?


    While Yong-Ho was contemplating on it, Sitri took a step back.


    "You should go in. Eligor will be waiting for you."


    He didn''t know about Eligor, but the High Meerkats had just woken up and were now watching them.


    Yong-Ho nodded. He first gave Sitri a farewell.


    "I''ll see you next time then."


    "Yes, you too. I look forward to seeing you again."


    Sitri also gave her farewell in return. Catalina bowed her head after briefly pondering how to say goodbye.


    Yong-Ho and Catalina then headed side by side back to Mammon''s dungeon. Sitri looked at them from the back and wore a lonely smile upon her face. She climbed back onto the cat carriage.


    The figure of Yong-Ho. With Catalina standing next to him.


    Reminded her of Mammon and Elune. Sitri reminisced for a long time as the cat carriage flew through the night sky. She sang in a quiet voice, as dawn approached.


    "Mammon."


    The great King of Greed.


    The only man the Sitri had ever loved.


    And.


    Sitri looked down at her hand. She bit her lips without realizing it. She remembered what she wanted to forget, but couldn''t.


    More than a thousand years ago.


    The day the Mammon disappeared from this world.


    Sitri clenched her fist. She held the same hand to her chest that had taken Mammon''s life. Once again, she called out Mammon''s name.


    But there was no answer.


    Only a watery voice hovered in the dark night sky.

 97 The Door of Space

    "The cursed crown of Einkel."


    After speaking out loud, Yong-Ho put down the brochure he had received from the auction house. He naturally looked at the crown.


    There wasn''t much information in the brochure.


    The name and origin of the crown and an outline of the legend behind it.


    The first owner of the crown was King Einkel, who was said to be from the eastern part of the demon world.


    There was a legend that said that anyone with the crown at their bedside would be visited by nightmares. Unlike tinnitus, it was a legend, not a definitive curse, since there were those who did not receive nightmares, despite having the crown on their bedside.


    According to the Dungeon Market''s brochure, some people may not even have nightmares at all, while others who did, would only have a couple of them.


    It was like a child''s toy. It could be dangerous if one had a ''fatal'' nightmare, but that wasn''t necessarily going to be the case. Although it differed person to person, it would probably only cause one to recall the most shameful things in life.


    It was a crown that reminded him of one of the penalties of the lower floors of Mammon''s arena.


    Yong-Ho carefully lifted the crown. He could definitely feel the mana, albeit weakly. It wasn''t something that Greed would covet.


    However, Yong-Ho didn''t give up easily. Although he was a major in computer engineering, he decided to experiment with a variety of methods.


    Yong-Ho concentrated mana into both of his hands. There was no response from the crown.


    Yong-Ho repeatedly invoked the power of evolution. He closely looked at the crown, but no letters of light appeared.


    It was too early to give up. Yong-Ho aroused Greed.


    As always, smoke, that was only visible to Yong-Ho, appeared. Greed began to stretch out in all directions as if searching for a place to go, and soon began to raise its voice.


    It was just like in the auction house. Except there was one thing that was different.


    The crown was now in Yong-Ho''s hands. It wasn''t far away, like in the auction house.


    Greed headed towards the crown. The smoke wound around Yong-Ho''s hands as well as the crown.


    What happened next was purely instinctual.


    Yong-Ho instinctively aroused his mana. Green mana, blooming like flames, began to concentrate in both of his hands.


    Greed and mana became one. Yong-Ho infused his mana into Greed.


    It was a combination he had never even thought of trying. The results of such a combination were truly magnificent.


    His mana had been amplified. However, it didn''t stop there, his mana was being tempered. Greed elevated Yong-Ho''s mana to a higher level.


    Yong-Ho breathed out roughly. The flow of mana was too fast. Moreover, it flowed roughly. Like the galloping of a wild horse.


    Yong-Ho took the reins of the galloping wild horse. He turned the runaway horse into a race.


    And instinct dictated: Yong-Ho infused the new mana into the crown held in his hands.


    The crown did not explode. It didn''t even melt into the unruly mana.


    The crown responded. It accepted Yong-Ho''s mana as if it had been waiting.


    Store. Amplify. Respond.


    Yong-Ho recognized the true essence of the crown. The current reaction wasn''t because of some special magic on the crown. It was the power of the metal itself that made up the crown.


    It was only then that he understood. Greed wasn''t craving like usual. Instead it was ''resonating'' with the metal that made up the crown.


    How could this be?


    What kind of metal resonated with Greed, one of the Seven Deadly Sins?


    Yong-Ho put aside the currently unsolvable questions and exclaimed at the idea that suddenly came to his mind. He yelled.


    "Catalina!"


    "Master?"


    At Lucia''s call, Catalina rushed towards Yong-Ho and blinked at the sight of the cut crown.


    It was Yong-Ho who cut the crown. Instead of explaining to Catalina, Yong-Ho returned Aamon, who was currently emitting a high temperature, to his bracelet form and handed one of the pieces of the crown to Catalina.


    "Hold it."


    For a dungeon spirit, the order of the owner was absolute. Catalina faced Yong-Ho, holding a piece of the crown.


    Yong-ho took a step back. After opening up a reasonable distance from Catalina, he gave her another command.


    "Arouse your mana."


    Catalina bit her lips, but soon did as Yong-Ho ordered. Black mana arose.


    Yong-Ho felt Catalina''s mana. Realizing the connection between owner and spirit, he also aroused his own mana.


    It wasn''t his ordinary mana. Greed and mana covered the fragment of the crown in his hands. Soon, a strange reaction occurred that Yong-Ho was hoping for.


    The piece of the crown held by Catalina suddenly responded. Despite not touching Yong-Ho''s mana, it showed the exact same reaction as the piece held in Yong-Ho''s own hands.


    And then again as expected.


    Catalina''s mana was amplified. The power of Greed partly infused with Catalina''s black mana.


    Catalina was stunned at the sudden amplification of her mana. But that wasn''t the only thing that surprised her. She felt Yong-Ho within her amplified mana.


    Catalina focused. She controlled the mana that began to run wild and made it her own. She had also experienced the auction house, so she too was able to control it.


    It was like a well-forged blade. The attributes of Catalina''s black mana also became stronger.


    Yong-Ho understood. It was originally just a crown, so there was no connection between the two pieces.


    Instead it was himself and Catalina who were connected. The current phenomenon occurred because he, the owner, was conscious of his connection with Catalina, the dungeon spirit.


    Catalina did not possess the power of a sin.


    But Yong-Ho was able to use the power of the crown to amplify his own sin. The power of sin that was amplified was then transmitted to Catalina, and the crown piece that Catalina was holding reacted to that power, inducing Yong-Ho''s desired response. Store, amplify and respond!


    Still, the identity of the metal was unknown. However, the use of the metal was not. All that remained was to find a more efficient way to utilize it.


    "Catalina."


    "Yes, Master."


    Catalina looked at Yong-Ho, anticipating an explanation. However, Yong-Ho said something entirely unexpected.


    "Let''s go find Burgrim."


    Catalina was unable to ask any questions. Since she was busy chasing after Yong-Ho, who had swiftly exited the room in the blink of an eye.


    ***


    Yong-Ho wasn''t the only one in Mammon''s dungeon with glistening eyes.


    After recovering some of his mana, Burgrim began to make magical gear like crazy, as if to show what the madness of a craftsman was really like.


    Of course, his mana was still too weak. There was no shortage of materials that would digest his mana.


    But still, Burgrim utilised his mana. He had begun to make new dishware for the kitchen. Strong spoons and forks had been mass produced. The knives and ladles could even temporarily be used as combat weapons.


    Burgrim, who was currently making iron chopsticks for Yong-Ho with all his heart and soul, suddenly jumped up from his seat. It was a sudden visit, but he graciously greeted Yong-Ho without a hint of reluctance. For Burgrim, Yong-Ho wasn''t just his master, but his lifesaver - no, even more than that.


    Yong-Ho asked Burgrim, while handing him the pieces of the crown.


    "Could you melt these and make something like a ring or bracelet?"


    Yong-Ho''s eyes twinkled in anticipation. There was no way Burgrim could decline facing those eyes. Fortunately, he was good at making jewelry.


    Nodding his head in acceptance, Burgrim carefully reached out to take a look at the crown pieces.


    Yong-Ho quickly handed over the crown pieces to him. Burgrim tapped the crown pieces with his finger. It seemed as if he was listening to its sound, as at the same time he closed his eyes and began to feel them.


    [Some of the great esteemed dwarves are said to be able to hear the sound of metal.]


    [Perhaps it''s better to say that they can interact with the metal itself?]


    [Burgrim is most likely trying to figure out the strength and ductility of the metal that makes up the crown pieces.]


    Lucia explained to Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho was pleased with the fact that Burgrim was an esteemed dwarf and was delighted that he was working with a smile upon his face.


    After smiling at Yong-Ho, Burgrim took out a small blackboard and chalk that lay in the corner of the workshop. He asked Yong-Ho a question in poor demon language.


    \u003cWhat should I make?\u003e


    \u003cPlease choose the type and quantity.\u003e


    Yong-Ho looked around Catalina. Catalina ears began to droop with embarrassment as she drew Yong-Ho''s attention.


    After examining Catalina''s ears, neck and wrists, Yong-Ho soon made his decision. He thought of the rest of his spirits and then spoke to Burgrim.


    "Two rings, one for a man and one for a woman. One bracelet for a man and one anklet for a woman. And... finally a necklace. That one''s for a man. If there''s any metal left, just keep it."


    The rings were for Yong-Ho himself and Catalina, while the bracelet and anklet would belong to Eligor and Ophelia respectively. While, finally, the necklace was for Skull.


    Upon hearing Yong-Ho''s order, Burgrim pondered for a moment and quickly wrote a new question on the board.


    \u003cIs it for a wedding?\u003e


    \u003cA sign of solidarity...\u003e


    Burgrim gaze alternated between Yong-Ho and Catalina, causing Yong-Ho to quickly speak out.


    "No, nothing like that. There are just items to be given to some of the spirits. I''ll wear one of the rings, while the rest will belong to Catalina, Eligor, Ophelia and Skull respectively. You know who they are, right?"


    He almost emptied out all the air from his lungs.


    Yong-Ho didn''t look back at Catalina. For some reason, after they had visited the auction house, he kept thinking about it.


    After looking around the room for a moment, he quietly spoke to Burgrim.


    "But... it would be nice if you made them look pretty."


    \u003cI''ll make a pair of rings and bracelets.\u003e


    Burgrim responded with a hearty grin, which Yong-Ho couldn''t object to.


    [Thump thump?]


    [Throb throb?]


    [Flutter flutter?]


    Lucia spoke very quickly, and Yong-Ho fanned his face to cool off. He also asked Burgrim, while ignoring the fluttering noise from behind his back.


    "By the way, do you know anything about this metal?"


    \u003cI''ve never seen this before.\u003e


    \u003cIt''s basic nature seems similar to silver.\u003e


    It was clear that Burgrim was an outstanding blacksmith, but he wasn''t born in the demon world.


    He wasn''t used to using the metals of the demon world.


    Yong-Ho asked another question.


    "If you''re not going to use all of the crown, could you cut some off?"


    \u003cOkay. I think around three quarters will be enough.\u003e


    The crown wasn''t that big in the first place, but it was far larger than a bracelet or ring.


    Burgrim broke one of the crown pieces in half again and handed it to Yong-Ho.


    "Okay, then please start work right away. I don''t want to push you, but how long will it take?"


    \u003cI''ll finish them by tomorrow.\u003e


    Burgrim''s answer was very refreshing. Yong-Ho patted him on the shoulder and took the piece of the crown. Yong-Ho then left the workshop, alongside Catalina, who had now regained her calmness.


    "Let''s go to the arena."


    Originally, he had planned to explore the stairs leading to the next underground floor. But he had changed his mind. For now, visiting the arena was more urgent.


    It was a metal that even Burgrim didn''t recognize, perhaps if it was Aamon or Gusion, they might know. No, it was more likely that both of them would just know it as a metal that responded to the power of Greed, and nothing else.


    ''Also.''


    It was now time to challenge the arena again. Thanks to Agares''s spirit, he had strengthened, not only his mana, but his physical ability as well. Moreover, he also wanted to test out his new found power - the mana of Greed.


    Yong-Ho hurried his steps. He headed to the arena.


    ***


    Yong-Ho''s arrival was the same as usual, as the man in the beast mask led the way.


    However, when he physically arrived at the arena, there was something different.


    "Gusion?"


    Although Yong-Ho had only visited a few times before, Gusion had always been there early. He always stood with his back facing the entrance as if he was ''pretending'' that he never waited. He only turned around after Yong-Ho greeted him.


    This time, however, he was facing Yong-Ho from the front. As soon as Yong-Ho passed through the corridor, he seemed to know.


    Furthermore, it didn''t end there.


    "I have something to tell you... No, I have a favor to ask."


    Yong-Ho squinted at the unexpected words. Catalina eyes widened in surprise.


    Gusion scratched his cheek. It seemed that it was difficult for him to make a request.


    "Talk to Kaiwan. That is my favor."


    Yong-Ho''s expression became even more subtle.

 98 Door of Space 2

    Gusion had asked for a favor. Furthermore, his request was for Yong-Ho to have a conversation with Kaiwan.


    It was a suspicious question. Wasn''t it Gusion who prevented him from having even a short conversation with Kaiwan in the first place.


    Facing Yong-Ho''s suspicious gaze, Gusion cleared his throat as if he was hiding something. Yong-Ho continued to stare at him with his arms crossed.


    In the end, it was Gusion who spoke first.


    "Time doesn''t flow naturally here."


    "I''d heard such from Aamon. Time doesn''t stop, but it doesn''t flow normally, does it?"


    For over a thousand years, that was the secret why spirits in the arena were able to stay alive.


    It was no exaggeration to say that the arena was another world that existed within Mammon''s dungeon.


    Gusion nodded.


    "Yes. When you''re here, you can''t really feel the passage of time. One year is like a single minute, while one minute is like an entire year. I''ve spent at least a thousand years here. But my senses don''t remember the past years as a thousand years. Sometimes it just feels like a year has past, while other times it just feels like a few days. This space is such a place."


    Yong-Ho was able to empathize to some extent. When he was in the arena, he couldn''t really grasp the flow of time either. He had originally thought he had stayed for more than half a day during his last visit, but when he came out, it ended up being only two hours.


    But what connection was there between the nature of the arena and Kaiwan.


    Gusion pursed his lips. He then cut off his remaining hesitation and spoke.


    "Kaiwan''s spirit is on the verge of collapse."


    Gusion wasn''t joking. His eyes were as serious as the time when he was telling the story of Mammon.


    "I told you when you first came, didn''t I? It has been decades since Kaiwan''s disappearance."


    Yong-Ho also remembered that time. Kaiwan''s pale face came to his mind.


    "I don''t know how time passes in this space, but... we can''t fool the absolute nature of time. No matter how we feel in this arena, time is still flowing."


    Gusion''s voice sank heavily. It wasn''t just the decades of Kaiwan. Gusion''s voice contained a thousand years following the death of Mammon.


    "Kaiwan was in a poor condition from the beginning. She couldn''t accept the reality that she had to stay in the arena. She had to leave so many things behind."


    The House of Mammon had only just begun to rise again.


    There were her faithful subordinates, and there was also her sickly younger brother waiting for her return.


    Kaiwan wasn''t unique. The previous generations before Kaiwan, had all eventually been defeated and locked up inside the arena, they too had to leave behind many things.


    But Yong-Ho could understand Kaiwan''s heart. He understood why she had such a strong obsession.


    Kaiwan would not have been devastated by her inability to leave the arena.


    It was clear that she was more concerned for her brother, who would not be able to make it without her, and who would remain alone within the House of Mammon.


    "Kaiwan maintained herself through sheer belief. All she had left was her faith."


    Yong-Ho understood. He remembered the questions she asked that day when he first met her. She spoke out unknowingly.


    "Brother... Will you come to the arena?"


    "Even if its just a descendant."


    Yong-Ho closed his eyes. Gusion''s voice went on.


    "Visitors to the arena must be challenged at least once. But if you''re with a companion, it doesn''t matter which one of you accepts the challenge. Kaiwan pinned her hopes on that point. She said that there was a strong subordinate that could easily pass the first floor. What was his name, Endelyon?"


    It was a wish that could not be fulfilled.


    Ophelia''s father, Endelyon, was disappointed by Cayenne and left the Mammon family without him.


    Furthermore, Cayenne was unable to overcome the sudden attack of the Crazy Ants. The only passageway to the arena had been lost.


    "That''s how time passed. Decades in absolute terms. But for Kaiwan, that time seemed like hundreds of years."


    Kaiwan, described in Cayenne''s records, was a woman of steel.


    But the Kaiwan that Yong-Ho encountered at the arena was like a piece of fractured glass ready to break.


    "And then you appeared."


    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. Gusion faced him.


    "I had a hunch. You''re not the one that Kaiwan wanted. There was even the possibility that you would provide the worst possible answer in Kaiwan''s imagination."


    "Is that why you interrupted?"


    Gusion laughed bitterly.


    "I am the manager of the arena. Kaiwan is a fighter of the arena, and is among my favorites of Mammon''s descendants."


    In the end, it was Gusion who was the righteous one at that time. Yong-Ho sighed. He was as crude and clumsy as he had always been.


    Gusion continued.


    "Kaiwan is no longer able to sustain herself just through belief, as she used to. All because you appeared with the truth. You know of what happened with Cayenne, perhaps you might be able to bring him."


    Kaiwan''s mind was sick. And finally, her limits had been reached.


    Yong-Ho clenched his teeth. He now understood why Gusion had interfered.


    Was it reasonable to let Kaiwan know about her brother''s death and the fall of the Mammon family?


    Gusion had judged that now the time had come. She had to face the truth, even if it were to break her.


    Yong-Ho swallowed dry saliva. Catalina remained silent, and even held her breath.


    "Kaiwan''s brother, Cayenne, died of illness."


    Yong-Ho squeezed out his voice. He confided all he knew to Gusion, as if he was performing a rehearsal.


    It was a panorama of tragedy. Gusion lamented the fact that the former owner had committed suicide.


    "That''s the worst."


    Yong-Ho thought so as well. Just imagining how Kaiwan would react to the news was horrible.


    "But there''s also a positive aspect."


    Gusion said. It wasn''t something that he said casually. His voice was still subdued, but it was calm.


    "Kaiwan''s brother, Cayenne, became the owner of the Mammon family, married and even had children. He allowed the House of Mammon to continue on.


    It was an ordinary tale. But it was important that such mediocrity was achieved.


    Gusion laughed bitterly. He rubbed his lips a few times and then dropped his hands.


    "Save Kaiwan. It''s now time for her to get rid of her obsession."


    No answer was necessary. Gusion stepped back, and the man with the beast mask led Yong-Ho again. Yong-Ho ordered Catalina not to follow him.


    As Gusion has said, he couldn''t really feel the flow of time. Just a few steps felt like an age.


    The man with the beast mask led Yong-Ho to the arena''s waiting room. In the waiting room, Kaiwan sat on a chair with a nervous expression on her face. Her eyes, visible between her grey hair, were filled with anxiety and fear, rather than hope.


    Kaiwan looked up and saw Yong-Ho. She opened her lips but couldn''t speak. Her hunger for the truth was so great that it was difficult for her to squeeze out her voice.


    Yong-Ho remembered the first time he saw Kaiwan. Some of her memories were left inside her mana. A small and shabby girl. A girl who cried and cried that she would never fall.


    Yong-Ho swallowed his saliva once again. Without avoiding her gaze, he faced her from the front. He spoke in a surprisingly bold voice.


    "Kaiwan, Cayenne is dead." It happened a decade or so ago."


    There were no screams or howls.


    Yong-Ho grabbed both of Kaiwan''s shoulders. He told her a story that made her feel like she would be crushed into ashes.


    ***


    The word ''tired'' was insufficient to express how he felt.


    Gusion smiled at Yong-Ho, who had now left the waiting room and returned to the arena. He patted Yong-Ho''s shoulder, as if pretending to be friendly.


    "You''ve done enough. Now it''s her problem. As the manager of the arena, I give you my utmost gratitude."


    Yong-Ho recalled the Gusion he saw in Mammon''s memory. This incident was proof that Gusion was a sincere person.


    After hearing the full story, Kaiwan fell asleep crying in Yong-Ho''s arms. What happened after she woke up was, as Gusion said, her own problem.


    Yong-Ho sat down on the nearest chair. He then asked Gusion, who naturally sat down next to him.


    "Didn''t you say that conquering the arena would free the arena''s spirits?"


    "I said that you could earn the spirits. Well, in the end its the same anyway. And..."


    "And?"


    "No, that''s enough. I''ll keep that a secret. So, are you going to challenge the fourth floor now?"


    Yong-Ho laughed. Gusion hated that it made him somehow feel like a villain.


    Yong-Ho shook his head a few times, pulled something out and then spoke.


    "Before that, there''s something I would like to ask you. Aamon, the same goes for you. I want to know the identity of this metal."


    In Yong-Ho''s hand was a piece of the crown. Gusion saw it and smiled a little differently than before. Instead of taking the metal from Yong-Ho''s hand, he asked Yong-Ho a question he didn''t expect.


    "Is that all of it?"


    "No, I''ve got my blacksmith making some jewelry to give to some of my spirits."


    He had originally intended to explain what the metal could do. Aamon was watching from the side, but not Gusion.


    However, Gusion''s reaction made his thoughts disappear.


    "You were right. He really is Mammon''s true successor. Isn''t that right. Aamon?"


    As if to answer Gusion, the flames of a red lotus rose into the air. A soft voice accompanied the flames.


    [Brigada. God''s metal. Fragments of the true King''s flesh. It responds to the fragments of the soul.]


    Instead of offering an explanation like Aamon, Gusion rolled up his sleeves. A black bracelet, hidden under his white suite, was revealed.


    Yong-Ho wouldn''t have known if he had seen it before. But now he knew. It was the same metal that made up the crown.


    "It''s something I received from Mammon. He was the first person in the demon world to discover its use in this way, just like you. All of us except for Aamon... he gave to the 12 Spirits of Mammon, jewelry made out of Brigada.


    It was a voice full of sadness and deep longing. However, Yong-Ho couldn''t respond to Gusion. He wasn''t surprised by the great tale of the true Demon King, or the mysterious fragments of the flesh. When he heard Gusion''s story, a question came to his mind.


    Gusion said that Mammon was the first one to use ''Brigada'' in this way.


    Did that mean that kings before Mammon''s era failed to recognize the true nature of Brigada? Or was Brigada only discovered during Mammon''s time?


    Perhaps it was neither.


    Yong-Ho came up with one possibility.


    The 12 Spirits of Mammon.


    Even after Mammon''s death, they were subjugated to the Maze of Greed.


    Gusion knew what Yong-Ho was thinking. Once again, he burst out laughing. He gave Yong-Ho a good answer.


    "Yes, the 12 Spirits of Mammon. We are the first true dungeon spirits of the demon world. The current system of dungeon spirits is nothing more than an imitation of the original created by Mammon.


    The flames of the red lotus rose up. Aamon''s voice echoed in Yong-Ho''s mind.


    [My young master. I can now draw out the power of Greed.]


    [For generations, the kings who ruled this world were those who possessed the power of sin. And, now it''s time to learn why.]


    Light shone from the Brigada in Yong-Ho''s palm. The green flames of Greed arose through the guidance of Aamon and Gusion.


    The true power of the Seven Deadly Sins, revealed itself.

 99 Door of Space 3

    "I feel sorry for the owner of the fourth floor."


    Gusion laughed and crossed his legs. Catalina sat next to him, in the special reserved seat, instead of Aamon. Unlike Gusion, who was full of contentment and composure, Catalina looked at the arena with a nervous expression.


    On each side of the wide circular arena, stood each of the participants. Standing on the left was the Crimson Ogre, Victor, the fourth floor master and on the right was Yong-Ho, the owner of the House of Mammon.


    Crimson Ogres were the elites of the Ogre race. Similar to the Hobgoblins of the Goblins race, and the War Orcs of the Orc race.


    Not only were Crimson Ogres much larger than the typical Ogre, they were also red all over similar to the red demon race. The red light emanating from both of the Crimson Ogre''s eyes looked terrifying


    Furthermore, Victor wasn''t simply an ordinary Crimson Ogre. He was a powerful force compared to ordinary Crimson Ogres, one of which had threatened the House of Mammon on the day that Yong-Ho had ascended to the throne.


    However, Yong-Ho wasn''t afraid of Victor. It was thanks to his experience against previous powerful enemies, but it was more due to his concern with what Aamon was currently saying to him in his mind.


    [Brigada is a fragment of the true demon king''s flesh.]


    [Because of this, it responds to the Seven Deadly Sins, which are fragments of the soul of the true demon king. Both fragments mutually resonate with one another.]


    [My young master. Stay focused. Brigada is like a lantern that guides one''s way through the darkness, and even you, who is still inexperienced, will be able to unleash the power of Greed with Brigada''s help.]


    Yong-Ho didn''t know what the true demon king was.


    It was also the first time he had ever heard of the terms ''fragments of flesh'' or the ''fragments of the soul''.


    But he somehow naturally understood.


    A light arose from the piece of crown grasped in his left hand. The aura of Greed burned not only on the surface of his body, but it also penetrated deep inside him. It became one with the flow of his mana.


    The power of Greed was extremely rough. It was difficult for them to combine naturally.


    But they had definitely become one. The flesh desired the soul, and the soul desired the flesh.


    The current intensity was not a rejection. Rather, it was evidence of the strong synergy taking place between them.


    [Focus. And yearn for it.]


    [The Seven Deadly Sins came from the soul of the true demon king. Therefore, each sin has a different nature.]


    [The root of Greed is hunger. Desire. Covetousness. Liberate the power of Greed.]


    Yong-Ho drew in his breath. He strongly held Aamon up in front of him.


    He connected to his desires just as Aamon had requested him. He thought of each of his desires one by one.


    The things he wanted. The things he wanted to do. The things he wanted to enjoy.


    He was true to himself. He yearned with purity. Greed was not dependent on the nature of the desire. Rather it was the strength of the desire, the more powerful Greed became and the more powerful he became.


    The Crimson Ogre''s eyes shook as he gazed at Yong-Ho. The aura emanating from Yong-Ho was unusual. Victor''s reasoning was shouting to him that he had to rush Yong-Ho right away, but his instincts refused.


    It wasn''t just the mere flames that bothered him. In Victor''s eyes, the flames instead looked like a living creature. The flames seemed to create a figure of a terrifying being.


    Victor''s breath became rough. Yong-Ho''s breath, on the other hand, became increasingly calm. The flames still seemed to be wild and out of control, but in reality they weren''t. They were under Yong-Ho''s control.


    [A little more. Desire a little more. Yearn for it.]


    [My young master.]


    [Master of Greed!]


    Aamon loudly exclaimed. Yong-Ho desired.


    He desired to win. He desired to defeat the floor master of the fourth floor to gain Mammon''s mana and to take the artifacts from Gusion. He also wanted to see Kaiwan again. He wanted to save Kaiwan and make Gusion his loyal subordinate. It was exhilarating to imagine Gusion calling him master.


    And, and!


    Yong-Ho stepped forward. He hit the ground and raced towards the Crimson Ogre. He was as straight and fast as a loose arrow. All the flames from Yong-Ho''s body concentrated together and were then channeled into Aamon.


    Victor reacted. He suppressed his instincts to flee by letting out a roar. And with that roar, he charged towards Yong-Ho.


    Catalina tightly clutched her hands together. Gusion rose from his seat with a fierce smile upon his face.


    Dodging was the right thing to do. The answer was for Yong-Ho to use his quick agility to dodge Victor''s attack and then counter attack his side. That''s what Catalina wished for.


    However, Gusion didn''t think so. And neither did Yong-Ho.


    Victor''s roar filled the arena. He swung his huge iron club with all his might, causing it to resemble a thunderbolt.


    However, Yong-Ho did not avoid the thunderbolt-like club. He firmly stood face to face with his opponent. He thrusted Aamon towards Victor. He liberated the power of Greed.


    The unleashed power was overwhelming.


    The great torrent of power was like a tyrant destroying everything in its path.


    Victor''s iron club couldn''t reach Yong-Ho. It was deflected at a similar thunderbolt-like speed. A powerful mass of power, that could no longer be said to resemble a simple flame, smashed into Victor. The power was so overwhelming, that only the expression ''swallowed'' was appropriate to describe its impact.


    Victor''s upper body was completely annihilated by the flames. And yet, the unrelenting momentum of the flames did not slow down, instead they began to burn the surrounding atmosphere and then collide with the invisible wall that surrounded the arena. The impact of the enormous force shook the entire arena.


    Catalina gazed at Yong-Ho with rapt attention.


    The arena''s spirits in the audience were rendered speechless. Among them, those who were past masters of the House of Mammon understood instinctively.


    That was Greed. That was the power of the Seven Deadly Sins. In terms of absolute power, Yong-Ho still wasn''t powerful enough to reach them, but yet he still unnerved them. Their intrinsic quality of power was different. As the saying goes, ''they were in different worlds''.


    Gusion smiled brightly. He unknowingly whispered Mammon''s name into the air.


    Victor was sure to have seen it.


    The face of Greed. The appearance of the true king from the fragment of the king''s soul.


    There was no reason to wait for Victor''s resurrection. Gusion was completely convinced. He now looked at Yong-Ho - ''Young Master'' - with friendly eyes.


    Yong-Ho exhaled and stretched out his stance. He didn''t think of correcting his posture. There seemed to be an indescribable sense of power within him that dominated his whole body.


    This was Greed.


    This was the power of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    But that wasn''t all. It was only just the beginning. He had only experienced the tip of the iceberg.


    [Great job. My young Master.]


    [I believed that you could do it.]


    Aamon softly spoke. But, with a hint of laughter mixed within. It was the first time that Yong-Ho had ever heard Aamon laugh.


    [However, my young Master.]


    [Your desires are mostly related to women. And so was the last desire that you thought of right at the end.]


    [I understand that the young Master is currently in his prime, but you''ve not even experienced a woman yet.... how come?]


    Yong-Ho''s whole body suddenly froze in quite a different sense than ever before. His sense of accomplishment which had been seething throughout his body suddenly died. For some reason, a strong silence hovered around Yong-Ho. A small amount of cold sweat seemed to drip from his forehead.


    After a while, Aamon spoke again.


    [I''ll keep it a secret from Gusion.]


    Should he be thankful, or ask to be left alone?


    Fortunately, Aamon was caring, unlike Gusion. Aamon transformed from his lance form back into a bracelet. In addition, Aamon''s presence, which he had initially felt beside him, now felt distant.


    "Master! Master!"


    Catalina''s bright voice could now be heard, as the invisible barrier, surrounding the arena, had now disappeared. As expected, her ears and tail were flapping while she waved towards him. Her cheeks seemed to be burning with excitement.


    "Uhh."


    When Yong-Ho remembered the last desire he had during the battle against Victor, he quickly turned around after waving his hand a little. As he turned away from Gusion''s gaze, he reached out towards Mammon''s mana emanating from Victor''s body.


    He absorbed Mammon''s mana.

 100 Door of Space 4

    His current mana was enough to defeat the floor of the fourth floor with a single strike. Moreover, he had still to test the full capabilities of his physical body which had been reborn after defeating Agares.


    However, instead of challenging the fifth floor, Yong-Ho chose to go back for now. The ostensible justification was that he believed it would better to fight the master of the fifth floor after receiving the Brigada jewelry from Burgrim, whereas the actual real reason behind his decision was that he might desire to commit suicide if he had to unleash the power of his desires again.


    ''But I''ll still have to take care of it.''


    He picked a box of light, with the power of Greed, and received a good looking pair of manacles in the air. They looked like an item for a bare-handed fighter.


    ''I''ll give these to Eligor.''


    Eligor now possessed strong mana. And recently, he had been honing the Southern Martial Art, taught by Ophelia, which was a bare-handed art, so the manacles were perfect for him.


    "Are you already leaving? Why? Don''t you want to try the fifth floor?"


    It was the voice of Gusion, who seemed a little sad. But, he couldn''t change Yong-Ho''s mind.


    "No, that''s it for today. I''ll come back tomorrow with the Brigada jewelry. Please take care of Kaiwan."


    "Don''t worry. I''ll watch over her. The price of her facing the truth won''t be small, but I''m sure she''ll overcome it."


    It wasn''t just a pretense that Gusion cared about Kaiwan. Yong-Ho sincerely hoped that Kaiwan would overcome her troubles.


    "I''ll see you tomorrow then."


    "Yes, I look forward to it. Young Master."


    Yong-Ho, who was about to turn around after saying farewell, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He asked back unknowingly.


    "What?"


    "Farewell."


    "No, not that."


    Yong-Ho pressed him for an answer, but Gusion just ignored him. Catalina, who was standing behind him, gave a small smile.


    In the end, rather than pressing for an answer, Yong-Ho just lightly chuckled. Instead of asking more questions, he turned around. Unlike the first time, Gusion now felt quite pleased.


    ''I''ll keep going.''


    For the day when he''ll be able to conquer the Arena.


    Yong-Ho stepped forward. The man in the beast mask silently appeared and led Yong-Ho and Catalina out of the arena.


    ***


    The next morning, Yong-Ho overslept. Fatigue, which had come in exchange for the liberation of Greed, was accompanied by an inexplicable dream.


    [Master, are you all right?]


    [Sometimes you need to forget about everything and take some well earned rest. How about taking the day off for today?]


    At Lucia''s worried tone, Yong-Ho breathed out a sigh of relief. Although Lucia was connected to his mind, she was fortunately unable to see his peculiar dream.


    As he replied to Lucia, Yong-Ho clenched his fist. The combination of his natural mana and the power of Greed was still very weak.


    ''I''ve only just opened the door.''


    Instinctively, he understood. And he also seemed to understand what Aamon meant when he had earlier spoken of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    ''Only those who possess the power of the Seven Deadly Sins can reign as kings. Only they can rule the world.''


    At the moment the Crimson Ogre, Victor, was overwhelmed by the power of Greed, Yong-Ho too was overcome by such power. It was because he had just taken a small glance at the huge iceberg hidden beneath the surface of the water.


    Mammon, the King of Greed.


    The fact that Yong-Ho himself was the successor of such a great figure had just struck a new chord within him. It had already been a rather long time since he had inherited the House of Mammon, but it was the first time that he had ever felt so strongly about the significance of his existence.


    Yong-Ho stood up. After stretching, he washed his face with the water left in his room.


    He began the day.


    After spending the morning eating and carrying out some personal training, Yong-Ho took Catalina, Eligor and Skull to visit Bugrim''s workshop. Burgrim, who seemed to be much more tired than usual, welcomed Yong-Ho. The dark circles under his eyes seemed to have formed during the night.


    \u003cThey''ve been well made.\u003e


    His complexion looked bad, but he still smiled proudly.


    Burgrim quickly put away the chalkboard that he was using to communicate with, placed the newly made jewelry onto a tray and then handed them to Yong-Ho. One of the pieces must have just been finished, as Burgrim had just removed it from the workbench.


    "Wow."


    Yong-Ho was amazed. Every single piece of jewelry was beautiful.


    The rings, with small embedded green emeralds, looked like a pair. Since the crown was originally gold, the rings too were gold, with a bit of embellishment regarding the embedded jewel, causing them to look elegant and classy.


    The bracelet and anklet were also a pair. If the rings pursued a clean elegant style, then the bracelet and anklet looked more stylish. They were covered with scales reminiscent of a dragon.


    The necklace, however, was completely made out of Brigada. It was also adorned with a dragon''s head, that looked as if it was about to breath fire.


    "You''ve done an amazing job. Your work is really admirable."


    He felt like he should give him a prize for his hard work. Of course, for Burgrim, the best prize would be for Yong-Ho to invoke his evolutionary power, however to do so Burgrim still needed to fill his evolution rate.


    Yong-Ho quickly invoked the power of evolution to examine Burgrim''s evolutionary potential. Although it wasn''t really a prize, Yong-Ho gave Burgrim a promise for his next evolution.


    "Next time, I''ll strengthen your mana. It''s a promise."


    Just his word was enough. Burgrim knew that Yong-Ho was a man of his word.


    Yong-Ho immediately began the distribution of the jewelry. He handed Skull the necklace, and gave Eligor the bracelet. Yong-Ho placed one of the rings on to his right hand.


    Now, other than for Ophelia, there was only one left to give.


    [Thump, thump.]


    [Flutter, flutter.]


    Lucia imitated Catalina''s heart. Ignoring Lucia''s antics, Yong-Ho took a deep breath. He smiled awkwardly and then spoke to Catalina.


    "Give me your hand."


    Catalina bit her lower lip. Yong-Ho carefully reached out and placed the ring on Catalina''s long slender finger.


    [Thump, thump.]


    [Thump, thump.]


    Lucia continued to make noise to increase the awkwardness of the situation. Catalina''s flapping ears and tail expressed her fervent joy.


    After giving her the ring, Yong-Ho quickly turned around and let out a series of coughs, while scratching his face. Come to think of it, it was the first time he had ever given a woman a gift.


    "Yesterday, I gave you a rough explanation of the nature of Brigada, didn''t I? So from now on, I''ll be able to empower you, so please accept the power."


    Yong-Ho quickly spoke and then aroused the power of Greed. Light suddenly emanated from the jewelry worn by Catalina, Eligor and Skull.


    "Wow!"


    Unlike Catalina, who quickly combined the power of Greed with her own mana, since she had already experienced it before, Eligor and Skull struggled while making a series of strange sounds. Skull, however, soon regained his composure and managed to gain control of his mana, albeit with difficulty. However, Eligor did not. He continued to sweat profusely and struggled to control his mana.


    ''He still has a long way to go.''


    Yesterday, Catalina had successfully controlled her mana, when Yong-Ho first experimented with the Brigada, despite having to wield a much larger amount of mana compared to today.


    But, that was inevitable. Unlike Eligor and Skull, Catalina had experienced the pressure of the Dungeon Market''s auction house. Moreover, her talent for mana was even better than Ophelia''s.


    "Eligor. Don''t be too upset. Once Ophelia arrives shortly, I''ll provide you with special training."


    Although Yong-Ho tried to cheer him up, Eligor still seemed to be rather dejected.


    Yong-Ho smiled and gathered up the power of Greed. After saying farewell to Burgrim, he led his spirits out of the workshop.


    And as if she was waiting for that precise moment, Lucia suddenly spoke.


    [Master, I''ve recently received a report from the Dungeon Meerkats.]


    [They''ve spotted Ophelia in the distance. It seems that she shall be arriving at the dungeon in about ten minutes.]


    [Her arrival is about an hour earlier than scheduled, but I don''t think it''s because of anything important going on.]


    "Perfect."


    He would be able to give her the anklet and then ask her to train with Eligor.


    He could then focus on the arena for the rest of the afternoon.


    "Master?"


    "Ophelia is here. Shall we all go out and meet her?"


    At Yong-Ho''s words, Eligor made a somewhat complicated expression. His face displayed a mixture of both joy and suffering.


    Yong-Ho led the spirits to the entrance room of the dungeon.


    And Ophelia, as always, provided Yong-Ho with the recent news.


    ***


    "We''re going to need a new dungeon."

 101 Door of Space 5

    Thanks to the cooperation of the mad Oros, the task of taking control of the Free City was going smoothly.


    Some of the outlaws had noticed that the Free City was now in the hands of the House of Mammon and had rebelled. However, that fell short of a typhoon in a teacup.


    Out of the three factions, the outlaws were the most sensitive to strength and weakness. Most outlaws instinctively realized that they needed to conform to the new order. There were only a few who wanted to oppose the new order.


    Moreover, those who were reckless or insane enough to cause violence among that small minority disappeared without a sound, even before they knew the full truth. All of this was Ophelia''s handy work.


    Ophelia and Oros made the most intelligent and cooperative of Dargon''s men, the Orc Mage Yukon, the new leader of the outlaw faction. Once again, the backlash was weak. This was because there was no one other than Yukon who was a potential candidate.


    This was the result of the screening operation.


    All of those that had the ability and charisma to lead a group of lawless men were either killed in the battle against Agares, suddenly disappeared one day, or left the Free City on their own feet.


    The mad Oros was a wise man, unlike his epithet.


    He knew a storm was coming from the west. If he hadn''t gotten on board, then it would have caused trouble for the large ship, that was the House of Mammon. They were preparing to withstand that very storm.


    Oros''s very cooperative nature had saved Ophelia more time and energy beyond what she had initially thought.


    And the result led to an earlier-than-scheduled visit to the House of Mammon.


    "Ophelia, the daughter of Endelyon, greets the master of the House of Mammon.


    Ophelia, who showed her usual grace, greeted Eligor and the other spirits one after another. Catalina smiled, Skull chuckled, and Eligor showed a complex expression of both happiness and terror.


    Now that the dungeon had restructured, it took quite some time to walk from the dungeon''s entrance room to the throne room.


    Since Yong-Ho was a practical person, he had a conversation with Ophelia while they were on the move.


    Almost all of it was regarding the situation in the Free City.


    Ophelia, an information trader, knew exactly how to handle information. She knew how to wrap or distort, and knew how to concisely deliver only the most essential news.


    So as they arrived at the throne room, they were already done talking about the Free City, There was nothing more to share.


    However, Ophelia wasn''t here just to talk about the Free City.


    "We''re going to need a new dungeon."


    It looked quite different from before.


    It felt like the vicinity surrounding the Free City had been emptied.


    The three dungeons of Foras, Ale and Yubing had all disappeared. While the dungeons of Abigail and Jungerous had virtually less than half the power of before, and moreover the Free City was now entirely under the House of Mammon''s control.


    Ophelia pointed to the west of the Southern Region.


    "The fight in the west is now escalating. Fortunately, it''s not going to be settled in a single battle, but, as I first expected, it''s going to last for another two to three months at the most.


    The Wolf Demon King, Embrio, was doing well against the Western Owner''s Alliance, which included almost all of the western dungeon owners. Despite dozens of days of fighting, he wasn''t being pushed back.


    "The need for a new dungeon is to prepare for the end of the fight in the west."


    Ophelia stopped speaking and took a breath. She opened up a new map of the western and southern border area.


    "The Southern Region is full of empty land, but there is still roads in place across the border. They lead to a vital strategic point."


    Several lines had been drawn on the map. All the lines looked like they were drawn at random, however they all had one thing in common. They all passed a single point on the map.


    "Whether the Western Owner''s Alliance or Embrio wins, it''s likely that the winner will want to consume the south. So we need a fortress to stop them."


    It was difficult to capture a fortress built on a vital strategic point.


    Some would just ignore the fortress, pass by it and attack somewhere else, but that was a very dangerous idea.


    Of course, it wasn''t impossible. It could be a very effective strategy, if certain conditions were established.


    In most situations, however, this was not the case. Ignoring the heavily armed fortress and passing it by, was the equivalent of turning your back against a sword wielding opponent.


    "The dungeon would act as both a powerful fortress and a deterrent. Building a defensive dungeon at this point will effectively negate any western threats."


    The House of Mammon was no longer a declining family in the Southern Region. It was a powerful family of the south.


    Yong-Ho looked at Ophelia''s map carefully.


    There was already a dungeon in place at that strategic point.


    We''re going to have to target the dungeon of the House of Randolt."


    "Yes, you must force the owner of Randolt''s dungeon to surrender, or personally take it over by launching an attack. If he surrenders to one of the western powers, or makes way for them, then both the Free City and the House of Mammon will be in danger.


    Yong-Ho touched his chin for a moment and organized his thoughts. He asked Ophelia.


    "Will the master of the House of Randolt, consider a surrender?"


    "The possibilities are fifty-fifty. He is a man who does not behave rashly, as evidenced by his past actions. He''s also extremely cautious."


    The master of the Randolt family simply stayed in his dungeon in the midst of a number of short-lived events. When the House of Foras was exploited by Jungerous, he remained silent, and he didn''t even make a move when the Free City was exposed to the threat of Agares.


    "If we have to attack... it''s going to take a long time to fortify the dungeon again."


    "Yes, you saw it right away. We don''t now how the Randolt family will behave, but if you get your hands on the House of Randolt''s dungeon, then you''ll need to look at if from a slightly different perspective than Mammon''s dungeon. It''s not a castle that serves as a living space... You need to look at it as a battle-ready fortress. The renovations of the dungeon will also have to proceed in that direction. And-"


    Ophelia took a breath. She suppressed her excitement and spoke in a calm voice.


    "It won''t be easy acquiring Randolt''s dungeon. While it''s important to have a necessary amount of time for fortification, it''s even more important to carefully attack with causing any significant damage. You''ll need to be fully prepared."


    It was a valid point.


    Although Yong-Ho had attacked the dungeons of Ale and Yubing in a row, both dungeons were almost completely devoid of any spirits guarding those dungeons.


    The fight against the House of Randolt would be the first official dungeon attack that Yong-Ho had attempted.


    "I understand. You''re incredibly competent."


    At Yong-Ho''s straightforward praise, rather than being humble, Ophelia showed a graceful smile. Ophelia was like an alluring temptress disguised as a pure maiden.


    "Okay, I''ll leave the preparations of Randolt''s attack to you, Ophelia. Organise what you need and report back to me."


    "Yes, Master. I''ll follow your will."


    Ophelia, once again, gracefully showed respect. Yong-Ho looked at Rikum, who was sitting in the corner of the conference room.


    "Rikum help Ophelia. The Orcs are going to be involved in this attack, so I would like you to especially focus on training."


    "Yes, Master."


    Rikum also showed Yong-Ho his respect.


    There were two reasons for the mobilization of the Orcs.


    The first was to minimize the damage of the attack. The more overwhelming their power was, the less potential damage would be caused by needless fighting.


    The second was for the Orc''s growth.


    The best way to build one''s evolution rate was to risk one''s life. The fiercer the fight, the greater the increase of the evolution rate.


    He didn''t intend to force the Orcs into danger just for growth, but he couldn''t just leave them in a safe place.


    The meeting was concluded.


    As Rikum left the conference room, Yong-Ho began to talk about something else.


    "I forgot to give you these earlier. It''s a gift for you Eligor."


    Inside the box, which Catalina had fetched from Yong-Ho''s from, was a pair of manacles. It was the item that he had obtained after he cleared the fourth floor of the arena.


    Eligor had a look of emotion as he received the manacles. They weren''t simply an ordinary pair of manacles, as Yong-Ho had personally chosen them, with the power of Greed, from the arena. Despite their lightness, they seemed very firm, and there was no inconvenience regarding mobility of one''s fingers or wrists.


    "Thank-you, Master."


    No further words of thanks were required. Eligor''s eyes had already begun to fill with tears.


    Come to think of it, it was the first time he had given something to Eligor, other then the bracelet.


    ''I need to care of him more often.''


    It was a similar feeling for Yong-Ho as when he gave his mother a present on Mother''s Day.


    Ophelia''s eyes glistened as she watched Eligor receive the pair of manacles. She smiled and looked at Yong-Ho, as if she was asking, ''Is there anything for me?''.


    Yong-Ho now felt like he had switched roles. Instead he now felt like a parent with multiple children. He smiled and held out an anklet made of Brigada. He gave a short and concise explanation on the anklet''s properties to Ophelia, who''s eyes were glistening with happiness.


    "Certainly... it won''t be easy."


    Ophelia, who had dealt with the power of Greed in the past, spoke while a slight trickle of sweat. Ophelia, who was quite confident in her mana control, knew that it was a power that couldn''t be easily handled. However, it was also true that she was motivated to succeed. If she could handle it properly, then she would be able to achieve growth in an innovative way.


    "The longer you spend training with it, the more efficient you''ll become. So please continue to work hard, despite its difficulties."


    It was something he had heard from Gusion.


    Brigada not only amplified the power of the Seven Deadly Sins, but also stored them. Therefore, if Brigada was used for a long time, then it was possible for a subordinate to access the power of the Seven Deadly Sins even without the support of the master. Of course, it would be less powerful than if Yong-Ho himself applied it.


    After asking Ophelia to train Eligor and Skull, Yong-Ho, alongside Catalina, headed towards the arena.


    The reason why Yong-Ho had Catalina accompany him every time he went to the arena was simple.


    It was to prepare for Yong-Ho''s own potential defeat.


    Kaiwan always went to and fro from the arena alone, and then one day she went missing.


    There was no one powerful enough to save Kaiwan in the Mammon family at the time, but it was clear that the fate of Cayeene and the House of Mammon would have been a little different if they had known exactly where and how Kaiwan went missing.


    At least the chances of Endelyon leaving the House of Mammon would have been greatly reduced.


    Yong-Ho, along with Catalina, practiced how to use Brigada, as they travelled to the arena.


    Yong-Ho regained his breath as he gathered up the power of Greed, Just like habit, he opened the door to the arena.


    However, as Yong-Ho was on the verge of entering the arena. Catalina suddenly spoke up more loudly than normal.


    "Master!"


    "Huh?"


    Yong-Ho turned around. Astonished by her own voice, Catalina quickly swallowed her dry saliva. She took a large breath as she faced Yong-Ho. And then spoke with slightly drooping ears.


    "I have a favor to ask of you."


    Yong-Ho completely turned towards Catalina. It was no exaggeration to say that Catalina has stuck by his side ever since he had come to the demon world.


    It wasn''t a short amount of time either. And during that time, Catalina had never revealed her needs.


    But now Catalina was asking him for a favor. Yong-Ho had no choice but to take her seriously.


    Catalina swallowed her saliva again. Her ears straightened as she faced Yong-Ho. For the first time, she revealed her desires.


    "I want to challenge the first floor of the arena. Please let me."


    Her demand was a concern. Yong-Ho spoke to rebuke her.


    "The penalty is different from mine. Moreover, it can be incredibly dangerous."


    Kaiwan travelled alone to prevent the spirits of the Mammon family from challenging the arena.


    As Gusion had warned, the arena''s penalties were harsher for ordinary spirits.


    Catalina knew that. But she couldn''t give up. It wasn''t something she asked with complacency.


    "But Master. I''m your guard."


    She wanted to be strong. As the heir to the King of Greed, she wanted to stand by her master''s side as he was advancing. She wanted to catch up to him even by just a little bit.


    That was the relationship between the master and spirit. Yong-Ho could feel Catalina''s sincerity. He felt her intense growing desire.


    He couldn''t refuse such a sincere request. Yong-Ho nodded.


    "Okay. But only after you''re able to handle Brigada a little better."


    "Okay. I''ll try. Thank-you so much for allowing me."


    Catalina was delighted, evident by her flapping ears. Yong-Ho unknowingly patted Catalina''s head.


    He then fully turned around to enter the arena. However, there was one more voice that caught Yong-Ho''s attention.


    [Master.]


    [The door of space has reached 50% completion.]


    Lucia suddenly gave a report, which caused Yong-Ho to pause. He patted Catalina''s head, as she was wondering what was going on, and then, once again, headed to the arena.


    ''The door of space.''


    A world that he had forgotten.


    The time was approaching for Yong-Ho to go back home.

 102 Door of Space 6

    As Yong-ho passed the long corridor of the arena, the same guy greeted him, as always. Dressed in a white suit, he had red skin and a red tail, another symbol of the Red Demon.


    "Glad to see you here," said Gusion, turning around with a smile.


    At first, he looked ugly but pretty cute now.


    ''Gosh, how can I think this uncle is cute?''


    Yong-ho momentarily stopped thinking like that and replied loudly, "Me, too."


    Although Yong-ho''s reply seemed rather arrogant, Gusion didn''t care. Gusion even liked it because Yong-ho was none other than the successor of the King of Greed. So, he thought Yong-ho should not get cold feet in front of him, one of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon.


    Watching Gusion bite a cigar in his mouth, Yong-ho asked again, stepping forward, "How about Kaiwan''s condition? Is she calm now?"


    Lighting a cigar in his mouth, Gusion''s eyebrows wriggled slightly, who then responded,


    "She is resting on her own floor. She''s still a bit unstable... I think she will be up and running soon. She is like that."


    Yong-ho agreed. She was the one who raised up the House of Mammon on the verge of ruin. Despair and abandonment were foreign to Kaiwan.


    "Don''t you think you are too concerned about her? Kaiwan is also one of the floor masters in the arena. Someday she will fight you."


    "Well, let''s see¡­"


    Moreover, as the floor master, she was not Yong-ho''s arch-enemy, a new challenger in the arena. Fighting in the arena wasn''t a real life-threatening fight. Even if one died while fighting in the arena, it was just a virtual experience of death.


    Of course, it didn''t mean the fighting was something trivial.


    The pain was real so was the sense of death.


    Since he trained with Aamon, Yong-ho had already experienced near death more than a dozen times, but the feeling of death was something he could not get used to despite his numerous virtual deaths.


    "Okay, anyway, if you want to free Kaiwan according to your wishes, you''ll have to defeat that child at least once."


    Gusion muttered a little while putting out some smoke. Yong-ho knitted his eyes because he felt Gusion''s words were a bit incongruous.


    ''In order to free Kaiwan, I must defeat her? Was he simply talking about the process of me conquering the arena?''


    Yong-ho felt he didn''t mean it.


    "Let''s stop our small talk here. Are you going to challenge right away?"


    Yong-ho hesitated for a moment because he wanted to ask Gusion a little more about what he had just said, but somebody spoke before him. The flames of the red lotus, burning next to Gusion, said in a low voice.


    [Gusion with strong power, my old friend.]


    [Wouldn''t that be the only story you''re going to talk about?]


    On the other hand, Gusion frowned. After puffing out smoke hard toward Aamon, he turned to Yong-ho.


    "You said you were learning spearmanship from Aamon, right?"


    "So what?"


    "It seems like it''s true. You''re learning it then."


    Gusion''s response was significant. Instead of asking him hurriedly, Yong-ho waited for his next words.


    Gusion looked back at Aamon again, then asked Yong-ho, "Do you have to have someone like Red Demon under your control? I''m not talking about small fries, but someone who knows how to fight."


    "I''ve got one."


    Yong-ho nodded right away. Although he felt sorry for Eligos, the first thing that came to his mind when he mentioned Red Demon was Ophelia''s face.


    But why did he suddenly mention Red Demon? Was it because he was of the same race?


    Gusion quenched Yong-ho''s curiosity in no time.


    "Learn physical skills from that guy. More specifically, how to use your body by using magic power."


    "Ain''t I already using it?" Yong-ho asked again.


    His question was valid. Ever since he arrived in this demon world, he had used the magic power in fights, no matter if it was big or small. If he hadn''t used it from the beginning, he wouldn''t have survived until now.


    But Gusion shook his head.


    Strangely, he rubbed off the cigar in the air and said, "Let me say this for caution''s sake, but I''m not good at explaining. So, let me show you something."


    Stopping there, he cleared his throat several times in a row and then corrected his position. He lightly punched twice into the air.


    "Do you see the difference?"


    Catalina drooped her ears and knitted her brows. His punch made no difference, except that his second punch was slightly faster and stronger than his first. Moreover, his posture itself was the same as before.


    However, Yong-ho was different. He noticed the flow of Gusion''s magic power and realized what the difference Gusion mentioned was.


    "The flow of his magic power was different. Yes, it was. There was something more in his second punch, something like an internal explosion in the body or circulation."


    While Yong-ho was murmuring like that, Gusion opened his eyes wide because he never expected Yong-ho could notice the difference, and his observation was quite accurate.


    "That''s why Aamon made me explain to you."


    Instead of replying, Aamon simply laughed faintly. Gusion spoke directly to Yong-ho, who was still having a hard time trying to find out the difference, "All the demons survive on magical power. You know this, right?"


    "Yes, I do."


    "Good. That''s why we demons are supposed to use magic power no matter what we do. My punching a moment ago explains it further."


    Yong-ho slightly wrinkled his forehead. Based on what Gusion himself just explained, his explanation was messy. However, Yong-ho tried to combine what he saw for himself with his experiences so far. Then he reconstructed what Gusion had said.


    "Does it mean that you circulated the magical power according to its movement? In other words, when you punched, did you double its speed and power by using the optimized magic power?"


    Gusion''s face brightened at his explanation.


    "Oh, that''s correct. How smart you are, my little master!"


    "Little master?"


    "Anyway, you''re right. If you use the magic power according to your movement, you can multiply that power several times. Besides, you could move faster."


    Gusion quickly changed the topic when he was faced with how to call Yong-ho.


    Yong-ho nodded. He seemed to have read it somewhere in a martial arts magazine.


    "Since we demons were born based on magical power from the beginning, we instinctively use magical power, even though our level is different. Your cute guard is no exception.


    It''s because of her magic power skills that she could display explosive movements with her slim figure."


    Catalina''s ears drooped a little more. She roughly understood what Gusion was talking about, but she wasn''t sure about explaining when and how she used that magic power, which was natural because she was born with it, as Gusion said.


    Walking with two feet, which was easy for any average man, was never simple. When one took a step, the bones and muscles of one''s whole body had to react with an exquisite balance.


    It was very difficult to properly explain that process.


    "But you are not like us, Yong-ho. You use magical power when punching artificially, but what should I say... It''s like you''re collecting magical power to use magic. That''s not the natural way of using magical power. This is probably because you are from the human world, not the demon world."


    As if satisfied with his own explanation, Gusion nodded at what he said.


    Yong-ho, too, could understand it immediately this time.


    Gusion continued, "As you know, your race, the Red Demon, doesn''t know anything about magical power. However, they''re excellent at maximizing their physical movements by using magical power. So, try and learn to use magical power from one of the Red Demons. That skill alone will make you a lot stronger than now."


    In fact, Yong-ho''s body completely changed while he was absorbing Agares''s essential teachings on physical movements, so if he could master the use of magical power, he could show amazing movements.


    Gusion took out a new cigar and put it in his mouth as if he finished talking.


    Yong-ho looked at him briefly and said with a smile, "Gusion, aren''t you a Red Demon, too?"


    "Huh?"

 103 Door of Space 7

    Although Gusion asked back instinctively, he could confirm Yong-ho''s reply in his face.


    Gusion put out the cigar that he had just lit. Then he looked down at Yong-ho and asked, "Let me ask to double-check. Are you now asking me to teach you?"


    "Well, I heard you are the strongest Red Demon ever. Wouldn''t it be nice for me to learn from the strongest one if I had to learn at all?"


    Gusion turned his mouth up at his words. He liked Yong-ho''s description of him as the strongest Red Demon, but he had another reason.


    Gusion burst into a loud laughter for a while before opening his mouth.


    "Man, it''s the first time I''ve ever seen a guy like you for ages. Even Kaiwan didn''t tell me to teach her."


    In fact, most of them around Gusion couldn''t even speak to this guy with Herculean strength.


    Gusion corrected his posture. With his arms folded, he looked down at Yong-ho as if observing him then he immediately nodded.


    "Okay, if you can run up to the 7th floor at once, I''ll teach you."


    Now that Yong-ho ran up to the 4th floor, he had to cover the remaining three floors at once.


    Aamon, who had been looking at them quietly, showed a little anger for the first time. Catalina looked at Yong-ho with anxious eyes because she could predict how her master would react.


    "Okay, I accept that condition," Yong-ho replied.


    Gusion smiled big then pointed at the arena leisurely.


    He kept puffing out cigar smoke. He looked down at Yong-ho, who was lying on the floor of the arena like a lump. Then he said with an empty laugh as if he was dumbfounded, "Man, how come you really did what I told you?"


    It would be a lie if Gusion didn''t expect it at all, but he gave Yong-ho such a condition, thinking he would not accept it.


    In the arena, one was supposed to fight a stronger floor master as one moved up the floor.


    Moreover, the level of difficulty went up sharply, starting with the fifth floor, so Gusion thought that Yong-ho would crumble on the sixth floor. And even if Yong-ho managed to get up to the 6th floor, Giant Bear, the floor master on the 7th floor, was far from an easy enemy.


    But Yong-ho beat all of them. Granted that he skillfully used Brigada and the magical power of greed, his achievement was more than what Gusion expected.


    Aamon was also surprised.


    [My little master.]


    [Your greed... No, your anguish is really amazing. Who could have expected your delusions brought about such enormous greed?!]


    The source of greed was desire, and Yong-ho''s greed didn''t know its end.


    Gusion tilted his head.


    Yong-ho asked, "Anguish? What the heck are you talking about?"


    [We decided to keep it a secret.]


    "Secret?"


    [Yes, a secret. Well¡­ Honestly, it''s a little embarrassing for me to talk about it.]


    "Embarrassing?"


    His fingertips trembled. Perhaps, it was because he was stung by the giant spider, Ongoliant, the floor master on the 6th floor.


    "Master, are you okay? Can you hear my voice?"


    Only Katarina was sincerely worried about Yong-ho. She let her ears drooped with a sad look.


    ''It''s harmful.''


    Her face was too close to him so was her breathing.


    Yong-ho calmed down by reciting some passages of the Buddhist scriptures that he had learned a while ago then took a big breath. After standing up with the support of Catalina, he absorbed the magical power of Mammon left by the floor master on the 7th floor.


    "Whew!"


    It worked. He felt that his magical power had increased, and at the same time, his body got more energized than before. He broke through the 7th floor with an unyielding spirit.


    Although he was out of shape in body and soul along the way, he got lots of things.


    It wasn''t just Mammon''s magical power and rewards that he got. His evolutionary skills leveled up almost entirely while he was desperately fighting with his peers or stronger beings. With little more effort, it seemed that he could achieve the next level of evolution.


    Above all, he remembered the promise Gusion made to him.


    "You will keep the promise, won''t you?" asked Yong-ho.


    "Yes, of course. However, you''re too weak to learn from me today, so if you visit me next time, I will teach you the basics first."


    Gusion was also satisfied. Honestly, he wanted to teach Yong-ho even if he didn''t make the promise, for Yong-ho''s growth was so fast and dazzling.


    "By the way, do you have any good healer under your wing or something like a clinic?"


    The injuries Yong-ho suffered in the arena were not real. However, he was mentally bruised like in the real world. A strong mental shock could inflict damage to the body, so him getting proper treatment was very important.


    But Yong-ho had nothing to say because the best healer in the Mammon family was Yong-ho himself. It was a long time ago when he could talk about evolution or advancement.


    He thought of Oros that he had just obtained, but he was staying in the Free City, not in the dungeon of the Mammon family. So, Yong-ho could not use him immediately.


    From the looks of Yong-ho and Catalina''s expressions, Gusion could find the answer, so he said with a sigh, "Alright. As we have ended up like this, we have no other choice."


    Gusion displayed his fingers in the air. As if examining a document, he rolled his eyes and said, "First floor¡­ look for Scathach on the first basement floor."


    It was a presence on the first floor of the labyrinth of true greed at the bottom of the shallow Mammon family.


    Catalina''s eyes opened wide at the name of Scathach. Yong-ho had also seen the name in the record.


    Gusion nodded.


    "Scathach, the Immortal Witch. Among the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon, she is in charge of healing."


    ***


    Perhaps because of breaking through the three floors at once, Yong-ho realized that a lot of time passed when he left the arena and returned to the dungeon of the House of Mammon.


    After calming down Lucia and Eligos who was nagging at him, he immediately fell into a deep sleep.


    How many hours passed again?


    Yong-ho woke up at dawn, when everyone was asleep, and left the Demon King''s room. He was looking for the door of space whose construction was in progress.


    Since it was under construction, there was no spirit involved in it, for its external construction was almost completely finished on Kaiwan''s watch. What was needed now was the maturation of the magic circle to operate the door of space, namely, enough time and magical power.


    Yong-ho stood at the door of the space, which looked like a portal that he had seen in games.


    It was in the shape of a large, round metal circle on the altar.


    After looking at the door of the space for a long time, Yong-ho giggled.


    ''Is it just chicken and coke that I miss the most now? Dang it! How miserable I am?!''


    He missed his parents'' faces, but what occupied his mind at the moment was something to eat. It had been several months since he came to the demon world.


    He would be lying if he said he didn''t miss them. He really wanted to go back home after riding out the danger of his life several times.


    But he took a big breath. He now sat down and looked at the door of space.


    Lucia remained silent, not to disturb Yong-ho, so did Catalina, who was seated in the hallway.


    After some time passed, Yong-ho stood up and turned around without any regrets.


    Someday he would go back home through the door of space but not now. He had no intention of leaving now, neglecting the members of the House of Mammon irresponsibly.


    Yong-ho himself was the head of the Mammon family as well as the new King of Greed.


    "So, you don''t have to worry," he said loudly.


    He seemed to have heard some flapping sound from the corridor.


    He giggled but stepped forward without looking back. Then he moved forward.

 104 Scathach of Aquarius 1

    A herd of wolves went around at dawn.


    Originally, they should have been running after their prey. However, they smelled blood early on and gathered lots of clues from the smell.


    The smell suggested there were overwhelmingly more enemies than allies. Moreover, there was an unfamiliar smell mixed in that blood.


    The pack of wolves informed their boss that they should be prepared, but their boss was not in a hurry. Slowing down, they moved forward, sufficiently prepared. Their movement was like tranquility before the storm, which was so calm that anyone who did not know the situation would think it was just their casual walk.


    Embrio, the leader of the pack and the Demon King of the wolves, was covered with blood all over its body, bled by the enemies. The heads of the coalition of Western Houses and their loyal spirits did not stop resisting in a spectacular display of grit until the last minute, but Embrio felt irritated this time because the situation was so difficult.


    The strategy chosen by the Western families'' coalition, "Expansion of the Battlefield," was effective. They didn''t allow Embrio to deal a "final blow" to crush them all. They engaged in small battles repeatedly for a war of attrition and focused on getting rid of Embrio''s forces, not Embrio himself.


    Embrio was strong, and his army was also strong, but they were not invincible. The Western Houses'' coalition won the battlefield without Embrio. Embrio was alone, while there were several heads in the Western families'' coalition. The more fighting there was, the more damaging it was to Embrio.


    So, Embrio also changed his strategy. He forced an inevitable fight against the Western Houses'' coalition, which desperately avoided fighting with the Demon King of the wolves.


    Embrio attacked the dungeons.


    The dungeons in the west, which had been already conquered, or the dungeons in the north, located adjacent to the west, were ignored. Instead, he mobilized the troops to attack each of the dungeons of those heads of families belonging to the Western Owners'' Alliance.


    This time he did not go to the trouble of occupying the dungeons like he did in the north. After occupying the core dungeons, he thoroughly destroyed them.


    The heads of the Western Owners'' Alliance could not give up the dungeons like Embrio.


    The dungeons deserted by Embrio were a kind of extended bases under his command, but each of them was a home base to the heads of the Western Owner'' Alliance.


    Dungeons were different from normal fortresses and castles.


    So, the fall of the dungeons meant the death of the ''subordinate spirits'' registered in the dungeons.


    Heads of the houses and their spirits were connected to each other. In other words, they were in the same boat, protecting each other.


    Of course, their status was different from each other.


    The mass death of subordinate spirits greatly weakened the power of their masters. It was not symbolic but real. The weakening of their magical power even weakened their overall physical capabilities.


    In order to save their spirits, the masters had to cancel their registration before the dungeons fell. However, the cancellation also greatly weakened their power. The dungeons were limited, and it was not easy for the masters, who canceled their registration, to find a new dungeon.


    Embrio weakened individual heads, the foundation of the Western families'' coalition.


    There were few family heads who could attack Embrio''s dungeons while their dungeons were being attacked.


    It was clear that some heads of the Western Owners'' Alliance proposed attacking Embrio''s main dungeons, but they could not easily carry out such an idea.


    Embrio''s main dungeons were in the north, not the west. Moreover, there was no way of identifying which dungeon really belonged to Embrio. Embrio had several dungeons. Those family heads, who had multiple dungeons, could make one of them their main dungeon by investing time and magical power.


    It had already been awhile since Embrio occupied the north, during which he could have moved his core dungeons if he had wanted.


    Moreover, Embrio did not have any subordinate spirit. There was some speculation that the wolves that he always took around were his subordinate spirits, but no matter how clever they were, they were mere wolves. There were few family heads who replaced their spirits, whose number was limited, with ordinary wolves.


    If Embrio did not have subordinate spirits, attacking his dungeons could deal a psychological blow to him, but it would not weaken his power tangibly.


    The heads of the Western Owners'' Alliance could not pursue the same strategy as Embrio''s.


    While most of them had only one dungeon, Embrio had multiple dungeons.


    They had to invade the northern part, relatively far away from them, but the northern part belonged to Embrio. Moreover, it was impossible for them to attack Embrio''s dungeons quickly because the target of their attack was not clear.


    Their crucial weakness was that they were more concerned about protecting themselves.


    Currently, their dungeons were exposed to destruction, but there were few heads who could dare to head out to the northern areas to fight.


    Such a task was like hanging the bell about the cat''s neck to them.


    Embrio took a deep breath.


    Sooner or later, the heads of the Western Owner''s Alliance would be forced to divide from within or pursue a new strategy, which would mean their unavoidable fight with Embrio that they had so desperately avoided.


    They would have to face Embrio sooner or later, so they needed to be a little bit more patient until then.


    While Embrio led his elite troops and attacked their dungeons, the heads of the Western Owners'' Alliance attacked the frontline strongholds established by Embrio. Even if their dungeons were destroyed, Embryo would not suffer fatal damages like the coalition''s heads.


    But he could not ignore the damages lightly.


    So, he had run desperately to defeat the task force of the heads of the Western Owners'' Alliance that repeated a ''hit and run'' strategy to avoid him.


    No matter how strong Embrio was, he couldn''t maintain an army without supplies.


    He saw the frontline base several hundred meters away from him when he slowed down enough.


    As he got closer, he sized up the situation with his sharp observation.


    The frontline base was not destroyed. There were not many friendly forces killed compared with the enemies, who suffered heavy casualties. Looking at the number of those killed and the enemies'' condition, his attack could be called a certain victory.


    Embrio now realized why he won.


    "Death Knight."


    The mighty Death Knight stood firmly against a mountain of enemy corpses.


    His presence was a tremendous pressure on Embrio. Indeed, he was qualified to claim the status of the strongest undead along with Elder Lich.


    A black full plate armor enveloped his whole body, and a dark blue cloak resembling the night fluttered in the wind. His huge magic sword, stained with a lot of blood, emitted the aura of the wicked.


    He was obviously stronger than any of the family heads in the southern area.


    Embrio laughed bitterly. The Death Knight was certainly here to "support" him, but his presence was like a warning.


    There were more powerful beings under the Death Knight''s master. Compared with the real force behind him, the Death Knight was just like the tip of the iceberg.


    "Embrio, it looks like you were struggling to fight more than I expected."


    A harsh, gloomy voice rang from the ground. The voice belonged to the surveillant, a servant of the ''King of Gluttony.''


    The frontline base was now around the corner.


    Embrio stopped where he was. Instead of approaching his subordinates who maintained a strange distance from the Death Knight, he took a break with the wolves. He could not inform them about his meeting with the surveillant.


    "It is a gift from the king. Use it well," said the surveillant.


    Embrio gulped. He couldn''t respond, nor could he engage in a subtle war of nerves with the surveillant as usual.


    It was not because of the Death Knight''s presence. Embrio looked in the sky.


    The surveillant laughed menacingly. Embrio''s competence and agility usually rubbed him the wrong way, but this time, it gave him joy.


    "Don''t forget. The king is watching you, Embrio."


    The surveillant disappeared in no time. The Death Knight bowed to Embrio from a distance.


    But Embrio couldn''t respond to both. Clenching his teeth, Embryo stared at the dazzling sky of the demon world.


    His presence beyond that cloud.


    The death monster surpassing the Death Knight.


    He clearly revealed the power of the six kings, who ruled the demon world.


    "¡­ Dragon¡­"


    As if responding to his quiet call, the air current in the sky changed. The mighty magical power of death disturbed the sky of the demon world.


    ***


    "Come to your senses, brother! Just do what you have been doing!"


    Ophelia shouted, staring straight ahead. Blue magical energy emitted from her slim, elastic calves.


    Eligos breathed roughly. Suppressing excitement and tension, he clenched his fists.


    He gathered dark red energy in both hands and was prepared for the battle.


    The dungeon battle lighting could not drive out all the darkness. It could only illuminate the center of the crossroads with a wide road in all directions.


    "Skull!"


    Skull, who was standing on the opposite side of Ophelia and Eligos, shouted loudly.


    The thunderbolt of greed arising from Brigada''s necklace was present not only in Warhammer but also in the magic shield Yong-ho obtained on the fifth floor of the arena.


    The Skull unit also shouted as their captain did. Each of them stared at the darkness while grabbing their weapons.


    Catalina calmly caught her breath. She controlled the magical power of greed originating from Brigada.


    Greed strengthened her magical power. Her black magical power was now like a blade that freely transformed itself. It was not an exaggeration to say that Catalina''s body, armed with black magical power on her arms and legs as well as daggers on both hands, was now a weapon itself.


    Rikum and several Orcs under his control kept swallowing, standing beside Catalina.


    They were not seen because it was dark, but it was not easy to guess how many they were, given their shouting.


    The Goblin Rangers and Baduk who stood among the Orcs couldn''t even breathe properly because they felt so tense.


    Kiaaaaah!

 105 Scathach of the Aquarius 2

    Suddenly, a monstrous shout was heard.


    Then dungeon monsters charged from three directions of the crossroads.


    The first basement floor of the House of Mammon.


    The forbidden land for more than a hundred years was now occupied by the dungeon monsters.


    Dozens, maybe even hundreds of dungeon monsters rushed at the House of Mammon''s spirits.


    Most of them were Ghouls and skeletons. There were among them who were full of blind hatred for the living. They were the Banshee and Abomination, the incarnation of horror.


    Eligos breathed roughly and fast. Ophelia grinned after slapping Eligos on the back.


    Instead of waiting, she charged at the dungeon monsters face to face.


    "Dang it! Help me, Brother!"


    He couldn''t tell her to stop if she wanted to save her life. She was like a typhoon, who penetrated deep into the Ghouls and kicked them hard. It seemed that the Ghouls, not Ophelia, had to shout for help.


    "Wow!"


    Eligos rushed after Ophelia. It wasn''t because he was afraid of the consequences if he didn''t rush now, though it was partly true. But he had another reason.


    Eligos was the butler of the Mammon family. He had to show his strength befitting his status as the great Mammon family''s butler. Of course, he was a little bit, yes a tiny bit worried about Ophelia''s safety.


    Eligos, equipped with a unique dynamic strength of a Red Demon beast, overwhelmed the Ghouls. Eligos'' punching literally crushed them all at once.


    "Awesome, Brother! You look like a beast!"


    Ophelia kicked in the air with a hearty laugh. With the energy arising from her sharp toes, she cut several Ghouls with the blade of magical power.


    "Skull, Skull!"


    Skull, who was standing on the opposite side, also showed off his bravery. He didn''t stop at merely smashing the Ghouls with a battle hammer with a lightning strike.


    The magical power of greed soared from Brigada that Skull had on his neck. Skull, a skeleton magic knight, concentrated its magic on the hammer. He struck the ground at once to release a tremendous lightning strike!


    Dozens of lightning strikes that were spreading around the attacking point covered the entire corridor.


    Not only the Ghouls but even the Banshee, which could be said to be almost an astral body, could not avoid the lightning strike. The bodies of the Ghouls exploded here and there because they could not overcome the impact of the lightning strike. Banshee''s astral body was scattered in the air.


    Skull shouted again, "Skull! Skull!"


    It was a rush order. At the captain''s order, the Skull unit invaded the place that had been devastated by the lightning strikes and wiped out the dungeon monsters.


    They weren''t greedy. They held their places as if they were defending their positions in a basketball game. The Goblin Rangers were not in their element when it came to the offensive.


    Rikum and the Orcs were excited as they were engaged in a real fight after a long time. No matter what others said, the Orcs were born fighters.


    But this time, they had to take a step back. There was a great wall between the Ghouls and them.


    Catalina ran through the darkness.


    With the blood of the dark elf running through her body, she could see through the darkness. Inheriting the blood of the succubus, she could control the magical power of greed with amazing sensitivity.


    She was a shadow runner. Darkness was her friend, not her enemy.


    Not only the floor but also the walls and ceiling were her fighting stages. Running through the walls and kicking the ceiling to penetrate into the Ghouls, she rotated herself where she was and swung her arms. In an instant, she released the power of her black magic.


    The blade of the shadow raged. Soaking in the magic of greed, it stretched over a few meters and broke everything that stood in the way. Banshee, the semi-spirit, couldn''t avoid the blade of the shadow, and neither could Abomination, whose thick skin denied the attack of a normal blade.


    The blade of the shadow changed its shape freely. Sometimes it was a giant reaper''s scythe. Sometimes it was a sharp Scimitar. Thanks to Catalina''s mobility, which occurred almost instantly, the fighting was as good as a wide-range attack.


    "Wow! Way to go!"


    Standing carefree among the spirits fighting against the enemies charging from three directions, Yong-ho clapped and cheered them. Salami, standing by his side, looked at him incredulously, but he did not intend to join them in the intense fighting.


    It wasn''t a matter of Yong-ho alone becoming strong. The spirits under his control had to be strong as well.


    The best way to accumulate evolution EXP was the experience of real fighting that risked one''s life. The more powerful the opponent and the more fierce the battle was, the more evolution EXP one could get.


    Moreover, he needed to be more adept at using Brigada.


    Yong-ho looked at Catalina closely, in particular. He was impressed by Eligos fighting like a beast, but Catalina''s progress stood out. He felt she could really challenge the first floor of the arena with her current skills.


    The ground shook. Dungeon monsters appeared from another direction of the crossroads.


    As if to make up for their absence from the fighting until now, their numbers were several times more compared to the monsters from other directions.


    Yong-ho turned to them. He wasn''t afraid even though dozens of Ghouls were charging toward him. He reached out in the air and grabbed Aamon, the red-lotus demon spear.


    "Let''s go, Salami," Yong-ho said, and Salami understood it. Regretting the absence of its rival Bucephalas here, Salami gathered all the magical power.


    Yong-ho did not run. Instead, he concentrated the power of greed on the tip of Amon.


    "Kiaaaaah!"


    Ghouls popped out of the dark. Yong-ho pulled Amon and stepped forward, trampling on the ground strongly. Salami also opened its mouth wide to emit flames.


    The mouth of greed swallowed the flames of Salami. The one direction of the crossroads, namely the entire wide corridor, was engulfed with the waves of sparks.


    Not only the Ghouls but also the darkness itself was driven out.


    Since it was the sparks of enormous magical power, those who were fighting in the other three directions had no choice but to look back for a moment. And they all smiled.


    The air was on fire. The burning smell filled the hallways, and all the spirits soon had to refocus on their fighting while frowning.


    Yong-ho also frowned, but he was still smiling.


    How much time had passed?


    The moment Eligos smashed the last remaining Ghoul''s head with a fist, they heard Lucia''s voice that they had been waiting for earnestly.


    [The first basement floor of the Mammon family has been occupied!]


    [I''ll supply the magical power from now on!]


    Magical light poured out from the ceiling.


    Faced with the light, Yong-ho looked around. Then he met the eyes of those spirits belonging to the Mammon family, which were ebbing away from it, avoiding the light.


    The first basement floor of the Mammon family.


    The exploration of the ''Labyrinth of Greed'', the giant castle of Mammon, the King of Greed, was about to begin now.


    After they won the battle and occupied the hall on the first floor, Yong-ho began to send the spirits upstairs, which didn''t know about the ''truth.''


    The Orcs, including Rikum, did not know much about the Labyrinth of Greed.


    Goblin Rangers and Baduk also thought that this battle was part of the operation to recover "Kaiwan''s legacy," as it always had been.


    However, it was impossible to cheat them forever.


    According to Aamon and Gusion, this was the beginning of the Labyrinth of True Greed, not the "fake" one. Therefore, there was a possibility that a truly great facility or artifact could be discovered. Even if Kaiwan was the best of the dungeon heads for the past few generations, it didn''t make sense that she achieved all of this during her reign, spanning ten years or so.


    Apart from Baduk or other goblins, it was possible that Jun or Rikum, who had smart brains, would detect the truth.


    It wasn''t that he couldn''t trust Rikum or the Goblin Rangers.


    But he had to have the worst situation in mind. If the existence of the Labyrinth of Greed was known even by mere chance, not only Yong-ho but also all the spirits of the House of Mammon would be in danger.


    Except for the subordinate spirits, all of the others returned to the ground floor.


    After confirming that the passage connecting the ground floor and the first basement floor was tightly closed, Yong-ho felt relieved and looked around the area.


    It was a large space.


    The square space, the center of the crossroads, was large enough for a basketball match.


    The straight corridor was also wide enough for five or six adult men to walk shoulder to shoulder.


    "This is indeed the dungeon of the House of Mammon."


    Ophelia did not hide her admiration. When she showed curiosity like that, she looked like a pure girl, not a veteran pub mistress who had gone through ups and downs.


    In a way, her reaction was natural.


    Before starting the exploration, Yong-ho confessed the ''truth'' to his subordinate spirits.


    They were in the same boat as him, sharing his fate. Moreover, they were supposed to continue to explore the Labyrinth of Greed with Yong-ho.


    That was why he confessed the truth. He confessed the existence of the Labyrinth of Greed to four people.


    It was in the same vein that Ophelia was more excited than usual during the battle.


    In fact, she had been seized with all kinds of delusions after hearing from her father, Endelyon, about the depths of the Mammon family. So, it was natural for her to get excited because she realized that the identity of the depths was nothing but the Labyrinth of Greed.

 106 Scathach of the Aquarius 3

    Eligos also looked around and moved a lot. Catalina also did the same. Even though she was aware of the existence of the Labyrinth of Greed even before Yong-ho''s confession after hearing relevant stories while coming and going to the arena, she wiggled her tail violently in excitement.


    It was only Skull that remained calm. Actually, it was so calm that it was rolling on the ground


    It was quite a scene Yong-ho saw after a long time.


    "As you all have experienced, there are many dungeon monsters. Some more might be in hiding, so you have to be careful of their traps, too."


    There were almost no records on the Labyrinth of Greed in the archives of the Mammon family.


    Since they had to hide the identity of the Labyrinth of Greed, the successive owners of the House of Mammon handed down its information to their descendants only orally.


    It was obvious that the relevant records were missing. What was handed down to them until Kaiwan''s era was the existence of the Labyrinth of Greed, as well as the twelve spirits of the Mammon family somewhere in its depths.


    Catalina and Eligos became nervous at the word ''trap''. If this was the "first floor", it''s supposed to contain the most traps, to say the least, because it was the first line of defense against the enemy infiltrating the dungeon.


    Yong-ho smiled bitterly at Catalina and Eligos when they erected their tails as if to show they were extremely nervous at the moment. Then he looked back at the owner of the third tail, who was moving it cheerfully.


    "Don''t you think the traps won''t work properly, do you?"


    "Maybe not. That''s why the dungeon monsters were moving around in droves like that. Of course, we can''t afford to let our guard down," said Ophelia.


    Having said that, she caught her breath calmly. She knew she was going to embark on exploration, not tourism. What Yong-ho needed now was not a girl with twinkling green eyes, but a veteran tavern hostess.


    Eligos said, "Skathach has another name, ''Aquarius,'' in addition to her different name "Immortal Witch". Accordingly, she has so many anecdotes related to water. I may take things easy, but if there is a residence for Scathach somewhere near here, it might be a water-related place."


    Although there were few records on the Labyrinth of Greed, the records on the twelve spirits of the Mammon family were overflowing. They were powerful demons that left their names in the history of the demon world even before they became the spirits of the Mammon family.


    Scathach in the legend was a witch, who handled water and life. She was so deeply related to water that it was not an exaggeration to say that all the records about her started and ended with water.


    Yong-ho nodded and said, "That makes sense. Let me keep it in mind. Good job, Eligos."


    ''I think I have to praise him more often.''


    Yong-ho made up his mind like that then turned his gaze to Ophelia to seek her opinion, too. But Skull came into his eyes again when he did that because the way he rolled on the floor was somewhat different than usual.


    "Skull?"


    "Skull, Skull," Skull responded, raising his body. It still couldn''t understand Yong-ho, but they could barely communicate as the dungeon head and his subordinate. Yong-ho could understand its meaning roughly.


    When Yong-ho approached and checked it, there was moss sprouting through the cracks of the floor.


    "It''s moss," said Ophelia, who had approached him before he realized it. Catalina also nodded.


    Finally, Eligos looked at Skull before turning to Yong-ho in no time.


    "Yes, it''s moss."


    Indeed, it was moss. There was nothing unusual about it.


    Yong-ho narrowed his eyebrows and soon understood why Skull paid attention to the moss.


    The moss was growing in only one direction of the crossroads.


    There was no moss in the center of the hall. No moss could be found in the other three directions. There was moss growing in only one direction, and the farther he looked, the more moss he could see.


    "Moisture," said Yong-ho. Skull nodded with a hearty laugh.


    Even a little bit of water was needed for the moss to grow.


    Yong-ho thought for a moment then looked up and asked Lucia, "Lucia, can you tell me where the source of water is based on where you''re standing now?"


    [The same direction as the moss is growing now. ]


    The waterway on the first floor of the dungeon of the Mammon family used groundwater as its source. Be it the Labyrinth of Greed or groundwater, it was certainly located under the first floor. If Scathach was in a water-related place like Eligos said, it was most likely to be near the source of the water.


    Of course, the situation would be different if Scathach built a waterway as she did on the first floor of the dungeon to supply water to other places.


    However, Yong-ho shook his head. The first basement floor had been sealed for nearly a hundred years. Even if there was a waterway or any other facility, it was unlikely that they were operating properly.


    "Ophelia, what do you think of what Eligos said?"


    "I agree with my brother''s opinion. It''s highly likely that Scathach is residing in a watery place."


    She replied immediately. Smiling at Skull, Yong-ho nodded again this time and said, "Nice job!"


    He now realized why Skull rolled on the floor.


    Skull laughed in satisfaction. He was as happy as Eligos.


    "Okay, shall we start?"


    Now, Yong-ho located the direction where there was the source of the water. He closed his eyes and activated the power of greed.


    What he wanted was Scathach, the Immortal Witch.


    He specified her images as much as possible and put together all the information he knew about her.


    His wild greed, exploding in all directions, converged into one. Then he went forward without hesitation.


    Catalina and Eligos pulled out the lighting equipment for dungeon exploration to brighten the place. They started exploring the Labyrinth of Greed.


    About five minutes after their expedition began, Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits were quite embarrassed because the path was too simple.


    It was just a straight path. There were no crossroads, which were so common, let alone corners.


    The traps that they were worried about in the first place were the same. There were entrances leading to small rooms on either side of the path, but they only looked straight.


    Another five minutes passed, and Yong-ho reached the end of the corridor. They stopped at a door almost as large as the width of the corridor.


    It was a door with a large tree embossed on it. Ophelia and Eligos grabbed the handles of the door, respectively, while Catalina and Skull stood on both sides of Yong-ho.


    Yong-ho also embodied Aamon in case of any danger.


    They exchanged glances quickly. When Yong-ho nodded, Ophelia and Eligos, who exchanged glances lastly, opened the door.


    Light poured out from inside. Moreover, the light greatly embarrassed them.


    It wasn''t just light or lighting.


    "Is it sunlight?" Yong-ho blurted out before he knew it, and Ophelia, frowning at the sudden light in the dark, sniffed about. It smelled like water as well as dirt. The fragrant smell of grass tickled her nose.


    A meadow spread out inside the door. How could anybody imagine they were inside a dungeon? Swallowing, Yong-ho took a step inside the door.


    The wind blew. It was a wind with the smell of grass.


    There was a sky on the high ceiling that seemed to be at least thirty meters tall. It was the blue sky of the human world, not that of the demon world mixed with various colors.


    "Is it biosphere?"


    It was an artificial ecosystem that could be seen in a movie.


    It was weird, indeed. He could recognize that there was a ceiling, and the sky clearly stretched out in it.


    ''Then, is that an artificial sun?''


    Warm sunlight was pouring down from a pile of light, shining in the middle of the sky.


    He never imagined that he would see such a spectacular sight in a dungeon like this.


    Suppressing his excitement, he looked around calmly.


    It was vast, first of all. It was a space that seemed to be hundreds of meters in diameter. There was real dirt on the ground, with even bugs and small animals on it.


    Catalina pointed to a corner with a blank expression. Yong-ho, who looked at it, also blinked.


    There was a lake. Since it was such a vast place, the lake was far from small.


    And there was an island in the middle of the lake.


    It was an island covered with ice as if to ignore the temperature inside, which was warm enough to be spring weather.


    Yong-ho again focused on greed. As expected, greed stretched toward the ice island.


    Turning Aamon back into the shape of a bracelet, he stepped toward the ice island.


    He hesitated for a moment in front of the small wooden bridge connecting the edge of the lake and the ice island, but he soon made a decision.


    Confronting Mammon''s 12 Spirits carried a big risk.

 107 Scathach of the Aquarius 4

    One could not be sure how true it was, but among the stories that had been passed down to the Mammon family was one about those who confronted Mammon''s 12 Spirits but got killed for failing to pass their test.


    However, Yong-ho did not hesitate. He trusted Aamon and Gusion. If Scathach had been too dangerous for Yong-ho, the two would not have recommended him to meet her.


    The island itself was not made of ice. Only the surface of the island as well as a building that resembled a small temple in the middle of the island were covered with ice.


    Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits naturally posed themselves for fighting. Instead of picking Aamon, he activated the flame of greed, which opened the path by melting ice.


    It was as if the snow was melting. The ice blocking the entrance to the temple also melted quickly as soon as it touched the flame of greed. He felt that the ice was reacting to greed itself, not heat.


    Ophelia and Eligos opened the door this time, too. The sunlight pouring from the sky naturally lit the inside of the temple.


    All kinds of light sparkled from the colorful stained glass on the ceiling.


    And a blue beauty was sitting on the frozen throne underneath it with her chin resting on her hand. Just like everything else on the island, she was also covered with ice.


    Yong-ho was confident that she was Scathach, the Immortal Witch.


    When he first took Mammon''s magic on the first floor of the arena, he saw her face. She was a beauty with blue hair, holding a water bottle. She could never die thanks to her transcendental vitality.


    She opened her eyes. Amid the melting ice, Scathach lifted her head and opened her lips, "Hello."


    She said just one word. Yong-ho instinctively felt that the ''test'' began.


    Something intense passed through their souls. Yong-ho, who closed his eyes instinctively, opened his eyes again in a strange familiarity.


    Everyone fell on the floor. Eligos and Catalina fell to the floor, motionless as if they passed over, while Ophelia was moaning, short of breath. Even Skull fell and wriggled on the floor without standing up properly.


    Scathach blinked then said in an embarrassed voice, "Uh? Are you alright? Really?"


    Even before Yong-ho could respond, Scathach showed her strength once again. This time, too, something intense passed through Yong-ho''s soul, and he finally realized what it was. He seemed to know why it was familiar to him.


    It was the real experience of death.


    Scathach shocked everyone in Yong-ho''s group strongly enough to make them feel they experienced a dozen deaths.


    So, it was natural that they fell down. The test was hard for not only Ophelia, who was trained with psychological magic, but also Skull, who had already experienced death once.


    As for the experience of death, he experienced it more than three dozen times. Every time he practiced with Aamon, he had to die at least fifteen times.


    It might sound strange, but Yong-ho got used to death.


    ''They knew it.''


    They already knew what Scathach''s test was. That was why not only Gusion but Aamon didn''t mention the test to him at all.


    Because of dozens of similar near-death experiences, even Ophelia and Skull passed out.


    Scathach looked at Yong-ho, who was still in good shape, with a strange expression then raised her hand again. Yong-ho urgently stopped her action.


    "Wait a moment. I have something to give you. This is a letter from the owner of the arena, Gusion with superhuman strength."


    Having said that quickly, he searched for something. However, he stopped moving his hand when Scathach responded quickly, "Uh? It''s from my sweetheart?"


    "Your sweetheart?"


    He unwittingly asked back, and she nodded with a cheerful smile.


    "Yes, my sweetheart, my love."


    Yong-ho recalled Gusion''s face when he gave him the letter.


    He seemed to know why Gusion made such an expression at that time.


    Her eyes were like those of a zebra before it was eaten by a lion.


    ''Gosh, is her memory distorted?''


    Scathach was a beauty who seemed to have a very pleasing personality. She was almost as tall as Yong-ho, about 180 cm in height, but the ratio of her body was so good that he didn''t think she was that tall. Moreover, Gusion, Scathach''s alleged boyfriend, was a giant, who was over two meters tall.


    Standing side by side, they would probably look good as a couple.


    Scathach read the letter carefully twice, no, three times. Given that she was smiling, with one hand on her cheek, she seemed to be happy about the contents of the letter very much.


    ''It doesn''t look like a love letter,'' Yong-ho thought.


    The man who wrote the letter was none other than Gusion. Yong-ho couldn''t even imagine that clunky man sitting at his desk and writing a love letter.


    ''Oh, maybe he could¡­''


    Yong-ho thought there was something cute about him.


    But Yong-ho shook his head soon. After stopping such idle delusions, he examined his subordinate spirits lying on the floor. Gently patting Catalina''s wobbly tail, he turned to Scathach.


    "Is this really good?"


    "It''s okay, it''s good. You might feel shocked, but it doesn''t do any harm to your body, and it has no side effects. I am not a person who is hard on you."


    While talking gibberish like that and waving her hand, she finally folded the letter.


    Even after reading it several times, she bit her lips slightly as if she still wanted to keep reading. It took about several minutes for her to put it on the handle of the chair.


    He thought that given her behavior, she was far from Mammon''s twelve spirits like Aamon or Gusion.


    When he felt Scathach''s test began, he felt some powerful magic at the moment, but it was a very short moment, so he didn''t remember it.


    Right now, the only thing that Yong-ho saw was a blue China dress, which was torn off on both sides to reveal her legs, a pure white fur wrapped around her neck and shoulders, and her sky blue hair tied up in a knot beautifully.


    "Hmmm. I see. You''re my ''Little Master,'' according to him," said Scathach, lightly clearing her throat.


    Given her use of the title ''Little Master'' referring to him, Yong-ho thought she was Gusion''s girlfriend.


    "Good to see you. Let me introduce myself again. I am Scathach, the Immortal Witch. I''m one of the twelve spirits serving Mammon, the King of Greed, and a gardener who manages the garden of life."


    Then she asked for a handshake, smiling brightly at him.


    Yong-ho was rather embarrassed because this was the first time he met her, which was so different from his encounter with Aamon or Gusion.


    ''Well, come to think of it, isn''t this normal?'' he thought.


    Rather, Aamon and Gusion were the ones who were abnormal since they abruptly shook hands with him.


    Yong-ho gladly held her hand. He introduced himself, meeting her blue eyes.


    "I''m Yong-ho Chon, the head of the House of Mammon.


    Scathach''s hand was cold, but it felt good.


    Since she didn''t let go of his hand even after shaking hands, he had no choice but to withdraw his hand first.


    He changed the topic as if to hide his awkwardness.


    "As for the garden of life¡­ Are you talking about this place?"


    "To tell you more precisely, it refers to the whole ground floor. Well, all the spirits who came with you fell asleep. To be honest with you, since you''re the head of the Mammon family, it''s the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    Scathach slightly winked at him. Somehow, it looked like she could easily answer his questions, so he dared to ask her one of the questions that he had been curious about for a long time.


    "How many floors are there in the Labyrinth of Greed?"


    "Uh? Has such a basic record been missing? Sorry to ask you, but what is the number of the head of your family? Do you know the name of any previous family head? How much time has passed?"


    She asked, tilting her head continuously, which embarrassed him again.


    ''Oh, what is the number of my family head anyway?''


    He had never asked himself about it. Even when he looked at the family tree, he was content with checking out the family heads, but he never paid any attention to the number of the family heads. Since he overlooked the names of the previous heads, he could not remember any name.


    After all, he replied carefully, narrowing his eyebrows, "You don''t know Kaiwan, do you?"


    "Don''t know."


    Since she didn''t even know Kaiwan, it was impossible she knew Cayenne.


    So, Yong-ho stopped asking and tried in a different way.


    "More than a thousand years have passed since Mammon, the King of Greed, disappeared."


    Scathach''s eyes trembled for a moment.

 108 Scathach of the Aquarius 5

    Although the passage of time was ambiguous, she was different from Gusion, who was always awake in the arena while she had been asleep.


    "Gosh, it seems that time has passed much more than I expected."


    She barely opened her mouth, but she was obviously embarrassed.


    Maybe the smile that she had shown to him until now was a little exaggerated.


    She closed her eyes once. And when she opened her eyes again, she smiled a bright smile like before and said, "The Labyrinth of Greed has a total of thirteen floors. As you may have already noticed, each of Mammon''s twelve spirits is in charge of one floor. The 13th floor belongs to Mammon."


    She was not done yet. She stopped talking for a moment then pointed to Yong-ho''s arm with her eyes.


    "Aamon has no floor to take care of because that guy is a little special."


    Yong-ho looked at the bracelet anew. So, he asked what came up to his mind naturally.


    "Which floor is Gusion in charge of?"


    "7th floor. His own arena is there. Other floors are unique, but his floor is especially unique. Well, you can call it a totally different space."


    What she said made sense. That was what Yong-ho always felt whenever he passed the long corridor leading to the arena.


    Yong-ho looked around for a moment. There were many large windows in the small temple¡ªScathach''s residence. The sunlight pouring over the window was warm.


    "You said it was a garden, right?"


    "Yes, the garden of life. Since the Labyrinth of Greed is the residence of Mammon, the King of Greed, isn''t it natural that the first floor should be a garden?"


    The garden of life wasn''t just a symbolic name.


    So, Yong-ho responded instinctively, "Oh, that''s why there was no trap..."


    "Yes, it is none other than the garden of the King of Greed, which leads to his palace. Wouldn''t it be a good place if we didn''t talk about any dreadful stuff?"


    There were no traps on the first floor. It was literally a space open to people who came to the garden or the house.


    The most thorough defense of the dungeon''s entrance was the basis of the dungeon''s defense. However, the Labyrinth of Greed, Mamon''s residence, completely ignored the basics completely.


    ''So, this is the king''s garden?''


    As the residence of the greatest king in the history of the demon world, it symbolized his act of differentiating himself from other kings, which was arrogant and imperious.


    That was why it was appropriate for the king, Yong-ho thought.


    Scathach looked into Yong-ho gently then grinned with her arms folded.


    "Okay, I like you, little master. So, let''s talk a bit officially. Congratulations on passing the first test!"


    "The first test? That means you have a second test?"


    However, the moment she finished talking, a huge magical power filled the palace.


    It was a magical power with a terrible chill that seemed to freeze everything in the world.


    And Yong-ho realized that it didn''t just fill the palace. The magical power was tightly controlled. The magical power released by Scathach surrounded only Yong-ho, giving him a sense of pressure as if the whole world was collapsing.


    He might have died from suffocation in the past, but not anymore.


    He found the flow even under the pressure of magical power that seemed to allow for any loophole. Instead of resisting her magical power, he released the flame of greed and adapted to the flow. He mixed it with her magical power.


    The magical power that suppressed him naturally dissipated.


    His whole body was soaked with sweat. Although it took only a dozen seconds, he felt like he consumed more than half of his mental power.


    She was still looking at him. Then she withdrew her smile and slowly closed her eyes.


    She bowed to him and said, "Forgive my rudeness, head of the Mamon family. You, the descendant of the great family!"


    The flow was similar to Gusion''s but different.


    Yong-ho replied relatively calmly after taking back the flame of greed.


    "I forgive you."


    He didn''t care about his croaky voice when he said that to her. Scathach understood why Gusion used the title "Little Master" for Yong-ho. She stretched her back to stand up and said cheerfully, "Since you have passed the first test, the Garden of Life is now yours, Little Master. You can do whatever you want here. Besides, you can freely use this island, the sanctuary of healing.


    Her change of attitude was very swift. So much so that Yong-ho might have been curious if he had not forgiven her.


    As if she already noticed the subtle change in his look, she continued quickly, "This is the palace that the King of Greed has presented to me. In this palace, I can share my overflowing vitality with others. As long as you were not killed, I could heal your wounds, though it would take some time. This would be no exception even if any part of your body was amputated. I can also shake off your mental fatigue. Your spirits, who have fallen, will be healed here cleanly, so don''t worry."


    Indeed, it''s exactly what Gusion said to him.


    This was a place that would be of great help to the Mammon family with no proper therapist.


    "I saw a crossroad in the middle. Can I see the same space like this one even if I go another way? Just like the Garden of Life?"


    "You''re supposed to, according to the original design. But I''m not sure because hundreds of years have passed already, as you said. I think I could keep this place because of my magical power, but don''t you think other places were devastated?"


    "Then, all you have to do is supply magical power to restore them."


    But it was more easily said than done. He couldn''t feel Lucia as if he entered the arena.


    Perhaps, the area that Lucia could control at the moment was only the first-floor''s hall.


    "What about the rooms attached to the corridor?"


    "Aren''t they almost like a warehouse? I basically can''t go outside this garden. I don''t know what the previous family heads had renovated here."


    She shrugged her shoulders then sat down on the chair again. She then said while gently picking up Gusion''s letter, "Therefore, let me announce the second and final test."


    Then the letter in her hand pointed to the floor. Her action carried an ambiguous meaning.


    "Bring my sweetheart here. Then you can be my new master. Can you do it?"


    Gusion could not leave the arena, so there was only one way to get him out of the arena and bring him here.


    It was for Yong-ho to be the new owner of the arena and free all the spirits out of it.


    "It will take some time but I can."


    She laughed at his answer and said in a gentle voice, "I really hope it won''t take much time, seriously."


    Although she was laughing, she was obviously concerned. Yong-ho seemed to notice her embarrassed look when she realized that hundreds of years had already passed.


    Did Mammon trap his Twelve Spirits in the Labyrinth of Greed because he was greedy?


    If that was true, why did they still show unchanging affection for Mammon?


    Aamon or Gusion didn''t answer his question. He felt Scathach would not either.


    Instead of facing her, Yong-ho turned around and looked out the window.


    There was a lake shining brightly under the sunlight and a fertile land beyond it.


    It was an affluent land that could not be easily found in the demon world.


    "Have you decided what to do in the Garden of Life?"


    Scathach asked from behind his back. Yong-ho nodded slowly.


    "Hey, you know this is the Garden of "Life", right?"


    "Of course."


    Two days have passed since Yong-ho became the owner of the Garden of Life.


    As soon as he met with Scathach, Yong-ho, who had access to the virtual space of the dungeon merchants, looked at the "farm" with a proud expression. A dozen of skeleton soldiers he acquired were slowly plowing the field.


    Until now, the House of Mammon has purchased all the ingredients from the virtual space. In fact, the House of Mammon didn''t do this. Almost all the dungeon heads in the southern areas were dependent on food from the dungeon markets.


    The lands in the demon world were barren. Growing grains was not easy.


    But the Garden of Life was different. The land was fertile, there was plenty of sunlight, and water was right next to it.


    It was impossible to achieve complete self-sufficiency here, but it was possible to considerably lower dependence on dungeon markets'' food.


    Besides, farming was one of the tasks that could help him accumulate evolutionary EXP.


    Scathach made a long face when she looked at the undead, a symbol of death, farming in the Garden of Life.


    Covering her nose with one hand, she complained, "They stink."


    "They are sleeping all day anyway."


    "Well, that''s a different matter."


    When Yong-ho wasn''t there, she sat back in her chair and fell into a deep sleep.


    It seemed like she hadn''t had a lot of sleep from the beginning. Also, she seemed to have consumed a considerable amount of magic power to maintain the Garden of Life.


    Yong-ho said with a laugh as if to ignore her complaint, "Anyway, you can make grains grow faster, right?"


    She pouted but didn''t say she couldn''t.


    Yong-ho looked at the farm again happily. He was really happy to see Eligos''s face, who stood in the middle of the farm, commanding the skeletons as if he owned the whole world.


    "Well, this is my first time seeing the House of Mammon''s head in a thousand years."


    Not caring much about what she said, which he actually seemed to have heard from Gusion, Yong-ho left her place.


    He got the healer in Scathach and acquired a farm that he didn''t expect, but he could not afford to be complacent now.


    Embrio was coming from the west. So, Yong-ho had to be prepared to stop him.


    His next goal was to secure a dungeon of the House of Randolt, which he would use as a shield to protect the west.


    Yong-ho stepped forward to get out of the Labyrinth of Greed.

 109 House of Randolt 1

    "Oh, good. It looks like you are a very quick learner because you are good at controlling magical power."


    Gusion, sitting on the chair in the waiting room, clapped loudly.


    Yong-ho took a deep breath. Ignoring Gusion''s voice that broke his concentration, he circulated his magical power once again.


    What Gusion asked of him was to let the magic power run constantly.


    His request was very easy but difficult to meet.


    The magical power of the demon world was like a living creature. Even the magical power concentrated in one place was supposed to constantly pulsate and move.


    However, the movement was disorderly, and in fact, it was often meaningless.


    What Gusion asked for was not such a pointless movement, but a purposeful movement.


    In other words, it was the flow of magical power that could harmonize with the movement of the body for their synergy effect.


    It was a piece of cake for Yong-ho to make the magic flow in the desired direction.


    It was an easy request. However, Gusion''s other condition made it much more difficult to meet his request.


    Gusion wanted Yong-ho to control his magical power unconsciously.


    Just as people didn''t think about how to move bones and muscles when they moved their hands, he demanded that Yong-ho put his magic to work naturally according to his movement. That was the basics. It was necessary for Yong-ho to embody the movement of his magical power, just like those in the demon world.


    Yong-ho moved his hand. Perhaps because his repetitive training was efficient, he could move his magical power without being conscious of it. Merely moving his hand made him feel more empowered than before.


    "I think I had better start training you when you don''t feel that your magical power is different from before," said Gusion.


    Gusion could point it out because he accurately discerned Yong-ho''s condition.


    Indeed, he was one of Mammon''s Twelve Spirits.


    Yong-ho smiled bitterly. Although he knew well that Gusion was awesome, he didn''t want to admit it somehow.


    It wasn''t because he had any bad feelings toward Gusion like he did at first. Rather, it was because he was now close to Gusion now.


    "So, did you finish writing a reply to Scathach?"


    Yong-ho asked him sharply, and Gusion flinched at that. Gusion was away from his place with excuses that he was writing a reply when Yong-ho was fighting with the floor master on the 8th floor or practicing alone in the waiting room.


    Gusion, who was getting nervous as if he was a criminal under interrogation, quickly changed the topic and said, "So, your escort girl wants to challenge them in the arena? She made a big decision."


    Yong-ho laughed happily because Gusion obviously wanted to avoid his question.


    Since Yong-ho talked more than he expected, Gusion frowned at his last words.


    After hesitating for a while, he took out a letter from the inner pocket of his coat.


    "Here you go."


    The letter sealed by melted wax gave him a pretty antique feel.


    Yong-ho received Gusion''s reply to Scathach, but Gusion didn''t let go of his hand.


    Still holding onto the letter, Gusion looked at Yong-ho and whispered with a serious expression, "Don''t read it! Never!"


    "I promise you. Never."


    After replying as seriously as Gusion, Yong-ho snatched it from him and put it inside his pocket. "Well, Scathach recites it to me anyway."


    At that moment, Gusion''s expression changed dramatically. Yong-ho was prepared for a situation where this giant Red Daemon rushed to take back the letter, but fortunately, he didn''t do it.


    That did not happen.


    Gusion helplessly sat on the chair like a man who gave up everything.


    While tilting his head, Yong-ho sat down next to Gusion and asked, "What''s wrong with Scathach? She''s nice and pretty. You seem to like it secretly," said Yong-ho seriously.


    She had a good personality befitting her legendary reputation as the best among the Twelve Spirits of the House of Mammon. It was true that she was a dazzling beauty, though she wasn''t as beautiful as Sitri.


    Sacathach was a bit of an idiot, but she was still attractive enough to anybody.


    Gusion smiled with an empty expression then shook his head.


    Looking down at Yong-ho, he said, "I like her¡­ But it''s scary at night when I''m with her."


    "What did you say?" Gusion clicked his tongue. Then he said, waving his hand at Yong-ho, who opened his eyes wide, "You do not yet know the true depth of the night. You''re not ready. You are still a rookie."


    [It seems like you haven''t even started it at all...]


    [Well, maybe that''s why you can create such strong anguish and longing.]


    Aamon, who remained silent until then, suddenly intervened. Gusion''s eyes popped up at his heavy and serious voice this time.


    "Uh? What do you mean he hasn''t even started it?"


    "Whatever! Next time I come here, Catalina will challenge the first floor instead of me. I''m going to challenge the 9th floor after that."


    This time, Yong-ho quickly changed the topic. Gusion alternately looked at Yong-ho and Amon with suspicious eyes, but Amon did not show any particular feelings while Yong-ho also desperately avoided Gusion''s gaze.


    Gusion, who tilted his head several times, banished his doubts in no time and replied, "Yes, in order to bring out Brigada''s true power, the strength of your subordinate, namely your spirits, is also important."


    "The real power of Brigada?"


    "Not yet. Let me tell you about it when you reach the next level. If you try to run before even walking, you will fall."


    Gusion looked like a man, and he was actually big-hearted. However, he was unusually inflexible now.


    However, Yong-ho gently accepted what he said.


    Since it was time to leave the arena, he asked Gusion, "How about Kaiwan''s condition?"


    "Well, she is still recovering but smoothly. So, you won''t have to worry."


    Gusion wasn''t the type of man who told useless lies. As he said, she was recovering really smoothly. If so, she might as well show her face at least once, Yong-ho thought.


    But he stopped thinking like that anymore and stood up.


    "Okay, let me come back next time."


    When Yong-ho opened the door of the waiting room, a man in a beast mask appeared as if he had been waiting. Standing beside him was Catalina, who was training in another waiting room.


    He looked sharp. Even though he was hidden in a sheath called Catalina, the blade named black magic seemed to give off a sharp light.


    Yong-ho reached out and stroked Catalina''s hair. Whenever he touched her hair, the sharpness of the black magic gently gave away. Catalina''s expression, which became unusually hardened, also changed gently.


    "Let''s go back."


    "Yes, Lord."


    Catalina replied, flapping her tail, who now went back to normal.


    Yong-ho also smiled happily then stepped forward with her.


    It was when he was about to get out of the waiting room when Gusion stopped him.


    "Hey, Little Master!"


    When Yong-ho turned around, Gusion folded his arms. After a little pause, he said, "Kaiwan is the floor master on the 10th floor. And the reward on the 10th floor is special so is the penalty."


    Yong-ho was currently staying on the 8th floor.


    There was only one floor left for him to finish to move up to the 10th floor.


    ***


    When he returned to Kaiwan''s break room through the long corridor of the arena, Yong-ho could shake off all the agitation in his heart.


    He didn''t need to be particularly nervous because he would have to confront Kaiwan.


    Rather, what was important was the specialness of the reward and punishment rather than the fact that the opponent was Kaiwan.


    He could not yet know the rewards and the penalty. However, it was clear that he had to be more prepared than usual.


    [Master, what happened to you in the arena?]


    [You look pale.]


    As soon as he got connected to Lucia again after leaving the arena, her voice was heard.


    Since her voice sounded quite worried, he responded brightly, "No, nothing happened. I''m just a little tired. Didn''t anything unusual happen in the dungeon?"


    [Your subordinate spirit, Ophelia, who went as an envoy to the House of Randolt, returned.]


    [I think she came back with their reply to our surrender advice.]


    "She came back quickly."


    She really did. Ophelia''s mission was to deliver a surrender advice, not get their reply.


    So, the fact that she got the reply meant that the head of the Randolt family replied quickly.


    Maybe they had already prepared the reply even before Ophelia arrived.


    "Where is she now?"


    [Well, she is relieving fatigue by sparring with Eligos, a subordinate spirit.]


    [I will have her come to the conference room right now.]


    Yong-ho didn''t know what her sparring with Eligos had to do with her releasing fatigue, but he felt relieved anyway.


    If something big happened to him, he would not have anybody to contact because he was in the arena, but at least Ophelia was there, sparring with Eligos leisurely.


    "I have to hurry. Let''s hurry up, Catalina."


    Catalina quickly nodded then headed to the conference room with Yong-ho.

 110 House of Randolt 2

    "The head of the House of Randolt was already anticipating that I would come. To tell you more specifically, he knew I would come with a surrender advice written by the Mamon family."


    That was what Yong-ho expected. So, he asked back, "What is their reaction?"


    "They were relatively calm. Here is the reply from the head of the House of Randolt."


    Ophelia took out a letter from her inside jacket. It was sealed more strictly than the one Gusion sent to Scathach.


    Instead of handing out the letter to him, she pulled it toward her chest and said with a serious expression, "It''s an ordinary letter imbued with no magical power. However, maybe there is something like poison on it. Please allow me to open it first."


    Just because magic existed, it didn''t mean that all traps should be set only by magic.


    It was possible that somebody could have put a poisonous powder inside the letter, or they could have poisoned the corner of a letter.


    Remembering the letter poisoned with anthrax in the news some time ago, Yong-ho frowned because he didn''t like the fact that Ophelia was to check out the letter at the risk of her life.


    But Ophelia had a determined expression on her face. So, he eventually nodded.


    "Okay, go ahead."


    "Thank you."


    She took out a knife. She cut the envelope itself and examined the letter very closely. It was almost 10 minutes or more after Yong-ho received the letter from her.


    "He is demanding a duel with me?"


    What''s written in the letter was very concise. To summarize it, it was as follows.


    \u003cLet''s have a one-on-one duel between the families without their subordinates.


    We don''t have to take each other''s lives.


    The loser becomes the winner''s subordinate.


    The duel can take place anywhere in the wilderness between the Mammon and the Randolt residences. You can decide on the location.


    If you reject my duel offer, all the members of the House of Randolt will defend the dungeon with all their might, fully prepared to sacrifice their lives.\u003e


    Reviewing the letter after Yong-ho, Eligos narrowed his eyebrows and said, "So, he wants to have it out with you in a duel."


    "He is determined to fight to the end if I reject, right?"


    The head of the House of Randolt''s challenge to a duel was something Yong-ho didn''t expect at all.


    Reading the letter last, Rikum said, "Well, it''s my own guess, but don''t you think he has offered the duel merely to save his face?"


    "Saving his face?"


    "Yes, because it isn''t good for the Randolt family head to surrender without any fight. His pride might feel offended in that case."


    Rikum had a point to some extent.


    As he said, it was quite understandable that the loser would become the winner''s subordinate.


    "What do you think of it, Ophelia?"


    After taking a deep breath, she said calmly, "As I reported to you the other day, the head of the House of Randolt is just stuck in his own dungeon, so much so that he is called too timid. But I don''t think he offered you a challenge to duel to save his face without any chance of defeating you. Requesting a duel is a double-edged sword to him."


    What she said also made sense. Nodding at her, Rikum added, "She has a point. He might want to try to prove his strength or worth by throwing down the gauntlet."


    Obviously, he sought to prove his worth, not to save his face.


    Ophelia also nodded this time and said, "I think he might want it. Anyway, it''s true that he is strong enough to challenge you to a duel."


    All things considered, it was logical to think that the head of the House of Randolt threw down the gauntlet, ''knowing he would be defeated.''


    Nonetheless, Yong-ho could not readily accept it.


    At that moment, Catalina, who was watching them silently, raised her hand timidly and said in a soft voice, "Isn''t it something like a trap?"


    For example, the House of Randolt head''s offer that Yong-ho could choose the duel location could be a trap to make him feel complacent.


    So, Yong-ho once again read the letter from him. His writing was concise but elegant.


    "Or he might really want to have it out with me."


    Deciding the final victor in a duel? No shedding useless blood? "Ophelia, do you know something about his fighting style or his strength?"


    Knitting her brows, she said, "Well, his fighting style or strength is not widely known because he is stuck only in his dungeon, but there is quite a bit of fragmentary information about it, given his long activities as the family head. To tell you some certain things, he''s got three horns, and he seems to rely on magic rather than physical skills. He may be stronger than Foras or Jungceros, but I think he is absolutely below Agares."


    "Is he a wizard?"


    "Yes, so maybe he is an easier opponent to you because you can read the flow of magical power. Perhaps, you can read most magic in advance. Accordingly, you will be able to evade, defend, or disturb him easily."


    Anyone who was good at magic could read the flow of magical power.


    However, Yong-ho could discern the color and properties of magical power, and he could even read the movement of magical power even during battle.


    The difference between reading the flow of magical power in a calm state and reading it during a life-threatening battle was like night and day.


    "Is it possible that the House of Randolt head will break his promise?"


    "There is little possibility that he will. It''s so important that only a few reviews of this case are enough, but that''s how I have felt it from my face-to-face meeting with him," said Ophelia sharply, just like a former veteran tavern owner.


    Yong-ho closed his eyes for a moment and organized his thoughts.


    The duel certainly carried great risk. With a stronger power, Yong-ho didn''t need to take the risk.


    But he didn''t need to shed useless blood. Also, he could own the Randolt family without big backlash


    Yong-ho fully appreciated the concern of his subordinate spirits. He felt a strong sense of trust in them.


    They were loyal servants who would firmly support him, no matter which choice he would make.


    So, Yong-ho made the decision. Opening his eyes, he said, "Ophelia, I''m sorry to say this, but can you visit the House of Randolt once more?"


    "Ophelia, Endelyon''s daughter, will follow the order of the head of the great House of Mammon."


    Not only Ophelia, but also Catalina, Eligos, and Skull expressed their due politeness to him.


    Yong-ho stood up from his seat then revealed his decision.


    ***


    It took four days for Ophelia to leave the House of Mamon, visit the House of Randolt, and receive a second reply from them.


    And again, three days later, Yong-ho sat in the special seat of the arena and gulped.


    Although the arena was familiar to him because of his frequent visits, he couldn''t hide his anxiety as he did on his first visit.


    In the arena, there was a deadly battle going on between Catalina and the floor master on the first floor.


    Gnoll Chieftain, the floor master on the first floor, was so huge that it couldn''t even be compared with ordinary Gnolls. Moreover, he was very quick and clever. The Sword and Jorah took control of the space by using two different weapons at the same time.


    Of course, Catalina was faster than Gnoll Chieftain. The blade of the black magic that she could now freely use also boasted its terrifying attack power.


    Comparing the two''s strength objectively, Catalina had the upper hand.


    Gusion admitted it, and Yong-ho could confirm it, too.


    However, fighting was not judged by rivals'' objective capabilities alone.


    About ten minutes after the fighting started, Gnoll Chieftain finally fell to the floor. At that moment, Yong-ho sprang to his feet and rushed to the arena without asking for Gusion''s understanding.


    "Catalina!"


    Catalina won. Gnoll Chieftain fell on the floor with his body stabbed by her black sword.


    However, Catalina didn''t emerge safely. Her whole body was covered with blood and sweat. And more than half of them belonged to Gnoll Chieftain.


    When Yong-ho reached the arena, she couldn''t hold up and sat down. She was breathing roughly. Moreover, the wound areas on her body swelled black as if she was poisoned.


    The fighting in the arena looked like an actual one, but it was not real.


    Accordingly, no matter how severely one was injured, one was supposed to recover after the fight. It was like how the floor masters of the arena revived even if they died in a fight. Of course, they could not be said to have been resurrected because they had never been killed. However, Catalina was different.


    She was one of the Twelve Spirits of the House of Mammon, not its head. So, some harsh rules, which were different from Yong-ho''s, were forced on her.


    All of Catalina''s injuries were real. A spirit like her, not the house head, had to really fight to obtain the arena''s rewards. Death in the arena meant real death in her case.


    Catalina couldn''t open her eyes properly. Perhaps, it was because she actively fought without knowing she was poisoned. It seemed that the poison already spread all over her body.


    Yong-ho tried to stay calm. He gently laid her on the floor and put his hands on her abdomen¡ªthe most injured part of her body. Then he activated the power of evolution.


    This was why Yong-ho set today for her challenge in the arena.


    Assuming the full evolution EXP was 100, Catalina''s EXP right before she challenged the first floor was 99.


    Whether she won or lost, she could not fill her evolution EXP fully. Yong-ho could cure most of the wounds thanks to the effects of the power of evolution.


    It didn''t matter even if the wounds were so serious that they could not be treated with the power of evolution, for he could still buy enough time to take the injured to the Garden of Life where Scathach resided.


    Fortunately, Catalina''s wounds could be healed with the power of evolution.


    Her expression gradually became calmer. She passed out as if she was exhausted, but her face shone with joy and a strong sense of accomplishment.


    Only then did Yong-ho feel relieved. Approaching them from behind, Gusion laughed heartily and said, "Congratulations on breaking through the first floor."

 111 House of Randolt 3

    When Gusion moved his fingers, "Mammon''s magical power" that had formed on the fake body of Gnoll Chieftain penetrated into Catalina''s body. Although the efficiency of absorbing the essence of an ordinary demon, not the Demon King, was very poor, Catalina was a little different.


    As a subordinate demon of the King of Greed, Yong-ho, she could use the magic power of greed through Brigada even if she could do it in a small way.


    But greed helped her absorb more magic power. It allowed her to take more magic power than usual.


    Moreover, what Yong-ho chose was the extraordinary evolution of magic power. Thanks to this, Catalina''s magic power increased significantly at once. This was more than what Yong-ho expected.


    "Sooner or later, she will get a fourth horn," said Gusion, glancing over Catalina.


    Yong-ho, who thought she was praiseworthy, unwittingly pinched her soft cheeks then turned to Gusion. While pointing to one of the boxes of light floating in the air, he said, "Do you mind if I choose the reward?"


    "Yeah, take them all!"


    With any delay, Yong-ho took Gusion''s words into action. A red belt emerged from the box of light he selected, guided by greed.


    "It''s a belt of strength. It is a simple artifact that increases your strength when you wear it. I guess it will be good to make up for the lack of your escort girl''s muscle strength."


    "Isn''t it too big for Catalina to wear?"


    "You told me that one of your subordinate demons was a craftsman. Ask him to drill a few more holes."


    Yong-ho wondered if it was okay to deal with it harshly, given it was an artifact, not just a belt, but he nodded. After putting it away in good order, Yong-ho carefully held Catalina, who passed out on the floor.


    Gusion said again, "What do you think? Why don''t you use your newly gained momentum to challenge the 9th floor?"


    It was a pretty attractive offer. Since he experienced Mammon''s magic power, Yong-ho was also moved by Gusion''s suggestion to some extent.


    However, Yong-ho shook his head and replied with a bitter smile, "I''m sorry, but I have an appointment now."


    Yong-ho knew that the level of difficulty would increase once he moved up to a higher floor. He could get stronger if he challenged the ninth floor, but there was no guarantee that he could win unconditionally. So, he thought that it was better to maintain his best condition at the moment.


    Gusion sensed it in no time. He called the man with a beast mask to guide Yong-ho.


    ***


    On the morning of the fifth day after he got the second reply from the House of Randolt, Yong-ho looked far away, standing in the wilderness.


    Behind him were Catalina, Skull, and Ophelia, with the fluttering flags of Skull''s seven units equipped with their own weapons.


    He saw a group of people approaching him from far away.


    They were Tigrius Randolt, head of the House of Randolt, and his men.


    Yong-ho and Tigrius decided on the location and time of their duel.


    What Yong-ho chose was a remote place in the wilderness located between the Houses of Mammon and Randolt. The place was located at a certain distance from both houses, and it was difficult for each side to prepare an ambush or trap because all directions were open.


    Besides, it was also an advantage that there were no outsiders to watch the duel. Both agreed to bring only ten people on both sides. The number of their subordinates was just right, not too small or big.


    "I''m Tigrius Randolt, the head of the House of Randolt."


    An old man, who lightly descended from the back of a giant lizard reminiscent of a dinosaur, introduced himself. His voice was deep and sonorous.


    Yong-ho already recognized who he was, even his portrait, through Ophelia.


    But he felt differently when faced with Tigrius like this. Tigrius was an old man who looked much stronger and tougher than him in the portrait.


    He was tall and thin. His neatly arranged hair and beard were almost gray. His gray eyes glared sharply.


    It was exactly what Yong-ho felt in his writing style of the reply.


    Tigrius was elegant. Yong-ho felt as if he met an English gentleman, a real nobleman.


    Behind Tigrius, in a black suit, stood his subordinate demons dressed in neat clothes as well.


    They were made up of several races, and even Orcs were dressed in neat suits.


    Yong-ho also got off Salami. Facing Tigrius, he introduced himself.


    "I''m Yong-ho Chun, the head of the House of Mammon."


    Tigrius narrowed his eyes at the name Yong-ho Chun. Yong-ho had never hidden his name for any reason, nor had he advertised his name. Most of the demons living in the Free City also remembered Yong-ho only as "the Mamon House head" or "The Demon King of Flames," but they did not know his name.


    Yong-ho Chun.


    It was a heterogeneous name even in the demon world where all kinds of races were mixed.


    At least it was enough to believe that he didn''t come from the pure family lineage of the House of Mammon.


    But Tigrius didn''t care about Yong-ho''s name. He hit the ground with a large cane instead of a sword or a spear. The metal cane, which seemed to have no shortcomings as a weapon, had a woman with wings against the moon carved at the end of its corner. Rather than a simple decoration, it seemed like a strange object with magical meaning.


    "Since we''ve already confirmed each other''s will in the letters, we don''t need to drag it long. This is the ''contract'' we talked about in advance. I have already signed it, so you sign it, too."


    Having said that, Tigrius hit the ground with the cane, which formed a blood-red character in the air.


    Like the letters Tigrius sent so far, the contract contained only the essential contents.


    Before signing it right away, Yong-ho turned to Ophelia briefly. She confirmed with a look that the contract was correct.


    As the name suggested, the contract was an artifact for the contract.


    Completed by both signing the contract, this magical tool could exert a powerful deterrent.


    Since the magic itself was supposed to be used by the two who signed the contract, the difference in their magic power was meaningless. Just because any one of the two had a stronger magic power, he could not ignore the contents of the contract or resist its deterrence.


    The contract signed by the two had absolute binding power.


    And that was why it was extremely difficult to find such a contract in the demon world. Ironically, its absoluteness and honesty turned lots of people off.


    Before signing it, Yong-ho read the contents of the contract one more time.


    There was no room for any cunning play on words because only simple and clear facts were on the contract.


    ''The loser of the duel becomes the winner''s subordinate.''


    It was not an exaggeration to say that the contract contained only that phrase.


    Yong-ho moved his fingers in the air to sign it. The letters of red light were united in the air and lighted up, and soon, they were split into two and flew to Yong-ho and Tigrius respectively.


    A complex red pattern was engraved on the back of their hands. It was a sign of the contract.


    Tigrius said again, "We don''t have to talk any longer. I hope we can have a duel right away."


    Rumors that Tigrius was timid were wrong. He was the most impressive of those family heads that Yong-ho had met until now. He was also different from Foras that gave out an animal-like murderous aura. He gave out an elegant, not murderous atmosphere.


    ''He''s a real nobleman.''


    After murmuring a bit, Yong-ho nodded. He erased any lingering suspicion of Tigrius''s trap or plot from his mind.


    It was a fair duel. It was like a fight in the arena.


    Yong-ho grabbed the red flames that bloomed in the air. He also injected magical energy into the magic magnet on his left hand, covering it with silver metal.


    Yong-ho had no intention of dealing with him lightly. Tigrius didn''t come here to lose.


    He opened the four horns at once to project magic energy fully.


    The surrounding area was shaken when a new force was applied to the flow of the magical energy that filled the sky and the earth.


    Yong-ho''s magic power was more than rumored. Tigrius''s face was full of tension.


    But he was not moved yet. He also opened the horns without backing down. Three horns protruded from Tigrius''s forehead at the same time.


    Tigrius did not face Yong-ho''s magic directly. He gently dissipated magic energy and stepped forward slowly.


    "Let''s start the duel now," Tigrius said. Yong-ho accepted it.


    And at some point, the two disappeared at the same time.


    ***


    Yong-ho''s movement resembled that of Catalina. He did not depend solely on his physical performance like he did until now. Magic power helped his movement, resulting in an explosive instantaneous speed.


    When Tigrius disappeared in front of him, Yong-ho looked at the left and right instinctively.


    When Yong-ho was fighting demons in the arena, he saw one fleeing at a tremendous speed, so much so that even his eyes could not catch it. But even so, it was fast in the end. It was necessary to move from the point of departure to the destination.


    He didn''t care if it was his afterimages. Any clue that could help him find out Tigrius''s course was enough.


    But he could see nothing. Tigrius disappeared before my eyes.


    Yong-ho''s feet, who kicked the ground to rush forward, touched it again. During that short moment when he couldn''t even swallow, he acted instinctively. Ophelia''s screaming was heard behind his back.


    "Blink!"


    When he heard her voice. Yong-ho already turned around. His opponent disappeared in front of him. If so, where could he appear again? In front of him again? No. He would most likely appear from the side or in the rear. And there''s one more thing Yong-ho couldn''t explain. It was probably something he had learned from Aamon while sparring with him dozens or hundreds of times. Maybe the experience he had accumulated so far was the answer.


    But it didn''t matter. Yong-ho instinctively turned around. By doing so, he could face Tigrius again, who disappeared in front of him by using the magic of a short-range jump.


    Yong-ho''s inversion was clearly faster than he expected.


    But Tigrius didn''t feel embarrassed, for Yong-ho had almost twice as much magic power as himself. So, no matter what Yong-ho did, he didn''t feel it was strange. From his position as a "challenger," Tigrius simply did his best to do what he could.

 112 House of Randolt 4

    At the same time, Tigrius prepared two magics. One originated from his cane and the other from his left hand.


    A barrage of magic poured out like a machine gun from the tip of the cane. It was an energy missile, one of simple yet effective attack magics.


    It was fast enough. Dozens of magical lumps pouring from the front were clearly intimidating.


    That was why Yong-ho moved forward. He didn''t distance himself from Tigrius by stepping aside or stepping back. He discerned the flow of Tigrius''s magic. No, he felt it now.


    It was like an arrow. Energy missiles drew a certain trajectory.


    Yong-ho sensed the trajectory and moved accordingly. Yong-ho''s subordinate demons felt so thrilled when they saw their master rushing forward while evading energy missiles by a hair''s breadth.


    "Greece!"


    Tigrius urgently put into action the magic on his left hand.


    The ground in front of Yong-ho lost its coefficient of friction and became extremely slippery. Yong-ho anticipated various kinds of attack magic, but he didn''t expect this kind of blocking at all. He inevitably stepped on the ground and fell, losing his balance.


    Seizing that chance, Tigrius once again used Blink. He really wanted to attack Yong-ho at the moment, but increasing the distance from him was his top priority now.


    Tigrius''s judgment was correct.


    Yong-ho didn''t fall helplessly. Although he didn''t anticipate the kind of magic that Tigrius possessed, he sensed that something magical was forming. So, Yong-ho swung Aamon the moment he slipped. There was no strength in his swing, but he didn''t need it anyway.


    A wave of green flames originating from the tip of his spear swept over the place where Tigrius had stayed.


    Tigrius understood that the head of the House of Mammon could sense the flow of magic power. Maybe he could see it from the beginning. Anybody who was sensitive to magic could do it. It was unusual to do it during an urgent battle, but it was pointless for Tigrius to talk about it when Yong-ho was already using it.


    Instead of landing behind Yong-ho''s back once again, Tigrius retreated and immediately triggered the next magic. He could not afford to save the magic numbers that he had memorized.


    Various colored lights filled the space between the two. Their dazzling splendor was comparable to the sky of the demon world.


    Tigrius''s excellent hearing captured even the slightest noises that he would not have to hear. And that sensitivity could sometimes be his weakness.


    ''If you can see, see it. Feel free if you can feel it.''


    It was oversupply. For Yong-ho, who was concentrating on the flow of magic, he felt shocked as if the whole world was filled with magical light.


    Then, Tigrius fired energy missiles in succession. Dozens of energy lumps hit Yong-ho like a bomb strike.


    Green flames bloomed. Tigrius''s elaborate attack backfired. Yong-ho blocked a barrage of energy missiles with the Shield of Jamming, the power embedded in Kaiwan''s ring. He recovered himself by causing green flames to block the magic power surrounding him.


    Tigrius laughed bitterly. Indeed, Yong-ho wasn''t an ordinary opponent. It was no coincidence that Yong-ho defeated Foras and Jungceros in succession before beating Agares.


    However, Tigrius was not yet ready to give up. Rather, he was thinking about victory even at this moment.


    Carrying the cane, Tigrius changed his posture. Rather than increasing the distance with Yong-ho again, he rushed as if he wanted to have a head-to-head fight.


    The green flames disappeared at once. Yong-ho, who came out of the green flames he had created himself, swung Aamon at Tigrius, who charged from the front.


    Rather than avoiding the attack, Tigrius swung his cane at Aamon.


    There was a thunderous roar. It was more than imagined. It was so powerful that Yong-ho felt a lingering throbbing on both arms.


    Strength, a strength-enhancing magic, and Haste, a speed-enhancing magic.


    It wasn''t just all there was. Tigrius carried a total of five sub-magics on his body, which drastically enhanced his physical ability that was already powerful enough.


    It was true that one should not be deceived by the appearance of an old man.


    Judging from his look, Foras was also an old man anyway.


    Tigrius turned to Blink again. This time, he appeared from Yong-ho''s right side and swung his cane. Yong-ho barely escaped the attack.


    He was not wielding his cane recklessly. His swinging was refined and skillful in a sharp contrast to Foras'' beastly movement. Obviously, he mastered specific martial arts for a long time.


    Tigrius used various kinds of magic even amid the head-to-head fighting,


    Attack magic such as energy missiles, as well as close-range magic such as Greece, confused Yong-ho, but he endured them well. He was never dominated by Tigrius.


    It was true that Tigrius''s physical abilities drastically improved. However, Yong-ho''s physical strength was not far behind him. In fact, Yong-ho''s body underwent a complete change for the better.


    Tigrius apparently honed his skills for many years. But what about his actual battle experience? When it came to the battle that risked his life, Yong-ho had far more experience than Tigrius. No matter what others said, Yong-ho already experienced virtual death hundreds of times.


    Yong-ho''s action exceeded Tigrius''s expectations. The moment Tigrius thought he would step back, Yong-ho moved forward even at the risk of his life. Obviously, he acted as if he left everything to Providence.


    ''Oh, no!'' Tigrius doubted.


    Yong-ho''s action was thoroughly calculated. It was far from his reliance on luck or recklessness. Tigrius could confirm it in his eyes!


    Bang!


    Aamon poured out, pressing Tigrius''s cane and fixing it on the ground. It did not stop there and released intense green flames. Green flames surged splendidly toward Tigrius as if a hawk soared in the sky. Tigrius was close by, so he did not have enough time to activate Blink. No, maybe he already used up all of his available Blink.


    During that short moment, Yong-ho''s eyes met his. Tigrius let go of his hand that was holding the cane. The green flames swept over Tigrius.


    This time, Tigrius surpassed his expectations.


    Tigrius took one step further. The green flames scattered without harming him. It was not because Yong-ho weakened the intensity of the green flames to save his life.


    The Flame Shield.


    It was a flame barrier that Tigrius had prepared for today''s duel, a secret weapon that protected him from fire attacks.


    On the premise that he would be helped by his cane, Tigrius could use three magics at the same time. Nevertheless, the reason he used only two magics until now was because he wanted to maintain the Flame Shield.


    As for the green flames that Yong-ho shot at him first, Tigrius didn''t have to avoid it because he would have endured them with the power of the Flame Shield.


    But he avoided the green flames excessively to seize the moment to reverse the tide!


    The Flame Shield burned red. Tigrius did not spare his magic. Charging at Yong-ho immediately, he concentrated magic on his right hand. The blade of pure white magic soared up.


    The green flames didn''t work because Tigrius was too close for Yong-ho to use the spear. The Flame Shield would serve as a barrier against not only the green flames but also other attacks by Yong-ho.


    Right at this moment, the goddess of victory turned to Tigrius himself.


    It was a perfect checkmate!


    But the moment Tigrius was about to declare victory, he saw something strange.


    Yong-ho also let go of Aamon. Then, he rushed forward as if to narrow the distance with Tigrius. It seemed as if he was throwing himself into the blazing Flame Shield.


    Was he reckless? No.


    Tigrius could feel Yong-ho''s magic power, though not as much as he.


    Tigrius was amazed at the magic energy that he should feel at this moment.


    An intense chill enveloped his body. Something from the magic field on Yong-ho''s left hand broke the Flame Shield. The Flame Shield was broken like a thin glass window before the intense chill.


    ''Two attributes?!''


    It wasn''t just magic. It was pure magic. That was why Tigrius was all the more astonished. How could Yong-ho do this?


    Tigrius couldn''t think any further. After destroying the Flame Shield, Yong-ho punched him endlessly. Tigrius used his last available Blink to retreat. Since it happened instantly, he could not even think of attacking Yong-ho from his back.


    And Yong-ho now chased him. He rushed toward Tigrius without any hesitation as if he knew the old man would retreat.


    Blink was definitely a magic that helped one to leap through space. So, it was impossible to notice one''s leaping process between the origin and destination points.


    But it wasn''t a magical power. The magic power at the destination point was distorted.


    It would have been difficult to detect Tigrius if he had moved back as he did, but this time, he operated Blink within Yong-ho''s view.


    Aamon was now held again in Yong-ho''s hand. However, an intense chill was still coming out from the magic field of his left hand.


    Tigrius could not be sure which of the two was the real one that tormented him.


    But he had no time to think. He exercised the power of the Demon King. He combined two magics into one beyond his limits.


    The Flame Shield against flames.


    The Aqua Shield against chills.


    Yong-ho clearly witnessed that the two colors and attributes became one before his eyes. That was why he didn''t stop.


    Yong-ho lifted Aamon high above his head and struck against the barrier that Tigrius had set up. At that moment, a lightning bolt struck, which was not a metaphor, but a real thunderbolt!


    It was a lightning strike.


    The third attribute of his magic neutralized the attributes of the Flame Shield and Aqua Shield.


    Tigrius was astonished and so were the demons of the House of Mammon, who was watching it.


    They knew early on that Yong-ho had the attributes of fire and chill. But a lightning strike?


    There was no such thing. Of course, Yong-ho didn''t learn the lightning strike magic.


    But Skull understood it. The Brigada necklace was absorbing Skull''s own magic.


    In no time, Catalina sensed it, too. She felt that she was being united with Yong-ho.


    Her dark magic was being delivered to Yong-ho through Brigada, which had the attribute of darkness. Since her energy was exhausted instantly, she felt some pain, but her heart was filled with a deep sense of fidelity that she was being united with her master. Her joy was greater than her pain.


    Yong-ho could deliver the magical power of greed to his subordinate demons through Brigada. That was why they could add greed to their magical power until now.


    Brigada''s role was to amplify, respond, and save magic power!


    The greed embedded in Brigada absorbed the magic of the subordinate demons and got delivered to Yong-ho.


    The next step that Gusion mentioned!


    The reason why he said that in order to bring out Brigada''s true power, the subordinate demons should also become stronger!


    Yong-ho realized it himself and exercised it in the real battle. Catalina''s black magic was condensed into Aamon that he lifted high.


    Yong-ho then struck it again. As if to show off Catalina''s strength, her black magic that transformed into a huge sword completely destroyed Tigrius''s shield. Crushed by the overwhelming force, Tigrius could no longer withstand it. He helplessly flopped down.


    Aamon did not harm Tigrius, and the black magic only cut the air.


    Tigrius gasped for breath. He looked at Yong-ho with trembling eyes.


    And he understood that it was time for him to implement the contract.


    "I admit defeat. You''re the head of the House of Mammon, no, My Lord!"


    He admitted defeat completely. Yong-ho also breathed roughly. Using Brigada was quite difficult for him because he was not familiar with it. But he withdrew Aamon with a smile. He also took back the chill from the magic field on his left arm then reached out. He raised Tigrius by himself and said, "Welcome, Tigrius, the wizard of the House of Mammon!"


    Tigrius laughed bitterly at his new title.


    Instead of complaining about it, he once again expressed his respect for Yong-ho as his subject.


    It was the moment when the two families of Mammon and Randolt became one.

 113 Dungeon Making 1

    An unexpected blow was always painful.


    Embrio, the Demon King of the wolves, sat on the walls of the newly occupied city and looked far away.


    He looked toward the north, not the west or south that he used to.


    Meanwhile, Embrio''s operation went well.


    The family heads in the western region didn''t dare to leave on an expedition to the north when their own dungeons were in danger.


    Although there were some who attempted to advance to the north, they often ended up ending their expedition shortly.


    Nobody knew where Embrio''s core dungeon was.


    The northern region had been already occupied by Embrio.


    It was unreasonable for them to go on a faraway expedition when their dungeons were in danger. There were several reasons.


    That was why Embrio could keep pressing those family heads in the western region. He could keep driving them into a corner. He could force them to choose a single-round match.


    But something unexpected happened.


    The ''reasons'' that covered Embrio could be sustained only when the family heads in the western region made a rational judgment.


    But they gave up everything, who was like ''revenge demons'' earnestly hoping for Embrio''s ruin.


    So, those reasons could not be accepted by them. They were willing to sacrifice themselves to set fire to a forest named Embrio.


    Most of them were survivors.


    They were not only children or brothers or relatives of the family heads in the northern and western regions trampled by Embrio but also, their loyal dungeon demons.


    And they attacked the north.


    They didn''t think of retreating. They attacked Embrio''s dungeons or front lines at the risk of their lives and succeeded in inflicting considerable damages to Embrio.


    Of course, Embrio''s forces were not to be defeated by their sporadic guerrilla battles. If they had been such a weak force in the first place, they could not have subdued the northern region. Embrio put an end to the turmoil in the north within a relatively short period of time and pressured on the family heads in the western region.


    However, it was clear that he had a setback in the plan. After all, the time required to end the turmoil was described as ''short'' at first, but it proved ''relatively short''. In fact, Embrio had to exhaust a considerable amount of time to do that.


    The family heads in the western region, exhausted from being chased by Embrio endlessly, bought some time for a break. They began to look for ways to use revenge demons.


    That was why Embrio went out of his way. In a situation where the supply line linking the north was in jeopardy, he achieved the feat of attacking one of the western cities in an ambush and occupied it overnight.


    The powerful undead was supposed to radiate the energy of death around it. And such energy of death altered the magical power omnipotent in the demon world.


    The undead began to rise among the crowd of corpses. Of course, their number was small, and most of the newly produced undead were zombies that were hard to be called undead at best.


    But they couldn''t be ignored at all.


    The wolf that was staring at Death Knight frowned. Hugin, the wisest of the wolves following Embrio, discovered that Death Knight''s action was a sort of an armed demonstration.


    It was true that the powerful undead radiated the energy of death. However, a powerful undead could keep such energy hidden from outsiders.


    Obviously, Death Knight didn''t try to reinforce his force by increasing the number of zombies. That Death Knight was showing off his ability to create the new undead simply by radiating the energy of death by himself.


    And his showoff was not directed toward the family heads in the western region. Obviously, it was directed toward Embrio on the wall.


    But Embrio didn''t care. He felt that the outright hostility of the surveillant became a little more concrete.


    Rather, it was a good sign to him. If the surveillant had sincerely been wary of Embrio, he would have posed an invisible threat instead of such a childish act.


    Embrio stroked Hugin''s head. His gaze toward the north turned to the east and south this time.


    It seemed that he could occupy the western region sooner or later.


    Plauros, the Demon King who could be called the head of the Western Owners'' Alliance, was by no means a fool. Further expansion of the front was not beneficial to the Western Owners'' Alliance. It would be possible for them to attack Embrio''s rear to some extent by using revenge demons, but it would be nothing more than their desperate efforts that could not affect the general situation.


    Be it a single-round match or a thorough defense, there was no choice but to mobilize the forces now. The damages in the western region were too big to continue a war of attrition.


    That was why Embrio concluded that the western region would be occupied sooner or later. So, he thought of the east and the south, his next target after occupying the western region.


    The eastern region was still in turmoil. The big chaos and turmoil that Embrio caused awakened those with ambitions in the eastern region. It was the so-called warring states period. It would take a considerable time for the turmoil in the eastern region to subside.


    The eastern region was wide. There were also quite a few powerful demon kings. If somebody could subdue the period of confusion and unify the state, he could be a strong rival of Embrio himself.


    However, Embrio wanted to pay more attention to the southern region than the eastern region. A wind was blowing in the southern region. The sudden wind began to swallow everything in the region.


    It wasn''t surprising that the new strongman defeated those family heads there. But it was something that raised Embrio''s attention that he took the Free City after defeating Agares.


    In the southern region, there were no houses with strong power like those in the west, and there were not many families like those in the east.


    That was why Embrio had ignored the southern area the most until now. He thought it was a place that he could easily take immediately after occupying the west.


    However, the time came for Embrio to think differently about the southern region.


    ''The House of Mammon.''


    It was the very house where that great King of Greed was born.


    Although it lost its past glory, it once had the name of the ''king'' during the old days.


    ''Embrio, you don''t have the power of sin. So, you can''t be a king.''


    Embryo recalled the fortune teller Naga''s words, who he trampled in the north.


    Instead of thinking of something positive or negative, Embrio simply turned around.


    He muttered softly, "Is he the Demon King of Flames?"


    The new divinity that has risen from the southern region.


    The new Demon King bearing the name of the House of Mammon on his back.


    The wind blew. With the energy of death, it blew toward the north.


    ***


    [Name: Tigrius Randolt (male)]


    [Race: Magius (Mine)]


    [Category: Demon King-Demon King of Union]


    [Attribute: Flame Level 3]


    [Individual nature]


    [Prudent / Upright / Honest]


    [Individual aptitude]


    [Intellect / Magic power]


    [Evolution EXP 0/100]


    [Strength Specialization Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]


    [Physical Strength Specialization Level 3 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    [Intellect Specialization Level 4 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Magic Power Level 4 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]


    [Skill Specialization Level 4 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]


    Thanks to the effect of the contract, Yong-ho could observe Tigrius''s evolution information in great detail even though he had not yet made him his subordinate demon.


    What caught Yong-ho''s interest more than anything else was his other name, "The Demon King of Union."


    ''Is it also his last magic?''


    During the battle, Tigrius''s two different magics merged into one, and they were completely different properties like fire and water.


    When it came to magic, Yong-ho was close to a layman, but it didn''t mean he had no commonsensical knowledge of it at all. As far as he knew, two magics could not become one like that.


    Closing his green eyes, he pondered for a moment. He spoke to Tigrius in a low voice, who remained silent after declaring that he would become Yong-ho''s subordinate, "Is the Demon King of Union your other name?"


    Since he had been accustomed to speaking to Eligos informally, he could ask Tigrius the same way.


    At that moment, Tigrius replied with his eyes glaring, "Yes, Lord. That is my name as a Demon King."


    The power of the Demon King was not given by Providence. He obtained the power by awakening the possibility of his own soul as the Demon King.


    Therefore, the name of the Demon King could be called the name of the soul.


    Tigrius tried to suppress his curiosity.


    Yong-ho''s different name, known to the public, was "The Demon King of Flames."


    Tigrius thought so until now, but he didn''t think it was true.


    Just as Yong-ho was deeply impressed by Tigrius''s magic of merging two into one, Tigrius was also greatly shocked by his free attribute transformation.


    Moreover, this time, Yong-ho accurately found out Tigrius''s other name.


    There was a possibility that Yong-ho guessed right after watching him merge the two magics, but Tigrius''s intuition denied such a flimsy possibility.


    When his green eyes flashed, it was clear that some magic power was triggered.


    Maybe it was not his attribute transformation, but the power that he just showed.


    So, Tigrius got curious and wanted to know.


    However, Tigrius himself was now a subject of the House of Mammon. So, he could not ask his lord to reveal the secret.


    The power of the Demon King was the best weapon the Demon King had. So, asking him to reveal the secret of such power was like asking a warrior for his sword.


    Tigrius took a deep breath.


    Yong-ho and he had a different status. Yong-ho was his master, while Tigrius was his vassal.


    The master had to know clearly what power his vassal had, so he could use his subordinate''s power in the right place.


    Tigrius was good at making himself clear. Now that he pledged to become Yong-ho''s subordinate through the contract, he did not consider himself more than a vassal of the House of Mammon.


    So, he explained to Yong-ho about his power in a soft voice, which could not be heard around him.

 114 Dungeon Making 2

    "I have the power to unite two different objects into one, even though it''s temporary. But it''s not possible for anything. After I first obtained this power, I tested many ways and concluded that combining magic was the most useful, and as a result, I''ve come to take the path of a wizard as I''m now."


    Combine two different things?


    At that moment, Yong-ho momentarily recalled his own evolution of union.


    "Excuse me, but can you show it to me?"


    "No problem."


    Tigrius, who answered readily this time, opened both hands. Since the magic that he had memorized was almost exhausted, he activated a simple magic that did not require much preparation.


    "Fire arrow in the right hand. Fire arrow in the left hand."


    An arrow of flames formed on his hands. Tigrius made eye contact with Yong-ho. Slowly, he brought his hands together in front of his chest, then clasped his hands finally.


    He shouted, "Combination magic¡ªFire Ballista!" and opened his hands wide.


    At that moment, a huge arrow of fire formed on his palms. It was huge enough to befit the name Ballista.


    "I can combine the same magic to further strengthen it, or I can combine different magic to create a new one."


    After cancelling Fire Ballista, he activated the magic once again. This time, it was not the same magic.


    "Strength in the right hand. Haste in the left hand. Combination magic¡ªBooster!"


    It didn''t have as much of a visual effect as the one a moment ago. However, Yong-ho could see the color and properties of the magic directly. He gulped, watching the miracle on Tigrius''s hands.


    It was thanks to this magic combination that Tigrius could carry several auxiliary magic on his body, for two magic combinations brought about the same effect as using four auxiliary magics.


    The more Yong-ho saw it, the more magnificent he felt about it. It was indeed an appropriate choice that Tigrius decided to use the power of magic combination.


    A magic layman, Yong-ho could think of various magic combinations at that moment. So, it was needless to say how many magic combinations Tigrius, a real wizard, could think of.


    What if Yong-ho could evolve Tigrius?


    What kind of achievement could Tigrius show if he led the wizard to a higher place than now?


    ''Ah, by the way...''


    Such power was only possessed by the Demon King.


    Tigrius was now Yong-ho''s subordinate. If he could unleash the power of evolution, Tigrius had to be "subjugated" to Yong-ho himself. In other words, he had to be Yong-ho''s subordinate spirit, not the head of the House of Randolt anymore.


    What would happen to his power when Tigrius was not the Demon King anymore?


    Could he lose it?


    If that was the case, it would be regrettable. Yong-ho wanted to maintain Tigrius''s power while having him under his command.


    Yong-ho signaled to Tigrius appropriately then turned to Opelia.


    She explained quickly and briefly, "As you know, the power of the Demon King is manifested from the soul of the Demon King. Ascending to the position of the Demon King can be said to be an opportunity to awaken.


    "Then, does it mean that his power is still maintained even when he steps down from the position of the Demon King?"


    "Not really. It is true that the position of "Demon King" itself exerts considerable power in maintaining power. To get straight to the point, anybody who has been in the position of the Demon King for a long time can still use his power even if he loses his position because power is the manifestation of the power of the soul. However, his power would be weaker than before. There is no way he can avoid it."


    According to her explanation, Tigrius would still be able to exert his power even if he lost his position as the Demon King.


    Yong-ho was not sure about the duration of ''for a long time'' when she mentioned it, but Tigrius reigned as the head of the House of Randolt longer than Foras. In fact, the duration of his reign itself would not be a problem.


    When Yong-ho sighed as if he was relieved, Ophelia smiled brightly.


    Then she continued, "And the results can vary, depending on how you can merge the House of Randolt because Tigrius can serve you while maintaining his position as the Demon King. And actually, this is more common. The six kings are also governing their "kingdom" in this way."


    Yong-ho nodded. The power of his evolution has not stopped growing. If Yong-ho himself became stronger, he could unleash the power of evolution even if he didn''t make Tigrius his subordinate spirit.


    After a brief conversation with Ophelia, Yong-ho approached Tigrius again.


    He told Tigrius what Ophelia reported, "I hear that the main force of the House of Mammon started. So, we are going to wait here to join them before heading for the House of Randolt, as I told you before."


    "Okay. I will inform the dungeon of the House of Randolt in advance."


    That was why Yong-ho stayed in the wilderness even though the duel was over.


    He could not go and take over the House of Randolt with his current force. Of course, he didn''t suspect Tigrius, for Tigrius, whom Yong-ho met only briefly, would break his oath.


    There were two reasons why he mobilized his main force.


    First, he needed to put down the possible rebellion by the subordinate spirits of the House of Randolt without armed conflict, and secondly, he would need considerable manpower to rebuild the dungeon there.


    Deborah, a subordinate spirit of the House of Randolt, acted at Tigrius''s order and contacted the dungeon through telepathy. As a special spirit, she could exchange telepathy with her twin sister, no matter how far they were from each other.


    Now that Yong-ho settled almost everything with Tigrius, all he had to do was wait for the main force led by Rikum.


    ''The new power of Brigada.''


    Yong-ho looked back at the ring on his hand then turned to Catalina and Skull.


    It wasn''t just Catalina and Skull alone that felt connected to Yong-ho. Yong-ho also felt a strong bond when using their magic power.


    He didn''t make any calculated thinking that he would use those spirits with higher utility value as his subordinates. For that reason, the moment he felt connected to these subordinate spirits, their feelings were so pure.


    Skull laughed at Yong-ho''s gaze, and Catalina fluttered her ears and tail needlessly.


    Yong-ho gently touched the ring then turned back and looked west.


    Two days later, he arrived at the dungeon of the House of Randolt.


    He immediately started renovating the dungeon.


    ***


    The renovation started from the heart of the dungeon.


    After pondering for the past two days, Yong-ho made a decision on how to merge the House of Randolt with his.


    Tigrius Randolt would retain his Demon King status. First of all, Yong-ho would maintain a simple master-slave relationship instead of having him as his subordinate spirit.


    Of course, Yong-ho would have him go back to his original status as a subordinate spirit but not now.


    The dungeon of the Randolt House was the first "expanded base" that Yong-ho acquired, and at the same time, it was a shield to block the forces from the western region.


    Yong-ho could not afford to stay at the Randolt House for that long. Even before the attack on the west began, he had to break through one more arena first, and if possible, he had to explore the Labyrinth of Greed.


    That was why it was better to keep the position of the head of the House of Randolt for now.


    Moreover, Tigrius''s power was very useful. Since it was certain that his power would be weakened if Yong-ho made him his subordinate spirit, he could not weaken the strength of the friendly force recklessly.


    ''Of course¡­ this rests on the assumption that Tigrius won''t betray me.''


    So, it took two days for Yong-ho to make the decision.


    Yong-ho already trusted Tigrius wholeheartedly for he was moved by Tigrius''s attitude before and after the duel.


    However, he needed a little more time for more reasonable judgment.


    It was a very important issue. If Tigrius betrayed him during the battle, an irreversible situation would occur.


    So, Yong-ho had to arrange a safety device. And the first safeguard was the control of the heart of the dungeon.


    [Master!]


    [Can you hear my voice?]


    Lucia''s voice was heard from the heart of the dungeon in the deepest part of the House of Randolt.


    Her voice wasn''t very clear.


    He felt like Lucia''s voice was distant as if he picked up a phone with poor reception, and there were also noises that interfered with their conversation when she spoke.


    Yong-ho slightly tweaked the position of the remote communication unit attached to the heart of the dungeon. Next to him, Tigrius improved his connection with Lucia by controlling the letters of light that floated in the air.


    Lucia''s voice flowing from the dungeon''s soul became more and more clear.


    [Aiuheho]


    [Can you hear me?]


    [If you hear me, please answer me!]


    [Tubitubi Bopbop]


    [My master is a fool]


    Yong-ho blushed when Lucia''s voice continued. He could have smiled at her if he had been in the House of Mammon, but this place was the House of Randolt with Tigrius standing beside him.


    Yong-ho said in a soft voice after clearing his throat several times as if to hide his embarrassment.


    "Lucia?"


    [Hicuuk!]


    [Master? This time I can''t hear you well. I think the communication status is bad.]


    It was a white lie.


    Yong-ho grinned when he thought of this girl with blue hair, who was desperately pretending otherwise.


    "It seems you and I are well connected."


    [Hehe, you know I love you, my master?]


    Instead of answering, Yong-ho pretended to hit her forehead in the air.


    As the communication status improved, Lucia, who was connected to Yong-ho via the heart of the dungeon of the House of Randolt, responded with a laugh.


    Watching all this, Tigrius said, "She''s very peculiar."


    "Huh?"


    "She has a lot of emotion. I didn''t see a lot of dungeon souls... But I have never seen a dungeon soul like her."


    It didn''t sound like he mentioned it without any reason. There was a little curiosity in Tigrius''s eyes like a wizard.


    "Really?"


    Blurring a bit, Yong-ho looked back at the heart of the dungeon then he said while touching the remote communications device, "Lucia, can you feel your friend here? I''m going to subjugate some of the dungeon functions of the Randolt House to the dungeon of the Mammon House. The dungeon soul here will guide you, so finish the work."


    [Okay!]


    [Hi, I''m Lucia!]

 115 Dungeon Making 3

    Lucia spoke vigorously. Unlike when she was in the Mammon House, only her voice was heard now, so not only Yong-ho but Tigrius could hear it.


    Yong-ho felt a lot of expectation in Lucia''s voice. It seemed that she was excited to meet the souls of another dungeon for the first time.


    Yong-ho wasn''t as excited as Lucia, but he earnestly waited for the replies of the dungeon soul of the House of Randolt.


    While Lucia''s heart was pounding in excitement, there was a reply from the dungeon soul of the House of Randolt.


    [A new communication line with the dungeon soul of the House of Mammon is opened.]


    [It seems that it will take about 10 minutes to do this.]


    It was a hard female voice.


    It seemed that the female didn''t want to reply to Lucia''s greetings.


    [Sullen...]


    [I will help you with the work.]


    Lucia spoke briefly, but apparently, she was disappointed. The sullen face of this blue-haired girl, with her shoulders drooping, came to Yong-ho''s mind.


    Yong-ho turned back to Tigrius and asked, "Is that the typical response¡­?"


    "Most of the dungeon souls I have met are like that. I think my dungeon soul is perhaps more common than Lucia."


    Tigrius had no reason to lie, but it seemed that Lucia was really a special spirit.


    ''That''s good to know.''


    From Yong-ho''s point of view, a cheerful Lucia was much better.


    "When the communication line with Lucia is completed, we will start renovating the dungeon. I explained to you on the way, but I''m thinking of making this a fortress. The new dungeon will be very different from it now," said Yong-ho.


    Yong-ho seemed to feel sorry for Tigrius.


    Tigrius looked at Yong-ho differently from when he witnessed Lucia''s rich emotions.


    Then he replied with a warm smile reminiscent of Eligos, "That''s fine. I think you need the renovation to stop the forces from the western region. I understand. Thank you for your consideration."


    After he expressed gratitude duly, Tigrius recovered his usual look.


    His face was that of an old gentleman who gave out the aura of a serious nobleman with gravitas.


    ***


    While Lucia occupied some of the functions of the House of Randolt, Yong-ho headed for the makeshift lodge of the House of Mammon arranged in one corner of the House of Randolt.


    Originally, Tigrius wanted to provide Yong-ho with the Demon King''s room and his own bedroom as the accommodation for the Mammon House spirits, but Yong-ho declined it.


    Tigrius was still the head of the House of Randolt. So, Yong-ho wanted to respect it.


    Of course, that was not the only reason.


    ''A guest room is much better for me.''


    The spirits of the House of Mammon waiting at the lodge welcomed back Yong-ho. Accompanied by Ophelia, Skull, and Catalina alone, Yong-ho moved to the guest bedrooms.


    Sensing the reason why he called her to his bedroom, Ophelia said, gently pressing on her pounding heart, "I would like to ask for the evolution of my physical strength."


    Yong-ho laughed. Although Ophelia changed into a fox-like girl from a veteran tavern hostess who had gone through ups and downs, her sharp eyes remained the same.


    "Not magic power, but physical strength?"


    "Yes, because balance is important. Especially for Red Demons like me and brother Eli, physical ability is as important as magic power. For the Red Daemons, magic is merely the "means" to strengthen their body. The basis of strength is not magic power, but physical ability."


    Her detailed explanation was quite reasonable.


    However, Yong-ho was bothered by something unusual she mentioned.


    "Brother Eli?"


    "Because brother Eligos''s name is too long, I like Eli. It''s like his nickname."


    Ophelia laughed brightly, which made Yong-ho frown.


    He said grumly, recalling Eligos''s face.


    "Let''s start."


    Ophelia laughed again this time. She closed her eyes then stretched her body comfortably.


    Yong-ho took his breath. He put his hands on her shoulders and tried to empty his head.


    It had already been proven in several cases that Yong-ho''s own "thought" had some influence on his appearance after going through an evolution. He made sure that his envy, not suitable for a master like him, shouldn''t have any effect on her appearance.


    Yong-ho thought about good things as much as possible. Then he activated the power of evolution.


    There was no violent external change. But a violent change took place within her body.


    The strengthening of the body itself.


    Her bones became harder. Both her internal organs and muscles were strengthened, and her skin became more elastic.


    ''And¡­ uh¡­''


    He could not describe it accurately, but the aura of Ophelia changed a little.


    Had she become more attractive? He seemed to hear Aamon murmuring that he felt so because of his mood or agony.


    Shaking his head, Yong-ho concentrated. New boxes of light floated above Ophelia''s head.


    [Red Demon Breaker]


    [Red Demon Vanguard]


    Both were new routes to level advancement.


    Even though the evolution was over, Yong-ho''s green eyes were still shining. Watching him, Ophelia gulped before she knew it. Seeing there was something going on, she quietly waited for his next move.


    Instead of saying something, Yong-ho touched the boxes of light in the air one by one.


    And he saw something different from before.


    It was the same as before that a translucent silhouette was drawn over Ophelia''s body whenever he touched them. However, the type of silhouette was different this time.


    ''Transformation? Is it like a battle mode?''


    Even after leveling up, Ophelia''s appearance did not change much.


    However, she had some other look during the battle, unlike her usual look.


    The Red Demon Breaker was an aggressive type. After switching to battle mode, Ophelia turned into a wild figure reminiscent of a feline beast. Her hands were stronger, and her legs were longer and firmer. And black patterns appeared all over her red skin.


    On the other hand, Red Demon Vanguard was a speed type. Unlike Breaker, whose physique itself was getting bigger as a whole, Vanguard changed Ophelia''s body shape more slenderly. But she looked very agile. It was obvious that she could move much faster now.


    Yong-ho intended to have Ophelia choose one. Since her advancement was possible only after her evolution EXP maxed, she had plenty of time to think about it.


    ''Let me have high hopes for Eligos.''


    What was the next step for Red Demon Beast? How much wilder could it turn?


    After grinning, Yong-ho let go of his hands from Opelia''s shoulders.


    He briefly explained to her about the advancement to Opelia, who opened her eyes wide instead of asking what was going on.


    Next was Skull''s turn.


    If Ophelia was the busiest spirit in the dungeon of the House of Mammon externally, Skull was the one who spent the most time training.


    Although Skull could no longer collect EXP properly even in the intermediate training ground, he did not roll around the floor quietly.


    Skull trained his unit endlessly, literally 24 hours a day.


    While Ophelia quickly gained her EXP by sparring with Eligos and through her tight schedule, Skull gained evolution EXP through training.


    Skull evolved mainly toward increasing his physical abilities such as physical strength and build. But things were different now. Skull was not just a warrior, but a magic warrior who knew how to use magic power.


    Yong-ho, who put his hand on the head of Skull, kneeling before him, applied the evolution of magic power on him. The magical power that more clearly revealed its presence than before after merging with Skeleton Mage was transformed into a larger and stronger form. Yong-ho felt lightning from Skull.


    ''But I still don''t think of his advancement stage.''


    Yong-ho felt sorry for it. After all, it seemed that there was still a long way for Skull to move up to a Death Knight.


    After completing the evolution of Skull, Catalina looked at Yong-ho with an expectant expression this time. Yong-ho grinned mischievously at her flapping her tail, then gently hit her on the forehead and said, "Did you already forget that you evolved after breaking through the first floor? You''re greedy."


    Catalina responded by drooping her ears and tail.


    Yong-ho stroked her hair and said to everyone again, "Anyway, for the next few days, I will focus on planning dungeon remodeling because it needs a major renovation. Maybe I need to reorganize the dungeon once. I also have to buy the necessary materials."


    Just like a dungeon located along the route to the western region, the dungeon of the House of Randolt was already quite in combative form. But that wasn''t enough.


    Yong-ho intended to turn the dungeon into an indomitable fortress.


    Fortunately, Tigrius obediently followed his intention because he knew well that it was the only choice to prevent attacks from the western region.


    On that day, Yong-ho immediately planned a draft of the fortress in cooperation with Tigrius and Ophelia. And the next day, he reorganized the dungeon.


    It was different from the previous reorganization of the first floor of the dungeon of the House of Mammon in the past. When Yong-ho implemented the dungeon reorganization, the first floor of the House of Mammon was really small.


    It would take three days to reorganize the dungeon. After that, they would need to spend a considerable amount of time laying the foundation for the full-scale fortification of the dungeon.


    Yong-ho delegated the supervision of the whole remodeling process to Ophelia and Tigrius.


    He had Skull and his unit on standby as the security guard. Then he headed back to the House of Mammon accompanied by Catalina alone.


    ''I''m going to come back here after breaking through the 9th floor of the arena, no, 10th floor.''


    Salami, the spirit of flames with the House of Mammon, carried Yong-ho and Catalina on his wings and spread them. It left the traces of flames in the sky of the demon world.

 116 Demon King of Distortion 1

    What was the most powerful one among the numerous races in the demon world?


    There were lots of disagreements about it. However, there was one race that had been always mentioned among them.


    It was the Dragons.


    They were both the king of flying animals as well as the king of wild animals. They possessed a particularly strong body among the beings of the demon world, and they were born with powerful mana befitting their strong bodies.


    Often called ancient dragons, who lived long enough, they could be said to be a disaster in themselves.


    They were like a god and the representation of a strong man, who reached the ultimate level in both physical strength and mana.


    And there was one who stood at the top among those dragons.


    Although he didn''t have the Seven Deadly Sins, he rose to the position of "king".


    In the history of the demon world, he was the only one who rose to the position of "king" without possessing the Seven Deadly Sins.


    People called him the King of Violence.


    Great Dragon Lord.


    The King of Violence was like a mountain. Interestingly, this expression satisfied both its substance and metaphor.


    The giant body of the King of Violence was several hundred meters long. Even though it curled up, roiling its tail, it could not hide its giant body.


    The King of Violence never acted recklessly. Like the name "violence," he was an extremely powerful being, but he did not use his power anytime anywhere.


    He was like a volcano. Normally, he remained silent, but once he showed his anger, the whole world was shaken.


    The King of Violence awakened from a deep sleep. However, he did not open his eyes or move his body. It was only his mind that awoke.


    The King of Violence thought about his unsurpassed magic power, which could be called part of his body. He connected his soul with one of the seven fragments of that Demon King.


    Godly Energy and the Seven Deadly Sins shared their history.


    Since ancient times, when the Demon King disappeared, Godly Energy changed many hands, which never forgot them.


    The traces of some of their unsurpassed magic power were left behind, though they were small.


    And there was one that left the biggest traces in the annals of Godly Energy.


    ''The King of Greed.''


    In magic, its owner''s soul and memory were supposed to exist.


    The King of Greed''s magic power was great enough to be recorded as unsurpassed abilities. Although fragmentary, there were some great moments of his magic power recorded.


    Then, why did the King of Greed suddenly disappear?


    Who was it that took his life?


    The King of Violence tried to sleep quietly.


    He peeked into the memories of Godly Energy.


    ***


    The Himere Cats, which mainly monitored the ground, were flustered at Yong-ho''s sudden appearance. So, he told them to watch over the airspace as well and stroked their heads one by one. Watching him, Catalina touched her own head slightly.


    It was Treant, one of the veteran spirits of the House of Mammon, that greeted Yong-ho after the Himere Cats.


    Now fully established himself as the main gatekeeper of the House of Mammon, Treant bowed to Yong-ho, along with the other two Treants that he had bought recently.


    Repeating evolutionary changes, they had a much more flexible and tougher body than the typical Treant. However, they were essentially ''trees'', so they could easily perform motions that ordinary Treants could not.


    After the Himere Cats and Treant, Eligos came out to greet Yong-ho along with Baduk and Yuria.


    "Congratulations on your victory, Master."


    Eligos spoke with glaring eyes. Eligos had been serving as the butler since the time when the House of Mammon was on the verge of collapse. It was natural that Eligos felt so proud of Yong-ho because he made the House of Mammon stand tall again and took over another dungeon.


    Baduk, who was next to Eligos, expressed happiness more honestly, while Yuria slightly lifted her sleeves to show due respect to Yong-ho, saying lispingly, "Well¡­ Congratulations!"


    Yong-ho laughed loudly like Skull and stroked Yuria''s hair. Then he headed for the Demon King''s room with Catalina, who was touching her hair again this time, and Eligos, who started to wipe his tears with a handkerchief.


    [Master, take a good rest.]


    [It must have been difficult for Salami to fly all day long, but you know our Master also had a hard time hanging on Salami for the whole day, right?]


    Lucia spoke in a quiet way.


    Feeling like he sat on the throne for a long time, Yong-ho nodded at her. As Lucia said, he was exhausted, so he was thinking of taking a break today, but he had some more work to do.


    Yong-ho grinned at Eligos after looking at him with the power of evolution.


    "It''s what I have expected."


    The fact that Ophelia''s evolution EXP maxed out meant that Eligos did the same thing, for the two always practiced together.


    "Can I still evolve?"


    When Yong-ho''s green eyes glared, Eligos asked him with an expectant voice.


    It was natural that Eligos showed such a reaction.


    Eligos came from the demon world. Moreover, he was a member of the Red Daemon called the "battle race". He had no reason to refuse to become stronger through evolution.


    Instead of answering right away, Yong-ho rested his chin on his right hand.


    Then he looked at Eligos with his eyes slightly open.


    He did so for a few seconds when Eligos felt nervous then said, "Ophelia asked me to evolve the magic power of ''Brother Eli.''"


    Eligos cleared his throat when Yong-ho emphasized ''Brother Eli.''


    Obviously, he was embarrassed.


    Feeling pleasant but angry at the same time, Yong-ho asked, "Do you have any nickname for her?"


    "Uh, no. I just call her Ophelia. Her name itself is pretty¡­ Ooops!"


    At that moment, Yong-ho laughed wickedly like the Demon King, and Eligos was flustered, muttering something like he was brainwashed. Originally, Eligos was a Red Demon whose skin was red, but today, it looked much redder.


    Fortunately for Eligos, Yong-ho knew when to refrain himself. In fact, if he dug more about Eligo''s relationship with Ophelia, Yong-ho felt he would be hurt, so he stopped. Anyway, he stopped playing games with Eligos and stood up.


    "Let me evolve you with a specialization of magic power. So, close your eyes."


    Since Yong-ho changed the topic, Eligos closed his eyes, feeling relieved.


    Yong-ho activated the power of evolution. He brought out Eligos''s possibilities, which changed the latter in no time. Eligos''s magic power became strong.


    Besides, it was accompanied by his physical change this time. A third horn came out from his forehead.


    Pricking her ears and hearing their conversation with her eyes open, Catalina once again opened her eyes wider.


    The difference between having two horns and three horns was like night and day.


    ''Moreover¡­''


    A new box of light appeared above Eligos''s head.


    [Red Demon-Tyrant]


    Like Ophelia, the box was one, not two. But the name itself was really strong.


    ''Tyrant?''


    Following the beast first, it was a tyrant this time. Yong-ho instinctively touched the box of light and looked at Eligos, who just went through an evolution.


    He was the same as Ophelia. In addition to his usual form, he had a separate ''combat form''.


    Eligos seemed to understand why he was named ''tyrant.'' Even now, he had a well-developed upper body with an inverted triangle, but his combat shape was more than that. In particular, his shoulders and arms were developed, and his two fists full of hair looked like a wicked blunt weapon by itself.


    Perhaps, the combination of a bear and a gorilla would look like Eligos.


    In any case, it was clear that Eligos gave out the aura of a wild beast. The black patterns among the hair growing all over his body also stood out.


    ''He looks like a super beast,'' Yong-ho thought.


    He withdrew his hands and deactivated the power of evolution.


    ''By the way¡­''


    Suddenly, something strange came to Yong-ho''s mind.


    Red Demon Tyrant.


    Obviously, the name befitted Eligos, who went through an evolution.


    But Eligos felt uncomfortable about it


    ''Why?''


    Not only Eligos but also Catalina and Ophelia felt the same way.


    A new name after advancement.


    They understood the new names of Goblin Rangers and Skull after evolution.


    Hob Goblin was the superior species of a goblin. In the case of Skull, he was an artificially born undead, so it was natural that there were higher species such as Skeleton Soldier and Warrior.


    But what about Red Demon or Dark Elf? Well, Catalina had the mixed blood of Dark Elf and Succubus. But it was not an exaggeration to say that she was walking on her own path now.


    Although her physical abilities were strong enough to be confused as a human being, she was a "human" after all. On the contrary, the owner of the body, which was extremely weakened, was also a "human".


    It was strange that there were detailed sub-items such as Red Demon Beast and Strider.


    It wasn''t just because of Eligos but also because their sense of incompatibility was close to exploding beyond the critical point.


    ''Well, let me ask.''


    Yong-ho cleared his complicated thoughts by lightly shaking his head.


    After stopping Lucia''s attempt to nag in the bud, Yong-ho took a good break.


    "Red Demon Tyrant? What the heck is that?"

 117 Demon King of Distortion 2

    As expected, Gusion tilted his head. He did the same thing when he heard Red Demon Beast or Strider.


    Yong-ho narrowed his brows when Gusion said he could not understand Eligos''s new name at all.


    At that moment, Aamon cut in.


    [Gusion, just stop pretending not to know.]


    [My little master. It is probably the name that the soul of the young master or the power of evolution created for the sake of convenience based on his knowledge.]


    [That''s why Gusion doesn''t know those names.]


    "The power of evolution?"


    Aamon responded by increasing the flames.


    Gusion said with a giggle, "Well, the power of evolution¡­ or the power of the Demon King is based on the individual soul of the Demon King. Namely, it falls out of nowhere. Maybe I can say it''s the power of my little master''s soul."


    Yong-ho already heard a similar story.


    Recently, Ophelia mentioned the power of the soul while explaining to Yong-ho about the power of the Demon King.


    "When you first exercised the power of evolution, you said you saw things like colored smoke. But now, you can even discern the systemic family tree? Who changed it?"


    "Wonderful." Yong-ho nodded. It was a convincing explanation.


    It was Yong-ho himself who changed the incomprehensible form of colored smoke into an evolutionary information window like the game system.


    That was the case for them having names after evolution. Yong-ho gave them names for convenience''s sake so that he could easily distinguish them.


    ''Um, somehow, I liked it.''


    In fact, the new name reflected Yong-ho''s preference because all the words he used to make the names came off the top of his head.


    "Let''s stop chatting at this point. The floor master on the 9th floor is waiting for me anxiously."


    Having said that, Gusion sat in his first-class seat. Aamon also silently sat next to him silently.


    Yong-ho turned his shoulders a few times as if to warm up lightly then headed for the arena. Seated in the front seat of the stand, Catalina watched Yong-ho.


    "He''s going to have a rough time. That guy is particularly strong among the floor masters on the 9th floor. This time, our little master might be penalized."


    Gusion giggled, biting a cigar in his mouth. There were several floor masters on each floor of the arena. That was why a different floor master appeared, depending on the challenger.


    Kentauros Kalai, the 9th-floor master, was the strongest among the floor masters available on the 9th floor.


    Despite Gusion''s expectation, however, Aamon just smiled quietly then created gentle flames.


    Gusion soon knew why Aamon reacted like this.


    The magic power of greed was activated. The green flames that were burning on Yong-ho''s right hand and the cold chill on his left hand were embodied in blue. And that wasn''t all.


    This time, Brigada was activated. Yong-ho drew black magic from Catalina, who was sitting in the stand.


    The green flames and chill were mixed with black magic.


    Yong-ho found it hard to combine the flames and cold air into one. He could easily add darkness to the attribute of each one.


    Kentauros Kalai watched Yong-ho in embarrassment. He felt the magical power arising from Yong-ho''s hands was unusual.


    Gusion opened his mouth wide then turned to Aamon after blinking several times.


    He asked with his eyes, ''Have you taught him by any chance?''


    Aamon answered with flames, suggesting he didn''t.


    "Did he realize it by himself then? Oh, our little master really has a knack of surprising people."


    Yong-ho''s next step in using Brigada was to bring out the magic power of his subordinate spirits and make them his own.


    That wasn''t all. Now, Yong-ho naturally fused their attributes. By adding darkness to the flames and chill, he created greater power.


    It was natural that Kentauros Kalai was embarrassed. He had never seen any head of the House of Mammon displaying such abilities based on the spirits'' attributes in the arena.


    "I''m sorry for Kalai, but the guy on the 10th floor will have to face the same fate, unfortunately. Oh, it''s Kaiwan on the 10th floor. It might be our little master who would be in trouble while challenging Kaiwan."


    Gusion grinned brightly, which looked rather wicked than mischievous.


    Aamon concentrated on the arena again.


    Yong-ho and Kentauros Kalai clashed head-on.


    As Gusion expected, the arena was filled with Kalai''s sad screaming.


    ***


    "How cruel¡­"


    That was what Gusion said first to Yong-ho when he returned to the stands after defeating Kalai.


    Yong-ho frowned, pointing to his body covered with wounds.


    "You know I suffered a lot. Can''t you see?"


    The combat suit he purchased at the dungeon merchant was a mess. In particular, both sleeves were severely torn.


    However, Gusion clicked his tongue as if he didn''t like Yong-ho''s way of fighting.


    Gusion said, "That''s because you''re still inexperienced in using both flames and chill at the same time. Don''t you know who was dragging his feet while using all kinds of techniques in the name of practice? I feel sorry for Kalai. He really liked to have the chance of fighting someone strong after a long time, saying he would show his chivalry."


    Then Gusion shook his head from side to side.


    Recalling Kalai''s muttering about the honor of a knight even before the fight, Yong-ho scratched his cheek a little. Come to think of it, Yong-ho felt he was too harsh toward Kalai.


    "Well, I also struggled quite a bit. Seriously, tell Kalai that it was a great match."


    "Are you kidding?"


    Gusion giggled at that. Anyway, he was glad that Yong-ho made big progress.


    Yong-ho was getting strong and faster than any other family head that Gusion had ever seen until now. And the source of his strength was not only his greed and Aamon, which pleased Gusion.


    "Wait a minute. Let me serve you after a long time."


    Suddenly, Gusion reached out to Yong-ho with big hands. Yong-ho unwittingly got nervous, but he didn''t step back or act strangely. Something amazing happened when Gusion''s hands passed through the air above his head.


    "Wow!"


    Yong-ho''s combat uniform, which was in tatters, recovered its original condition. It wasn''t clear whether it was possible because of Gusion''s personal magic or any special power of the arena, but Yong-ho felt good about it anyway.


    "Can''t you upgrade my magic power and physical abilities?" Asked Yong-ho.


    While making a satisfied expression at Yong-ho''s question, Gusion frowned because he felt Yong-ho was too greedy like the King of Greed.


    "No, I can''t do it for you. As I told you from the beginning, this is my special service for you."


    "Oh, I see. I have to give it up then."


    Ignoring Gusion''s words, Yong-ho searched for something in his pocket. Then he took out a bottle from the set of magic potions he obtained as a reward for defeating Kalai on the 9th floor and drank it.


    It was different from the magic potion that Sitri got him before. To be precise, the goods Sitri gave him were superior.


    Although the magic potion was obtained from the 9th floor, his magic power didn''t max out immediately. It helped him heal slowly, but it had nothing like the effect of magic power enhancement.


    Nonetheless, he got as many as ten bottles. Moreover, it should be considered that Yong-ho''s own magic became so powerful that it could not be compared to when he received the magic potion from Sitri.


    Watching Yong-ho swallowing the magic potion, Gusion whistled then asked with a smile, "Are you trying to challenge the 10th floor without resting first?"


    Although Gusion told Yong-ho that Kalai was overwhelmed by him, that was not true. Gusion just exaggerated Kalai''s defeat to make fun of Yong-ho, so he admitted that Yong-ho also suffered a lot.


    In a general situation, Yong-ho should stop fighting and go back.


    He had as many as ten bottles of magic potion, but at the same time, it meant that he had only ten now. It didn''t befit Yong-ho if he tried to challenge the 10th floor by consuming one of them.


    But it was Gusion''s misjudgment. Yong-ho was by no means the type of person who acted in a calculated way.


    "Well, I feel good. I need to keep up with the momentum, let alone save time."


    Obviously, Kaiwan was a tough opponent. But Yong-ho''s five senses were sharpened by his fight with Kalai, so it was the right time for him to challenge Kaiwan.


    Yong-ho took off the bottle of magic potion from his mouth, which he drank about half of it. Given the speed of his surging magic power, he felt it was wise to stop drinking at this point.


    ''I wonder if I can seal this and drink it again later.''


    The magic potion that Sitri gave him worked only when he drank it down at a time.


    ''Well, I feel I can fight, given that my magic power is surging after drinking half of it.''


    When he was agonizing for a moment, he noticed Catalina, flapping her tail gently.


    He turned to her and asked, "Catalina, would you like to drink it?"


    In fact, she was exhausted after supplying her black magic to him. She blinked at his unexpected suggestion but replied with a bright smile, "Thank you."


    Then she immediately took the magic potion from him and brought it to her mouth. She did it so naturally, but he felt embarrassed.


    He blushed before he knew it. He hurriedly let out the heat from his face, fanning with his hand desperately. But she was calm, and even Gusion casually looked at him. He felt rather awkward at the moment.


    "What''s the matter with you?" Asked Gusion.


    "Oh, it''s kind of hot all of a sudden."


    Given that Gusion, who liked to make fun of him, tilted his head, Yong-ho realized that he didn''t need to be excited at all.


    "Wow¡­ my magic power is really recovering." After drinking the remaining magic potion, Catalina said, smiling brightly again.


    Yong-ho''s eyes were fixed on her lips alone at the moment.


    [Little master?]


    It was Aamon''s voice.

 118 Demon King of Distortion 3

    "Hmmm. The next step that you mentioned last time..."


    Fortunately, Yong-ho came to his senses after hearing Aamon''s voice.


    Gusion replied with a cheerful smile, "Yeah, I hate to admit it. The next step is for you to empower your subordinate spirits then share the power of Brigada with them. That''s why the kings with the Seven Deadly Sins should have powerful subordinate spirits under their command."


    Although there were several subordinate spirits, their master was one.


    What kind of synergy would be created if the power of all the powerful subordinate spirits were concentrated on their master?


    What if all the power of 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon, each of whom could be called a legend, would be combined into one?


    ''That''s outrageous.''


    Yong-ho seemed to know why only those who had the Seven Deadly Sins reigned as "kings".


    It was really a great power.


    ''Brigada is a fragment of the Demon King''s flesh... The fragments that didn''t turn into Godly Energy.''


    Suddenly, Yong-ho got intensely curious about Godly Energy.


    He could exert this much power with the general Brigada. Then, what kind of miracle could he pull off if he had Godly Energy?


    The seven unsurpassed magic powers that existed in the demon world were currently owned by each of their masters.


    Namely, the six kings of the Seven Deadly Sins such as the King of Pride, the King of Envy, the King of Lust, the King of Sloth, the King of Gluttony, and the King of Wrath.


    And the King of Violence who reigned as king even though he had no Seven Deadly Sins.


    If Yong-ho didn''t defeat one of them, he would never own the unsurpassed magic power. Yong-ho shook off such thoughts and decided to focus on his current job for now.


    At that moment, Gusion said, "As I told you the other day, your opponent on the 10th floor is Kaiwan. Since the reward is special, the penalty is also special."


    "What is the reward?"


    "Well, you can check with your own eyes after winning. I can''t tell you the penalty right now. But at least you''re not dying because of the penalty, so don''t worry."


    "Can you tell me which floor Kaiwan lost?" Asked Yong-ho one after another.


    As if he organized his thoughts, Gusion replied after moving his neck several times, "Well, she was defeated several times. It would be no exaggeration to say that as a family head, she experienced the most defeats since the arena was created. If there is one of her defeats that you might be interested in, it''s the 20th floor."


    It was the penalty that demoted Kaiwan to a subordinate spirit of the arena from the head of the House of Mammon. It was the 20th floor, not far from where Yong-ho was.


    "You don''t have to delay. Let''s get started," Yong-ho said, turning his arm lightly.


    Giggling to himself, Gusion pointed to the arena with his chin.


    "Kaiwan is waiting for you at the moment and very earnestly at that."


    Yong-ho turned to the arena. Indeed, as Gusion said, a woman with gray hair was standing there alone.


    Kaiwan, the Demon King of Distortion, it was her.


    ***


    Kaiwan wasn''t dressed in an attire that Yong-ho used to see in the arena.


    A skintight leather attire mixed with black and red and a long hanging sword. Her gray hair was wrapped around her sad but ferocious face.


    She was the same as the one that he peeked at through the little magical power present in her ring of distortion. That look of hers was the same as the one when she was still the head of the House of Mammon.


    On the surface, she was quite calm. Rather, she was full of spite at the moment.


    Kaiwan stared at Yong-ho without saying anything, and Yong-ho faced her silently.


    After taking a deep breath, he opened the bag he brought for this visit in particular.


    He took out an old book and handed it to Kaiwan.


    "This is Cayenne''s journal. He kept a journal until he died."


    Kaiwan''s eyes trembled. Yong-ho finally realized that Kaiwan wasn''t staring at him but just looking at him.


    Yong-ho waited this time again, and Kaiwan clenched her teeth. After she received the journal reluctantly, she slowly turned the pages.


    Nobody hastened their fight. Gusion was silent, and the arena spirits and the previous heads of the House of Mammon in the stands waited for Kaiwan to respond.


    Kaiwan couldn''t read the journal properly because her overflowing tears wet the journal.


    She gasped for breath. Soon, she struggled to hold back her tears, but she couldn''t control herself after all. She cried sadly like a child.


    Yong-ho waited again this time. After hesitating for a moment, he carefully hugged her.


    Just like she first heard about Cayenne''s death, she didn''t push away Yong-ho.


    Relying on his body temperature, she expressed her sorrow freely.


    How much time passed?


    Kaiwan''s crying subsided. But she did not lift his forehead from his chest. After catching her breath several times, she said in a low voice, "Thanks."


    Then she pushed him out. She also stepped back to increase the distance between them.


    Finally, she faced him.


    At that moment, he just replied, "You''re welcome."


    When he deliberately spoke lightly, Kaiwan smiled a bit.


    Laughing a little loudly, she said, "You didn''t attack me when I was reading the journal or crying. Then, you could have defeated me easily."


    That was what Yong-ho didn''t expect at all. He heard Gusion, who was sitting in the special seat in the stands, laughing heartily.


    Yong-ho smiled bitterly and said, "Well, I could do so, but it''s not fair."


    It was a lie. Yong-ho didn''t even think about it in the first place.


    Kaiwan knew it, too. That was why she hugged Cayenne''s journal dearly then turned around.


    Only after leaving it outside the arena, she stood again, looking at Yong-ho.


    "If we fight for nothing, it won''t be fun. So, let''s bet. If you beat me, I''ll grant your wish, no matter what it is," she said.


    "What if I lose?" When he asked back immediately, she leaned her head slightly.


    "Well? I haven''t really thought about it. In fact, I''m so grateful to you that I don''t want to ask you for anything."


    Although it was brief, she smiled at him. Perhaps, she had never smiled like that for the past few decades.


    Yong-ho was calm on the surface but very agitated deep down.


    ''Did she say she would grant my wish, no matter what?''


    At that moment, he heard somebody shouting from behind him.


    "Me, me too!"


    It was Catalina. Raising her tail upright, she shouted with her blushing face.


    "If your master beats me, I''ll grant your wish!"


    "Uh?"


    Why did Catalina suddenly interfere?


    Catalina flinched at Yong-ho''s embarrassed glance. She then covered her mouth with both hands. With her ears drooping, she became silent.


    Yong-ho blinked again, and Kaiwan smiled brightly. She even giggled, holding her belly.


    She was very different from the one that Yong-ho used to remember.


    Even Gusion and the former Mammon family heads, who looked at her with an embarrassed expression, felt the same way.


    "She is cute."


    Kaiwan took her breath. Then she faced Yong-ho with a bright smile that she had never shown to anyone other than her younger brother Cayenne.


    "Let me tell you again, Thanks. So..."


    Her ecstatic smile was brief. There was now ferociousness in her eyes full of affection.


    Powerful magic power came out from her body that was defenseless a moment ago.


    Kaiwan stepped forward. Her step was very light, but it was far from small.


    Kaiwan''s breathing quickly enveloped Yong-ho.


    "I will do my best."


    As soon as she finished talking, she brought out a storm with her sword.


    ***


    Yong-ho couldn''t remember how he stopped her first blow. Her enchanted smile made him let down his guard, and her single advance made a dozen meters of distance to zero. It was a miracle that he stopped her first sword attack, aiming at his chest.


    No, it wasn''t like a miracle. Yong-ho stopped it with his skills.


    His sense of fighting never collapsed because of her smile. His sense of death, which he cultivated by dying dozens or hundreds of times, responded sharply.


    The moment Kaiwan swung her sword, the magnetic field covered Yong-ho''s left arm.


    Her sword and the magnetic field collided, and Yong-ho''s lower body hit the ground hard without waiting for his command. Without resisting the force from her attack, he moved his body accordingly. He increased the distance to buy time.


    While he was stepping back, the flames of red lotus arose. Kaiwan''s vision was dazzled for a moment, and by the time the flames disappeared, he already grabbed Aamon.


    His distance from Kaiwan was only five meters.


    Both hit the ground at the same time. They rushed toward each other.


    Yong-ho flew high. He wielded Aamon hard from top to bottom.


    On the other hand, Kaiwan flew low. She looked like she was crawling on the floor.


    She pulled her hand, holding the sword between her armpits.


    Yong-ho concentrated, so he could share the time.


    At that moment, Aamon drew a beautiful trajectory. She was inside the trajectory.


    Now, even before she touched him, she was about to expose her upper body to Aamon.


    But that didn''t happen.


    Booung!


    During that moment, Aamon struck the air, not Kaiwan.


    Clearly, Yong-ho struck down with Aamon, but it was a horizontal cut.


    Aamon''s flames burned the air above Kaiwan''s gray hair.


    ''Space distortion!''


    She didn''t just make a shield to protect herself. She distorted the space itself where Yong-ho was attacking and directed Aamon''s attack into the wrong place.


    But she herself penetrated into his body. Besides, she moved around behind his back and babbled on cheerfully.


    "It''s time for you to be punished!"


    Her sword wrapped around his body. It wasn''t a figurative expression, but it was real.


    It was what they called a whip sword. Its blade, which turned into something like a whip, coiled his body like a snake, and Kaiwan shook her arm roughly. Then she hurled him hard on the ground.


    A powerful shock beyond imagination hit him on the back. Moreover, the blade of the whip sword slit his body. A dazzling sense of pain penetrated his spine as if it contained poison, or there was something special about Kaiwan''s magic power, flowing through the blade.


    Her attack didn''t end there. She unleashed her Herculean power and randomly swung the whip sword that stretched more than a dozen meters.


    Yong-ho, hanging on the end of the whip sword, had to kiss the ground several times.


    It lasted dozens of seconds at most, but his damages were beyond imagination.


    He had never been dealt a big blow like this since he challenged his opponents in the arena. Actually he had never been wounded heavily since he fought Foras.


    "Kuuuuk!"


    Yong-ho became more vigilant. His whole body ached, but he activated the green flames.


    Burning Kaiwan''s mana, he opened all four horns.


    At that moment, Kaiwan''s whip sword could not withstand his vast mana and let go of him.


    But he couldn''t feel relieved because she, who was standing before him, was gone. He cast the spell of chill as much as he could. He instinctively activated it.


    Kaiwan, who was about to attack him from the side, was engulfed by the chill.


    But he failed this time, too. The shield of distortion that she spread out wide drove out the chill. Then she charged at him and brandished the sword.


    "Kuuuuk!"


    The tight and powerful sword struck his waist like a blunt weapon. At that moment, he almost broke his legs, but he endured it, clenching his teeth.


    Once again, he swung Aamon and spouted the waves of green flames!


    But she escaped his attack. She disappeared again this time. The green flames went nowhere, blocked by the barrier of distortion.

 119 Demon King of Distortion 4

    "He''s being fooled by her."


    Watching their fight silently for some time, Gusion spoke. The battle went on as he expected.


    Objectively, Kaiwan had more disadvantages than Yong-ho.


    Although she had four horns as he did, the quality and quantity of her mana were different.


    Yong-ho had almost five horns, while Kaiwan just managed to get four.


    The same was true for their physical strength and durability. In all respects, Yong-ho''s body went through a total change, so it was superior to hers in every respect.


    Yong-ho also surpassed her in the ability to detect mana. Beyond detecting it, he even discerned it. Moreover, he freely used more than two attributes, while she could use only one attribute. Above all, she could not discern mana as he did.


    Namely, he was superior to her in terms of mana, comprehensive physical performance, and sense. The only advantage she had over him was her talent for fighting. But she was stronger.


    Fighting was not about comparing the same things. Fighting was about defeating the opponent with one''s comparative advantage.


    Kaiwan was slightly faster than Yong-ho.


    For more than a few decades, he honed her skills in the arena.


    She had far superior swordsmanship than him.


    These three factors were more than enough for her win.


    She would teach him what ''defeat'' was.


    [But he is expecting to defeat her.]


    Aamon spoke quietly. Gusion turned to Aamon and smiled bitterly. He wanted Yong-ho to learn from defeat. He wanted Yong-ho to reflect on his own shortcomings on the occasion of this fighting.


    But on one hand, Gusion expected Yong-ho to overcome this ordeal.


    He wanted Yong-ho to break through the 10th floor without any defeat for the first time in the opening of the arena by defeating her.


    "Can he defeat her?" Asked Gusion.


    Instead of replying right away, Aamon sparked red flames. He looked at the arena.


    The fighting was going on.


    [Maybe he will. He should surely.]


    Gusion also looked at the arena. He opened his eyes wide at the spectacular scene there and stood up in no time.


    "That''s why I like my little master!"


    Fortunately, Yong-ho couldn''t hear it. That was why Gusion laughed louder.


    He swung his clenched fist in the air.


    Aamon smiled quietly then he watched Yong-ho.


    ***


    The moment Gusion turned his head, Kaiwan, who hit Yong-ho multiple times, was about to step back to increase the distance between them.


    Kaiwan hit the ground in succession. She wanted to distract his gaze with her exceedingly speedy jump.


    Her own attack was effective. She could block his long-range attack with the power of distortion. In terms of short-range fighting, she was much more advantageous.


    If she continued to fight on like this, she could defeat him overwhelmingly.


    Since she was so grateful to him, she wanted to show her skills fully.


    Gusion told her to teach him about defeat, saying it would make him stronger, and that it would help him truly stand tall as the King of Greed.


    Kaiwan agreed. That was why she activated her mana more ferociously. Strong mana radiated from her four horns.


    This time, she planned to attack him from behind. This time, she wanted to deal a fatal blow by breaking his legs.


    But she did not want to inflict severe pain on him. She wanted to finish the fighting as soon as possible.


    However, Yong-ho had no intention of giving up so easily.


    The waves of the green flames swept over Kaiwan once again, who was about to attack him from behind. Moreover, this time, it was different from the previous one. She thought the green flames would engulf her from the front, but bigger waves of flames swept her from overhead.


    It was like a tsunami¡ªa huge attack that she could not avoid nor distort.


    Kaiwan clenched her teeth. She wrapped the power of distortion around her whole body.


    With the shield of space, she blocked his attack from all directions except the floor.


    The green flames covered the barrier of distortion. They continued to burn without fading.


    As if to block Kaiwan''s movement, his mana kept pouring down from above.


    It was definitely a huge power. Kaiwan could do nothing except sticking it out with the barrier of distortion.


    But his attack was relentless. No matter how strong his mana was, it was too excessive.


    If this fighting would end up as a war of attrition, it would be Yong-ho, not Kaiwai, who would be defeated.


    How long could he keep that waterfall of flames? A dozen or two seconds at most? Kaiwan curled up her body so as to reduce her mana by reducing the barrier of distortion.


    Fighting was about striking the opponent with one''s strength.


    However, Yong-ho made the wrong move.


    ''This is better for him.''


    Kaiwan didn''t need to torment him anymore. All she had to do was to wait until he collapsed after using up his mana.


    But her assumption crumbled in just a few seconds.


    ''What the heck is this?''


    She raised her head then hugged her shoulders before she knew it.


    Everybody was tense. The blood of Mammon, the King of Greed, flowing through her body, shouted wildly.


    The waves of the green flames were still robust. Kaiwan could not dare to release the power of distortion. She could not even see something green beyond her eyes.


    A few seconds passed again, and Kaiwan gulped.


    She could clearly feel that Yong-ho''s mana was getting stronger.


    Even though he was pouring out his mana like crazy, his strength grew stronger and stronger.


    ''What the hell is happening outside?!''


    An unknown fear seized Kaiwan. She couldn''t stand it anymore.


    This time, it was Kaiwan''s turn to go the extra mile.


    Kaiwan didn''t save her mana. Faced with the overwhelming waves of the green flames, she solidified the barrier of distortion. Then she launched herself to cut through the waves of the green flames.


    During that short span of time, Kaiwan ran into the gap in the waterfall of the green flames that seemed to close anytime soon. She managed to get out of it and looked at him.


    And she understood what he had done and why he bound her with the waterfall of green flames!


    Green eyes flashed from his eyes. Unlike his right hand, which he extended as if to control the waterfall of green flames, he placed his left hand on his chest.


    What he activated was the power of evolution.


    And what he had done for several seconds when she was held in the waterfall of green flames was the evolution of mana specialization.


    It was crazy.


    He had never used the power of evolution in the midst of fully pouring out mana.


    He should not have done it in front of his enemy.


    Nonetheless, he did.


    He had a duel with Tigrius. He had fighting experiences while conquering the 5th to 9th floor, and now he was fighting Kaiwan.


    During the battle, his evolution EXP reached the maximum. It wasn''t the first time.


    Normally, he would have put it off after the battle.


    He knew how to fight. He hit the opponent''s strength with his own strength.


    By using that skill, he could survive until now. He continued to defeat his opponents, who were much stronger than him objectively.


    It was his mana that made him superior to Kaiwan. However, he could not defeat her with his current mana.


    What should he do now?


    The answer was simple.


    He needed to make his strength more mighty and surpass her in terms of mana.


    "Ahhhhhhhhh!"


    Yong-ho roared. At that moment, the entire arena was shaken once again. Powerful mana swirled around him.


    The waterfall of the green flames disappeared, but no one could notice it because he was now showing a more powerful strength.


    A fifth horn sprouted through his forehead. The moment he overcame the wall of distortion, he released mana completely different from the previous one.


    Moreover, he didn''t stop there. Another roar rang from the barrier surrounding the arena. Catalina screamed in pain and joy, clutching her chest.


    A fourth horn sprouted over Catalina''s ears. The moment Yong-ho became stronger, Catalina, the dungeon spirit, also overcame the barrier, which once again reinforced him!


    Kaiwan couldn''t hesitate anymore. Rather than overwhelmed, she rushed forward courageously as if she could not be defeated.


    But he couldn''t reach her. Although he desperately wielded his sword, he was blocked by the shield of distortion. The green flames reinforced by Catalina''s black mana encircled Kaiwan in an instant.


    Yong-ho gasped for breath. Doing evolution during battle was indeed difficult. But he smiled. Beyond the shield of distortion that started from her left hand, he faced her eyes that became as sharp as those of cats and beasts.


    "It''s Round 2. Now it begins!"


    Kaiwan couldn''t answer. Yong-ho didn''t care. He concentrated the power of greed in one place and expanded the shield of distortion into a terrifying size!


    Kaiwan''s slender body bounced out in an instant. Instead of pursuing her, Yong-ho extended his right hand.


    "Catalina!"


    In response to his call, her black mana expanded with an explosive momentum.


    Looking almost like a giant''s hand, it grabbed Kaiwan.


    Kaiwan hastily activated the power of distortion. But it was too late.


    By the time she activated the power of distortion, the giant''s hand was already hitting the floor.


    "Kuhhukkkk!!"


    She had a shock that seemed to break her whole body. However, Yong-ho did not stop there. He did not miss the mana of the wind arising from her left arm. He had the black giant press down on her with his hand and activated the green flames once again.


    The green flames were blazing, aided by black mana. The flames reached her in an instant, like a spark burning along a fuse, and swallowed up the mana of the wind that she created hard. After swallowing her who protected himself with the shield of distortion, he beat her body with black mana.


    It was literally a brutal attack. Even though he was using Catalina''s mana through Brigada, he still felt it was insufficient.


    Obviously, it was a war of attrition. Yong-ho violently roared and swung his right arm once again. Then he struck down Kaiwan several times, who was engulfed with the green flames by the giant''s hands.


    However, Kaiwan suffered no wounds thanks to the shield of distortion. But she could do nothing about the shock. When she was struck for the third time and when Yong-ho also felt that he reached his limits, the shield of distortion surrounding her body was broken. It was not because she couldn''t withstand the shock but because she lost all her energy.


    Yong-ho hurriedly withdrew his mana. At that moment, he felt tremendous fatigue. Since he used too much mana, his hands and feet were trembling. Although he couldn''t see her, he felt Catalina, gasping for breath in the stands.


    However, he moved forward instead of sitting down. Then he approached Kaiwan, who fell on the floor and wiggled.


    Kaiwan was on the verge of losing consciousness. Barely holding on, she looked at Yong-ho''s face and smiled a bit. She almost ran out of steam when she swore, "You bad bastard¡­"


    Yong-ho smiled. She passed out with a smile.


    Mammon''s mana was formed over her body. He grasped Mammon''s mana with more joy than before. He enjoyed the full thrill of victory.


    Right after that, he saw boxes of light floating before his eyes.

 120 The Garden of Life 1

    Yong-ho did not wait for the guidance of greed. The moment he saw the boxes of light lining up side by side, he could feel it immediately.


    On the far left was something that could grant his wish.


    It was so natural, and Yong-ho realized that he was breathing with greed.


    He wasn''t sure if it was a temporary phenomenon or if he really leveled up, but at least for now, it could be said that Yong-ho was greed itself.


    When he touched them, the boxes of light shattered, scattering away. A sheet of antique parchment appeared through the twinkling light.


    "Magic scroll?"


    The moment Yong-ho blinked and grabbed the parchment, somebody shouted loudly, "Hey, little master! You''re so cruel and brutal! You have no mercy at all!"


    Yong-ho quickly turned his head to find Gusion standing there.


    Catalina was in his arms, who contracted the distance between the stands and the arena with one big jump. As he had such a big build, she looked like a baby in his arms.


    "Since she could not come here in person, I''ve carried her here."


    With a hearty laugh, Gusion put her down on the floor. She stumbled as if she heard some loud noise above her head, or she was exhausted, so he quickly reached out to support her. Then he hugged her waist with one hand.


    "Catalina, are you okay?"


    When he gently hugged her in her arms and asked carefully, she nodded. She smiled with an effort.


    "I''m fine."


    She was lying, of course. Her whole body was hot like a fireball as if she had a fever after a fourth horn sprouted shortly ago.


    However, it seemed that he didn''t have to worry much. She experienced it before, and above all, there was a great sense of accomplishment and joy in her eyes. In the end, Yong-ho also smiled at her and said, "Thanks. I''ve won, thanks to you."


    Having said that, he stroked her head with his other hand that did not hold her waist.


    She slightly bit her lower lip as if to hide her expression, but she couldn''t help but turn her mouth up slightly with joy. She couldn''t even control her flapping ears and tail.


    "Hey, you guys are looking good, but they are watching you," said Gusion, pointing toward the stands with his chin. Not only the former heads of the House of Mammon but also the arena spirits were watching Yong-ho and Catalina intensely.


    Yong-ho tried to avoid embarrassment by clearing his throat. He then gently lowered her from his arms. After persuading her, who was trying to stand up, to sit down on the floor, he faced Gusion. Then he held out the scroll that came out of the lightboxes.


    "What is this? Summons?"


    There was a word placed at the top, which looked like the title.


    Gusion answered, folding his arms, "As the name suggests, it is a summons. You can summon the arena''s spirits."


    "However, there are some limitations."


    While reading the summons instinctively, Yong-ho raised his head again.


    Giggling a lot, Gusion raised three of his fingers.


    "First, this is not permanent. If you read the summons carefully, you will realize that the maximum days of summons are three days."


    Then he folded one finger. The three fingers did not mean only the summoning period of "three days".


    "Second, Summon targets are limited to the floor masters you have defeated so far. In other words, I''m excluded from the summons list."


    "Dang it," moaned Yong-ho before he knew it. He regretted a lot that he could not summon Gusion. If he could, Gusion could do lots of things during those three days.


    His regret was Gusion''s pleasure.


    Gusion said with an air of arrogance, "Oh, it is too early for you to be disappointed. The floor masters you summon can sincerely do their best without any adjustment. That''s the third limitation."


    Gusion folded all three fingers.


    At that moment, something came to Yong-ho''s mind quickly.


    "Gushion, you said Kaiwan went up to the 20th floor, right?"


    "Yes."


    "You said that the 10th floor is special¡­ Is the 11th floor weaker than the 10th floor?"


    "No way."


    Replying leisurely, Gusion observed Yong-ho. At first, he didn''t like Yong-ho that much, but these days, the more he saw Yong-ho, the more he liked this ''little master.''


    Obviously, Yong-ho must have grasped the meaning of the third limitation while talking with Gusion.


    Kaiwan had climbed to the 20th floor.


    That meant that Kaiwan was at least stronger than the floor master on the 19th floor.


    Despite that, Kaiwan was serving as the floor master on the 10th floor instead of the 19th floor?


    If that was the case, the reason for that was just one.


    Yong-ho realized what it meant when Kaiwan said she would ''use her total might'' right before fighting.


    "So, what she meant was she would use her total might on the 10th floor, right?"


    "Correct."


    Kaiwan did not lie. Like she said, she really did her best. However, her total might was limited.


    Yong-ho made a forced laugh. He asked, dropping his shoulders, "I wonder if all the floor masters did the same thing."


    "Some of them did, but others didn''t. For example, the steel cow, Taurine, you fought on the first floor has used his total might. But poor Kalai, who lost to you on the 9th floor, is different. The real Kalai is much stronger."


    After all, the lower their assigned floor was, the less might they could use.


    Come to think of it, such logic was very plausible. Yong-ho didn''t know how many spirits there were in the arena, but it was difficult to think that their individual abilities were ranked according to the difficulty level of each floor.


    "What are the specific restrictions?"


    "Well, mana or physical abilities as a whole¡­ There are some other things, but it''s difficult to list them all because each individual has different capabilities."


    As if it was difficult to explain, Gusion, with a slight frown, shook his hand. Gusion then glanced at the summons in Yong-ho''s hand as if to change the topic and said, "Even if you have passed the 10th floor, few guys get the reward like you. Obviously, you will find it useful."


    Yong-ho nodded unwittingly. Now that the battle with the western region was around the corner, there was no reward more valuable than this one.


    "Indeed, it''s a special reward. You deserve to be condescending."


    "No way. As you know, there are some more rewards. Oh my gosh, I''ve never seen Kaiwan smiling so brightly like that."


    Pointing to Kaiwan with his chin, who passed out, Gusion giggled again.


    At that moment, Yong-ho tilted his head because he couldn''t understand what Gusion said.


    In no time, he blushed.


    ''Wish.''


    Obviously, she mentioned it.


    Since she mentioned it without specifying the situation where Yong-ho would be defeated, it was difficult to say that the betting was proper, but she made the promise anyway.


    ''If you win, I will grant your wish, no matter what it is.''


    Kaiwan''s voice was automatically played in his head. Moreover, it wasn''t just her voice that came to his mind.


    Yong-ho''s eyes turned to the lower right. Catalina, who was resting quietly, flinched at his gaze and lowered her head slightly. Unlike her stiff tail, her slightly drooping ears were red.


    Any wish? Kaiwan clearly said she would grant it.


    Yong-ho blushed.


    He was a 20-year-old "blood-boiling" youth who graduated from all-male middle and high schools as well as college. Even if a saint peeked into his mind, he wouldn''t blame this young man.


    However, there was someone who admired him in a different way.


    [A tremendous desire... No, it''s anguish.]


    [It''s really awesome. It''s awesome in many ways. Little master, if you had this kind of anguish in the battle with Kaiwan, I guess you would have won even without turning to evolution.]


    Aamon''s stern voice broke his delusions. Only then did Yong-ho notice Gusion''s smirking gaze and cleared his throat in succession.


    Then, he blew away the heat from his face by fanning it with his hand.


    Right at that moment, his legs were wobbly, and he flopped down helplessly.


    "Oh my gosh!"


    "My Lord?"


    Catalina, with her head down, was startled and hurriedly turned to Yong-ho.


    As if to stop her, Gusion shook his hand.


    "You don''t have to worry. He is simply exhausted. As you witnessed, he was messed up by Kaiwan."


    His injuries were almost healed in the process of evolution, but his accumulated damages were still there.


    Gusion said to Yong-ho, "Go to Scathach. She will cure you well."


    Injuries in the arena weren''t real injuries. However, his mind regarded his injuries in the arena as "real." So, he could not overlook his injuries. What he could avoid in the arena was physical damage and death. So, he had to endure the fatigue, pain, and aftereffects from his injuries.


    "Well, you have a point, but¡­"


    Yong-ho also knew Scathach''s ability because the reason he sought her from the beginning was to have her treat his injuries in the arena.


    Like Gusion said, he actually went to Scathach for treatment in the past.


    But there was something that he had to do first for now.


    "Like you said, I don''t think the compensation is over yet."


    "Huh?"


    This time, Gusion tilted his head. Yong-ho looked at Aamon on his wrist.


    "Aamon."


    Unlike Gusion, Aamon understood what Yong-ho meant.


    It wasn''t just Yong-ho whose evolution EXP maxed out.


    It had been a few months since Yong-ho obtained Aamon. There have been so many things since then. Above all, he experienced so many deadly fights that he couldn''t count them one by one.


    And finally, all of Aamon''s evolution EXP were gathered. Aamon''s previous changes were made due to the power of evolution. It was because Aamon himself released his power a little more with Yong-ho getting strong enough.


    He wanted to evolve Aamon.


    He wanted to make Aamon return to his original figure, which Yong-ho had degenerated to fit himself.


    However, Aamon gently expressed his rejection.


    He spoke in a strict but friendly voice.


    [You don''t need to hurry, little master.]


    [First, I recommend you to visit Scathach for rest. You are exhausted, and as things stand now, you can''t evolve my body.]


    [And...]


    [As a little master, you had better hear something from Scathach.]


    Yong-ho could not accept it initially. How earnestly he wished for the chance to evolve Aamon since he got him! Above all, he had been long prepared for evolving Aamon, the spear of red lotus.


    After all, Yong-ho nodded, accepting his suggestion.


    Yong-ho stopped thinking about him any further. He turned to Kaiwan.


    Although she passed out after exhausting her physical strength, she looked very calm.


    "Can I see her when I come here next time?"


    Actually, he met none of the floor masters that he had defeated so far.


    Gusion replied sardonically, "Don''t worry. Just think about your wish. Well, it must be too obvious."


    Then he laughed slyly again. Yong-ho, who blushed instinctively, said a little fiercely, "Bullsh*t, man! Give me the letter."


    "What letter?"

 121 The Garden of Life 2

    Instead of answering, Yong-ho mimicked Gusion''s expression.


    Alarmed, Gusion gnawed his teeth and rummaged through his pocket.


    "Man, here you are."


    It was his letter to Scathach.


    Upon receiving the sealed letter, Yong-ho smiled warmly. He was not sure whether it was because of the power of greed or his illusion, but he felt Gusion''s sincerity in the letter.


    "Gusion."


    "Why?"


    "I just called you. I think you''re a better guy than I think."


    Gusion''s expression turned bizarre. Yong-ho laughed like Skull and stood up with Catalina.


    It seemed like the two relied on each other.


    "Let''s go, Catalina."


    "Yes, Master."


    She quickly responded and nodded with a joyful expression. Her tail fluttered pleasantly.


    Yong-ho and Catalina moved out of Gusion''s sight. Watching them silently, Gusion muttered with mixed feelings, "I wonder if I am right in describing them as Master and Elune¡­ Well, Elune was more ferocious anyway."


    He spoke with longing and joy as well as wistfulness mixed in his voice.


    Aamon didn''t respond, and Gusion did not want his response.


    Taking out a cigar and putting it in his mouth, Gusion kept saying wistfully, "I really miss our lord."


    Even now, when he closed his eyes, he remembered clearly the last time he looked at the king''s back.


    [Let me go back now, Gusion.]


    Aamon''s voice was also trembling. Smiling at him once, Gusion slightly stuck out a cigar in his mouth, and Aamon scattered the flames of the red lotus in the air with a smile. One of the small embers lit his cigar.


    Aamon disappeared. Yong-ho and Catalina were no longer visible.


    But Gusion did not turn. Standing still, he was puffing out the smoke. Then he recalled the distant past.


    ***


    [It''s really bad for my heart!]


    [Do you know how anxiously I am waiting for you every time you go to the arena?]


    [You get disconnected to me suddenly then it takes a few hours to connect to you again!]


    [If you think I like you because you have come back much stronger, you''re mistaken! Awesome! The dungeon''s mana has been greatly enhanced along with the control!]


    [What am I saying now?]


    [Anyway, it''s not good for my heart!]


    As soon as Yong-ho got out of the arena, something like Lucia''s nagging or affectionate complaints kept pouring down like rain.


    Making a sorry expression at her voice full of worry, Yong-ho laughed silly at her continuing chattering.


    ''Come to think of it, isn''t Lucia''s whole body her heart? Then, what''s bad for the heart means that it''s also bad for her whole body, right?''


    Yong-ho stopped being a bit delusional about her and raised his head again.


    He stroked her hair again then said emphatically to clear her suspicion, "Did you say I became so strong?"


    [Of course! Maybe you can take full control of the first basement floor.]


    [I''m sure you can. Definitely!]


    [What happened at the arena?]


    Lucia was usually psyched but even so today. She seemed so because she underwent a sudden growth.


    Although he couldn''t see it, he could feel it. Obviously, the heart of the dungeon grew one step further. The images of Lucia in his head also changed from a young girl to a girl in the mid-to-late teens, who looked like an adult now.


    Instead of explaining, he pointed his finger at the center of his forehead. As he withdrew mana to hide the horns, what he touched at the tip of his fingers was his smooth forehead, but Lucia could discern it.


    [Fifth horn!]


    [Oh my God! My master has a fifth horn!]


    There was a marked gap between the second and third horns. And the gap widened as the number of horns increased.


    So, it was natural that Lucia grew up, and that Catalina had a fourth horn.


    Yong-ho''s growth this time was so dramatic.


    "Anything unusual while I was in the arena?" He asked.


    [No, but something unusual happened yesterday.]


    [Dungeon spirit Eligos''s mana has become stronger.]


    [I can''t confirm the current status of the dungeon spirits Skull and Ophelia because they are in the dungeon of the House of Randolt, but it is clear that they have also changed¡­ Oh my God!]


    "Lucia?"


    Lucia could not immediately answer his call. Only shortly afterward did she respond emotionally.


    [A fourth horn has sprung out of Ophelia, the dungeon spirit!]


    Finally, Ophelia has a fourth horn.


    "Wow, numerous happy events in a row."


    Yong-ho smiled happily then told Catalina briefly about it since she was curious about what was going on. Even Catalina was so happy about Ophelia''s fourth horn, but her expression was rather strange. Moreover, the way she touched the upper part of her ears was also unnatural.


    Only then did he find out what was on her mind. So, while brushing her hair, he told Lucia, "Catalina also has four horns."


    [Wow, really?]


    [I''m thrilled because everyone has suddenly become strong!]


    Yong-ho''s expression represented Lucia''s reaction. Catalina, who wanted to show off her four horns, slightly bit her lower lip to hide her satisfied smile.


    He stroked Catalina''s hair again and let out a long sigh. Since he was psyched in one way or another, he forgot he was still in bad shape.


    Lucia asked again in a worried tone.


    [Master, are you okay? You look very tired.]


    He didn''t deny it flatly. Leaning against Catalina slightly, he said to Lucia, "Tell Eligos to come here, no, to Scathach''s room on the first basement floor. Catalina and I will also move there."


    [Okay.]


    [Don''t overwork yourself. Please wait where you are now.]


    [I''ll call Clay Golems in the training ground to come here. Sometimes it would be nice to use something to ride on, right?]


    She insisted rather than inviting him to do so.


    Yong-ho nodded gently again this time.


    "Sure, please."


    Yong-ho sat with Catalina on the sofa in Kaiwan''s lounge.


    How long did they wait? Soon, Clay Golems appeared, making a thumping noise.


    ***


    "What a mess you are!"


    Scathach, standing clockwise, spoke to Yong-ho with a bitter smile.


    Yong-ho, who was held in Clay Golems elegantly, smiled bitterly.


    Lucia was currently trying to take over the entire first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    So, Yong-ho directly ordered the golems to put him and Catalina down.


    Eligos wasn''t seen yet because he was still coming down.


    Watching the Clay Golems waddling out of the Garden of Life, Scathach cast her gaze at Yong-ho and Catalina again.


    "Well, I don''t need your explanation. Okay, you need recovery first. Take a deep breath and relax."


    Yong-ho and Catalina gently followed her instruction.


    Right after he breathed out, Yong-ho suddenly felt naked.


    "Scathach?!"


    He didn''t even finish talking. When Scathach beckoned lightly, all his clothes including his underwear were removed.


    In a strange sense of liberation, Yong-ho knew what he had to do. But it was too late.


    The moment he rolled his eyes to the side, this time, a fresh blue liquid wrapped around his body. It was the same for Catalina, who was sitting next to Yong-ho.


    Scathach touched the air again. Then, Yong-ho and Catalina''s clothes were folded and placed neatly on the floor.


    "How about it? You feel so comfortable that you don''t even want to resist, right?"


    With his whole body buried in a blue liquid mass and only his head sticking out, he nodded instinctively. He wanted to deny it, but he felt really comfortable. Catalina moaned pleasantly with her eyes closed.


    Yong-ho felt so comfortable as if he was bathing in hot spring water. He felt like all the fatigue in his body was washed away.


    And that wasn''t the only effect. The blue liquid, which could be called the vitality of Scathach, the Immortal Witch, breathed new power into them. It also affected their souls, too.


    "It''s extremely significant that the demons have one more horn. What I mean is you should not be content with the fact that your mana has become strong."


    Scathach approached him. Part of the blue liquid from the floor entwined her legs.


    "Elune even described one more horn as ''rebirth''. I agree with it to some extent because it''s not your appearance that changes. Your essence can be changed. And this change becomes greater as the number of horns increases."


    Yong-ho could feel something about Scathach. His feeling was similar to what he felt about his dungeon spirits Catalina and Eligos.


    "It seems that both of you overworked yourselves. You seem to have consumed a lot of mana right away as soon as you got another horn. But you will be in big trouble. So, you had better refrain from repeating it next time."


    Yong-ho could not help but laugh awkwardly at her words. Obviously, he must have been crazy enough to use up the power of evolution during the battle.


    "Oh my gosh, I think I was nagging too long. Don''t speak ill of me later!"


    She was kind and gentle, which was different from Lucia''s.


    It was unthinkable to speak ill of Scathach, who smiled as lovingly as a mother.


    Yong-ho pointed to the floor with a glance.


    "Rummage through the inner pocket of my jacket. You''ll find a letter from Gusion."


    Scathach''s expression immediately brightened.


    "Thank you as always."


    "You''re welcome."


    Smiling shyly, she took Gusion''s letter. Normally, she would have opened the seal of the letter and started reciting it to Yong-ho, but she didn''t today.


    Looking at the letter lovingly for a moment, she quickly poised herself and faced Yong-ho again.


    "I want to read it right now, but I have a lot to do today. In particular, I have something to tell you, little master."


    Her voice was still sweet. But her eyes were a little different from before.


    Yong-ho recalled what Aamon had said before he left the arena.


    ''Scathach has something to tell you.''


    Why was it now? Was it because he had five horns?


    "You know that Brigada and the Seven Godly Energies were the fragments of the Demon King''s flesh, right?"


    She started by asking him. Yong-ho nodded because he experienced various things since he got Brigada.


    The Absolute Power that didn''t exist anymore.


    Some said that the Demon King was the true creator of the demon world, and others said he was just a symbolic mass of power.


    No one could affirm which was more true. However, no one could deny the "fact" that the Demon King existed.


    The Seven Deadly Sins, the fragments of the spirit of the Demon King.


    The Seven Godly Energies, the fragments of his flesh.


    Brigada, the remnant of the Demon King and God''s metal, who didn''t have Godly Energy.


    Scathach now started to mention Godly Energy, which was not the Seven Deadly Sins, and Brigada.

 122 The Garden of Life 3

    "Godly Energy can be said to be a huge chunk of Brigada. Brigada is an alloy with a lot of impurities while Godly Energy is pure gold. Therefore, its synergy with the Power of Sin is not comparable to Brigada. Moreover, each Godly Energy has special abilities. The Godly Energy that fell into the hands of the "king" with the Power of Sin is truly the strongest weapon."


    All the six kings, who currently rule the demon world, had one Godly Energy. Even though he possessed one of the Seven Deadly Sins, only Yong-ho had no Godly Energy.


    "You can deal with Godly Energy with Godly Energy alone. However, there is no Godly Energy in the House of Mammon now."


    In the past, Mammon, the King of Greed, possessed four out of the seven Godly Energies.


    But after his death, there wasn''t a single Godly Energy left in the Mammon family.


    All of them were taken away by other "kings".


    Yong-ho felt a little incongruity in Scathach''s words. She spoke as if the day would come when Yong-ho had to confront other kings.


    Maybe she wanted him to prepare for the future.


    The distance between Scathach and Yong-ho narrowed. They were close enough to feel each other''s breathing.


    "My Master, the King of Greed, has prepared something, so any future King of Greed can confront those kings with Godly Energy proudly."


    Scathach reached out. Then, Yong-ho''s hands, buried in the blue liquid, were naturally lifted. She gently wrapped them and said, "You are a qualified person. I''m going to make your power complete by getting the approval of all 12 dungeon spirits."


    Even while all of his clothes were being removed, the magnetic field on his left arm was activated. Silver metal covered his left arm.


    Scathach kissed the magnetic field then breathed new magic into the back of Yong-ho''s hand.


    The light enveloped the magnetic field. At that moment, its shape changed, like a dungeon spirit exposed to the power of evolution.


    A small circle was drawn on the back of his hand with the magnetic field. There were twelve grooves in the circle like a clock, and a clear blue gem was placed in one of the grooves¡ªthe groove between 10 and 11 o''clock.


    Yong-ho could understand it. He instinctively felt Scathach''s mana from the magnetic field. "Conquer the Labyrinth of Greed. Get the recognition by the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon as the new king. If you become the true King of Greed¡­"


    Scathach smiled. Clipping her words a bit, she took a step back and widened the distance with Yong-ho. Showing elegant manners to him like she met him on the first day, she concluded by saying, "You''ll have a new Godly Energy. It''s not the existing Godly Energy of the Demon King, but Mammon''s¡ªthe King of Greed."


    The eighth Godly Energy.


    "I don''t want to push you for it hurriedly. But it would be better for you to have a clear goal, right?"


    Scathach moved her hands again. Then, a black shadow erupted behind her back.


    It took on the form of fear.


    Yong-ho had seen it before. Although he saw it momentarily, he remembered it clearly.


    Obviously, it was one of the 12 Spirits he faced when he peeked into the memories of Mammon.


    "What''s on the second floor of the Labyrinth of Greed is Capricorn, Baphomet, the Demon of Slaughter."


    It was a vicious monster that could be called darkness itself, which reaped death with a huge scythe.


    "It''s the worst among Mammon''s 12 Spirits."


    Scathach, the Immortal Witch, never lied. Yong-ho knew it. He stared straight at the red eyes of the black monster formed behind her back.


    ***


    It was none other than magic.


    The monster''s red eyes had mana.


    Yong-ho slowly closed his eyes and locked Scathach''s mana transmitted through her eyes, the window of the soul, and his memories of it under his eyelids.


    Darkness colored the world. But it wasn''t long. New colors began to color the whole world that turned black.


    It wasn''t just Scathach''s mana. Mammon''s mana that he absorbed from the arena also responded. Those memories arising from that mana filled the empty spaces one by one.


    Yong-ho forgot himself. His five senses gradually became dull, and in the end, only vision and a little hearing were left.


    It was a black world around him.


    The gray sky filled with dark clouds was like a disaster.


    Corpses were scattered around the collapsed and broken castle gates. They were all badly disfigured bodies. The flesh and blood were randomly entangled, making it impossible to distinguish each other.


    Destruction was not limited to the castle gates. Yong-ho could smell the scent of rotting corpses, carried by the wind from far away.


    It was still. Although corpses were everywhere, there was not a single crow around them.


    Obviously, they all ran away. The smell of death was simply so strong. The living did not dare to approach.


    Apparently, a child''s arm was in the middle of the road. The old teddy bear, which he must have grasped to reduce his fear, was mixed with blood and pieces of flesh. It was impossible to tell if it was the child''s arm or someone else''s, who died in this city.


    Just because the sky was gray, it did not mean that everything in the world lost its color.


    Although it was a scene of terrible destruction, the city contained many colors, as if to remember the glory of the past.


    Blue roofs and white walls, red and blue curtains, and grey bridges. Green grass even in this place full of death.


    Yong-ho could realize that this city was occupied by the demon world. This could be called the human world, just like the place where Yong-ho came from.


    Someone stared at the teddy bear in the child''s hand. The watery eyes hidden under the blue hair were full of melancholy.


    Scathach, the master of memory, couldn''t pick up the teddy bear, after all. Calming her rough breathing, she stared at the center of the city, where all the causes of death originated in. Gusion stood next to her. He was no longer a leisurely and large-hearted man, his signature appearance in the arena. He was full of anger. The anger was so intense that the mana emanating from his fists distorted the atmosphere around him.


    Elune did not disturb Gusion. Although she covered her eyes with a red belt, she could know it. This place was not a battlefield, nor was it a space where they confronted each other with hostilities for survival.


    It was a place where they committed slaughter.


    It was a feast of meaningless death.


    Elune was silent, and it meant that she was extremely angry.


    A black-haired knight disturbed the three. Kentauros, he was wearing silver armor and had round shields and large bows on each arm.


    He did not express anger like the three. He just looked at the center of the city with cold-hearted eyes. There was nothing like an expression on this middle-aged man''s face with some wrinkles.


    "Let''s go."


    Yong-ho heard a voice behind his back. And the owner of the voice began to walk ahead.


    As always, he led his members majestically just like a king.


    Yong-ho couldn''t read anything from that voice. It was a voice that they could interpret differently. Some would feel anger in that voice, while others would feel calm.


    When they approached the center of the city, the smell of death grew thicker.


    It looked like everything that had not lost its color even under the gray sky seemed to be dyed with darkness.


    And finally, the source of death revealed itself.


    A mountain of corpses piled up randomly became the throne for the incarnation of death.


    Sitting on it, the black monster was chewing on a leg that seemed to be the child''s, with an eerie smile.


    Its head reminded one of a goat. The body, covered with black hair, was full of muscles that seemed to burst out anytime soon.


    The black monster shook its head. Then, it stood up, goring its two huge, fierce horns in the air.


    It was huge. And it was mighty.


    Yong-ho felt his breath stopped at that. He felt different pressure from Gusion or Aamon.


    It was different from the blade-like mana that he felt at the auction house.


    There was no hostility in that sticky one. Only pure murderous spirit was overflowing.


    Laughing fiercely, Gusion clenched his fists. Scathach also made a ferocious expression that could hardly be hers normally. Elune silently raised his hand on his lap.


    The black monster laughed louder. The incarnation of death, created by a lunatic religious leader by offering ten thousand believers as human sacrifices, was gladly willing to even die of himself.


    The monster grabbed a huge scythe. Since waking up, those it killed already exceeded hundreds of thousands. Maybe it was close to a million. Having harvested countless deaths, it could be called death itself.


    The black-haired Kentauros raised his hand. He didn''t do it to pull the bow. He asked his colleagues to stop.


    Kentauros''s light brown eyes did not illuminate the black monster. He only faced the back of the king standing silently.


    Yong-ho could not see Mammon''s expression. As Scathach did, he had to look only at his back.


    Mammon raised his hand. And his action alone changed the air around him. The murderous intent of the black monster, which seemed to press down the whole world, was broken and scattered.


    The flames of red lotus arose. Originating in Mammon''s hands, they engulfed death. It never concealed its huge power, which burnt the heaven and earth and evaporated the sea.


    The black monster roared. It rushed, threatening death. It looked like an overwhelming pressure as if a big mountain was crumbling.


    But Mammon was not scared. He swung Aamon toward the incarnation of death attacking from the front.


    "No more peeking from now on."


    A voice was heard. At the moment, the whole world was colored with light. But darkness swallowed up everything once again.


    "Oops!"


    Yong-ho opened his eyes. The forgotten sensations came back to him all at once and caused confusion.

 123 The Garden of Life 4

    Yong-ho gasped for breath several times as if he had forgotten how to breathe then finally managed to breathe again. The first thing that finally came into his eyes, which barely recovered their function, were blue hair and beautiful watery eyes.


    "Scathach."


    "I''m sorry. It wasn''t a good dream, was it?"


    Scathach smiled gloomily. She gently reached out and swept his hair. Her fingertips were cold. But he felt they were pleasant to the touch.


    "That''s¡­"


    "It''s the memory of the day we first met Baphomet. The guy was staining the whole world in which he was born with death. He was the personification of death, born to destroy the world."


    The incarnation of death.


    It was the accurate expression of this monster, and Yong-ho also understood why Scathach described Baphomet as the worst of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon.


    "The 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon¡­"


    "Yes, that''s right. We are not made up of only demonic beings. For example, my friend Elune is from a different world. Isn''t it that the demon world is messed up even these days?"


    Yong-ho nodded, though slowly. He was from a human world, to say the least. One of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon, Burgrim, was also from a different world than the demon world.


    "The king overpowered Baphomet that day. But the king didn''t return him to death, which could be called his origin. Instead, he brought the monster to his knees and made him a dungeon spirit."


    Scathach smiled bitterly. It happened more than a thousand years ago, but even now, she didn''t seem to like the king''s decision very much.


    Yong-ho again closed his eyes and breathed out for a long time. He vividly felt the death that Baphomet turned out in his dream.


    However, he did not forget the flames of the red lotus that overwhelmed even Baphomet''s death.


    The true power of Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus that originated in Mammon''s hand.


    Yong-ho opened his eyes again then asked Scathach before he knew it, "Was the last voice yours?"


    "Last voice?" She tilted her head as if she didn''t understand his question.


    Yong-ho was referring to the voice that said, "No more peeking from now on."


    Come to think of it, it wasn''t a woman''s voice. It was a young man''s cheerful voice.


    ''What the heck is this? Did Mammon speak to me?!''


    He shook his head. It was impossible. He didn''t go back to the past. He only peeked into Scathach''s past memories.


    Perhaps, Yong-ho himself might have heard hallucinations because he was extremely tired.


    Or there was a possibility that there was something wrong with the memories of Mammon that assisted her memory.


    "Little master?" asked Scathach.


    "No, it''s nothing. I think I got confused."


    But Yong-ho needed the recognition of this monster, Baphomet. Moreover, he was a second-floor spirit, not in the deep floor.


    Scathach''s watery eyes showed she was sorry for him. She whispered, "There is only one way you can get recognized by this guy who is bad from birth. Namely, you have to defeat him with strength."


    Yong-ho didn''t even ask her whether it was possible. Baphomet was too tough for him now.


    But Scathach shook her head. She said with a slight pinch on his cheek, "You can beat him. You can deal with him proudly. You may think it''s difficult right now, but if you get a little stronger, you can do it. Baphomet has become very weak right now."


    Compared with Gusion and Aamon, she spared no words, but she did not talk about the day when Mammon met his final moment and the Labyrinth of Greed collapsed.


    Baphomet''s weakness must have been linked to a series of events that began with Mammon''s death. However, Scathach refrained from mentioning it this time. Instead, she talked about other things.


    "Baphomet has been obviously weakened. But that doesn''t change the fact that he''s a monster. It will be difficult for you to deal with him alone. Fight him with your dungeon spirits. The moment they become your dungeon spirits, they are in the same boat. Fighting with them is not your weakness."


    She told the truth, and he could understand it.


    However, Yong-ho felt somewhat out of place because he sensed deep sorrow from her voice, who asked him to fight with the dungeon spirits.


    Why? Why was Scathach so sad about saying something absolutely right?


    Scathach hid her sadness with a friendly smile. As if to mess with him, she pinched Yong-ho''s cheek and said, "You have to defeat him to get down the third floor. It''s going to be a pretty big ordeal for you, but I believe you can defeat him. It''s our little master, not anybody else. Besides, Gusion and I have already recognized you."


    She pretended to be cheerful. But Yong-ho didn''t dare to hurt her feelings hidden in that cheerfulness. So, he chimed with her cheerfully.


    "Well, you can bring your sweetheart here if I can make it, right?"


    "That''s why I recognize you, my little master!"


    Giggling loud, she kept touching his cheek with her lips. Because of her surprisingly soft touch, his legs were wobbly, but fortunately, his legs contained a blue liquid. He didn''t have to worry about sitting down on the floor or behaving indecently.


    ''You are Gusion''s sweetheart!''


    Yong-ho shouted in his heart, recalling Catalina''s face just like he did when he faced Sitri.


    Catalina''s ears, fluttering hard even in his imagination, relaxed his mind and body.


    After taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth again.


    "Scathach, how can I get recognition by those dungeon spirits who are already dead?"


    Not all of Mammon''s 12 Spirits were alive.


    He was cautious because his mention of them could provoke her sorrow. She appreciated his consideration, so she vigorously answered with a smile, "You''ll know it if you go to their place."


    As if what she said was rather rubbish, she stuck out her tongue. Then she took a few steps back and widened her distance with him.


    "Let''s stop here anyway. Shall we stand up? First of all, our escort girl¡­"


    When she spoke, Yong-ho turned his head immediately. But he couldn''t see Catalina because the blue liquid covered his eyes.


    ''When she took off my clothes, I saw you watching her. Even if she''s a dungeon spirit, you shouldn''t do it.''


    Scathach''s voice echoed in his head. He remained silent, and Scathach laughed again.


    Catalina didn''t make any noise as if she fell asleep. Like when she took off her clothes, he heard only the sound of the cloth rubbing against her skin.


    And finally, Yong-ho''s vision came back.


    "Let me do it with my eyes closed."


    Scathach closed her eyes tightly, Yong-ho felt the sense of freedom and refreshness at the same time. Instead of the blue liquid, the cloth floating in the air irritated his skin.


    When he was done getting dressed, Yong-ho again stood on the floor with both feet.


    When he turned to the side, he saw Catalina sleeping soundly on the water bed made of blue liquid.


    ''She really sleeps well. She''s sound asleep!''


    Yong-ho held down the urge to pinch her cheeks and sharpened her senses.


    He realized that he got reconnected to Lucia, which had been cut off until he peeked into Scathach''s memory.


    [Master.]


    [Dungeon spirit Eligos returned to work while you were sleeping.]


    [Besides, I''ve put under control all the places you explored among the areas on the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.]


    [I have not yet completely controlled the Garden of Life, the home of the Immortal Witch Scathach, but it seems possible to maintain the connection as it is now.]


    [I did a good job, didn''t I?]


    [You can praise me a lot.]


    Yong-ho thought Lucia was reporting to him rather formally after a long time, but she was back to the usual Lucia again at the end of the report.


    Yong-ho tried to convey his appreciation without using his voice.


    But Scathach opened her mouth first.


    "Wow, she''s a very cute girl. I think she can be a good companion in the future."


    [Can you hear my voice now?]


    Lucia also seemed quite surprised. Except for the heart room of the dungeon where her main body was located, the only way Lucia could communicate with Yong-ho and the others in other places was to project the letters of light.


    Scathach replied cheerfully, "This room is my own space given to me by the King of Greed. There is nothing I don''t know in this room. Of course, I can hear your voice."


    [Wow! My name is Lucia. My master gave me that name.]


    "That''s a pretty name. Our master has a knack for giving names. As you already know, my name is Scathach."


    With a slight wink, Scathach started chatting with Lucia in earnest.


    Instead of intervening in their conversation, Yong-ho thought about other things.


    ''I have to move the dungeon''s heart room again.''


    Having acquired the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed, it was right for him to move the main facilities to the deep floor. At least, he had to move the heart room of the dungeon and the room of the Demon King.


    ''And¡­''


    He had to take care of a final schedule. Taking a breath, he stepped back a few steps and widened his distance from both Scathach and Catalina. He naturally raised his right hand.


    Scathach''s voice subsided, and Lucia, who was talking with excitement, was also silent.


    Yong-ho closed his eyes after smiling at them. Then he recalled the images of Aamon held in the King of Greed, Mammon''s hands, which he had seen in Scathach''s memory.


    The flames of the red lotus arose. It soared, burning the atmosphere, then took the form of a spear and landed on his hands safely.


    [My little master.]


    He seemed to have heard Aamon''s voice. With his eyes still closed, he activated the power of evolution. He remembered Aamon''s power that burned heaven and earth and evaporated the sea!


    Five horns came out from his head automatically. The green flames arising from greed merged into the flames of the red lotus.


    The magnetic field on his left hand also responded. Under Scathach''s blessings, it was empowered through Brigada.


    The twelve seats that symbolize Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    One of them found the light again. Extremely red, it was a brilliant red lotus color.


    Yong-ho opened his eyes then looked at Aamon again who took a new shape among the flames.


    It was a single spear, but at the same time, it was flames. The mighty demon that commanded the demon world in the past.


    Yong-ho couldn''t do it yet like Mammon in his memory, but he smiled. He grabbed Aamon, who was burning with intense green flames instead of the flames of the red lotus.


    Aamon responded. His huge presence shook the Garden of Life.

 124 Skirmish 1

    It was the six kings who currently ruled the demon world.


    The King of Pride reigning in the northern part of the demon world.


    The King of Envy confronting the King of Pride in the northeastern part.


    The King of Lust who never moved out and was stuck in his Harem.


    The King of Gluttony looking for opportunities in the southeast.


    The King of Violence who keeps silent in the West.


    The King of Fury, the only woman among the six active kings.


    The territory of the King of Fury, located in the western part of the demon kingdom, had the most borders with the territories of other kings.


    It bordered the territory of the King of Violence to the southwest. It shared the borders with the King of Lust and the King of Gluttony to the east. It also shared a narrow border with the southern land called a land without owners.


    Separated by the sea to the north, it shared the border with the King of Pride.


    In other words, the territory of the King of Fury shared the borders with all six kings except the King of Envy.


    Other kings'' impressions about the King of Fury were that he was a ''warmonger.'' No wonder he was the only king who had fought all ''other kings''. Of course, "other kings'''' here referred to as the "six kings". Even the King of Fury couldn''t fight the King of Sloth, who never moved out of his place, or the King of Greed that didn''t exist.


    As was the case with the confrontation between the kings recorded in history, there really did not exist a "full-scale war" in which they intended to kill each other. So, most of them ended up fighting lightly when they had to.


    The direct fighting among kings was too dangerous. Moreover, kings were aiming for the chance to attack each other. As one of the five directors of the Dungeon Chamber of Commerce, Orobos, the strongest monster, commented that the kings were afraid of each other''s surprise attack, so they could not conduct an all-out war.


    The reason the King of Fury was called a warmonger was not just because he wanted to confront all the other kings.


    She had the most experience in fighting on the battlefields, so when the fighting started, she always stood at the forefront. She even fought in battles where a king didn''t have to.


    Thanks to this, the mortality rate of the King of Fury''s army was ridiculously low, even though they were mocked as "the idiots who only know how to rush." It was because the King of Fury always took the lead.


    ''Warmonger.''


    ''The one who quenches her thirst with the blood of the enemy.''


    ''A crazy b*tch who knows nothing but fight.''


    That was other kings'' typical description of the King of Fury.


    But as was usually the case with such a description, most comments about the King of Fury were more of a lie than a truth.


    A half-naked woman on a huge bed shouted, shaking her arms and legs violently like a child.


    Her name was Dritarasutra.


    She was none other than the King of Fury, who was also the king of Gandarva, who led the eight tribes in the demon world.


    She, who preferred the name of Dritara because she might twist her tongue while pronouncing Dritarasutra, drooped down her slim and white arms and legs as if she was tired of shouting. When it came to the ''King of Fury,'' people thought of her as one with a grim and ghostly look, but she was far from that.


    Gandarva, her original tribe, boasted of stunning beauty among her eight tribes. One could feel her softness just by looking at her dark blue hair. Her long and thin limbs were nice and beautiful.


    But only her eyes were a little different. Her eyes with five-colored lights, which was hard to describe, were scary rather than beautiful. People looking at her had fear because of her eyes.


    Like the Gandarva race, her body smelled very sweet. The horsetail protruding from her hips did not get tangled with each other no matter how much she swayed, nor did it lose its luster even in the midst of a sand storm.


    The King of Fury caught her breath while huffing and puffing. She really tried hard not to be furious.


    Contrary to popular images of her as a warmonger, or rather she liked the fight itself, but she didn''t like the consequences of the fight.


    A war was supposed to kill lots of people.


    Moreover, a war produced not only numerous orphans and widows, but it also burned everything in the world.


    The reason why the King of Fury always stood at the forefront of the army was simple.


    To her, that was the way to reduce the number of deaths the most.


    An overwhelming force deprived her soldiers of combat opportunities. That meant that their chances of dying were also reduced.


    At the same time, it could minimize the death toll of the enemy. Unless they were the same kind of king, who in the world would want to fight the King of Fury? Those enemies who confronted the King of Fury chose to run away or surrender. Sometimes they challenged her, but she could easily win by killing their leader.


    Nobody believed this, but the King of Fury was a pacifist.


    What was the point of fighting each other in the wretched demon world?


    However, the King of Fury was both a pacifist and a realist, so she realized well that pacifism in the demon world was a vain delusion. For this reason, the King of Fury did not preach pacifism to his subordinates, although she wished for it deep down.


    "It''s really annoying! So annoying!"


    The King of Fury was so upset that she was about to go crazy.


    But the fact that she really shouldn''t be furious at this moment made her even crazier.


    If she really got angry, her "fury" would awaken. The awakening of that force, ''fury,'' one of the Seven Deadly Sins, would be the worst situation.


    The King of Fury hated ''herself whose fury awakened'' as much as a war.


    So, she took a deep breath once more. Counting the numbers she learned from the King of Violence the other day and memorizing the scriptures of the alien world helped her calm down her fury a lot.


    ''Thank you, uncle. I got helped again today.''


    The King of Fury, who briefly thanked the King of Violence, the only one that could stop her when the force of her fury was activated, covered her face with both hands.


    Then she gave it a thought seriously.


    When the King of Pride and the King of Envy began to interfere with each other''s dungeon spirits, she didn''t feel interested because their actions were nothing new.


    But the situation was getting worse. If the situation was left escalating like this, an all-out war among kings would be possible in hundreds of years.


    It couldn''t be better if the King of Pride and the King of Envy met each other in a secluded place, fighting for death, and both died.


    But that was not the reality.


    It was clear that their confrontation would result in an enormous number of casualties.


    Moreover, their fighting would most likely escalate.


    Obviously, other kings would intervene.


    Popular criticism of the King of Lust was that he was crazy about sex. Stuck in his Harem, he indulged himself in drinking and sex.


    However, such criticism was also much of a lie like that about the King of Fury.


    The King of Fury, who had actually encountered the King of Lust, knew the truth better than anyone else.


    The King of Lust was a terrifying figure. If he had a chance to confront the King of Pride and the King of Envy, he would end his seclusion and stand up against them.


    There was also the King of Gluttony. This ignorantly large pig always openly revealed his greed.


    Unlike the King of Fury who was always worried about the possible breakout of an all-out war between the King of Pride and the King of Envy, he would obviously wait for them to fight earnestly.


    What was even more funny was that this wasn''t the worst.


    If either the King of Pride or the King of Envy would win more easily than expected, and as a result, the two Sins and Godly Energy were concentrated into one, it was evident that a huge fire of war would devour the entire demon world.


    In that case, not only her race, Gandarva, but also her eight tribes and the demon world as a whole would groan in the face of the disaster of a world war.


    "King of Pride, you son of a b*tch! Stop it now!''


    There was a limit to the pressure that she could put on the King of Envy, whose territory didn''t share the border with that of the King of Fury.


    That was why the King of Fury turned her sword to the King of Pride. She concentrated her naval forces in the north to attack the rear of the King of Pride.


    ''If you fight the King of Envy as you do now, I will attack you from behind. So, stop fighting here.''


    However, it was questionable whether her strategy would work.


    The King of Fury finally sighed again.


    "The southern region was also noisy¡­"


    The empty land in the south, an abandoned land.


    A war was going on even there. However, it was only a storm in a teacup.


    The possibility was almost none that the battle there would affect the entire demon world.


    But why did she care?


    Strangely enough, she was bothered by the war in the southern region.


    She felt as if she was missing something.


    The King of Fury shook her head. It was a useless worry. She could not afford to pay attention to the southern region. Now was the time for her to focus on the north.


    The King of Fury stood up from her bed then looked at the entire map of the demon world that filled one side of her spacious room, especially the House of Mammon located at the southern edge. But she looked at it only briefly.


    The days of the King of Greed ended a long time ago. She didn''t have to worry.


    Her five-colored eyes turned north. The sound of her sigh spread in the spacious room again.

 125 Skirmish 2

    It was impossible for Yong-ho to completely regain Aamon''s power with just one evolution.


    But it was definitely a step forward.


    Aamon''s power was in a different league.


    Yong-ho definitely felt that way. He was thrilled with Aamon''s power.


    Of course, Aamon''s power required that much mana, so much so that although Yong-ho himself was in a different league with five horns, even he felt that Aamon''s power was simply too overwhelming.


    Aamon did not have a clear shape on his hand. It could be described as the spear of flames at best.


    Despite that, Catalina was awakened by Aamon''s power that shook the entire Garden of Life. However, Yong-ho couldn''t afford to glance at Catalina.


    Two lights emerged from the magnetic field on his left hand.


    One was aqua blue, a symbol of Scathach, the Immortal Witch, and the other one was dark red, a symbol of Aamon, the demon spear of the red lotus.


    Yong-ho closed his eyes then faced the burning world, not darkness.


    [My little master.]


    The flaming eyes looked down at Yong-ho. It was Aamon''s soul that he had encountered several times.


    But it was different from now. Yong-ho could feel Aamon closer.


    "Can we talk like this even if I don''t go to the arena?"


    [Not always. However, it is possible, though in a limited way, when you release my power like now.]


    Yong-ho laughed awkwardly. It''s because Aamon was outrageously eating away at his mana.


    He could talk with Aamon now because Aamon could release a powerful mana thanks to his sudden evolution, and he gave Scathach mana subtly, but he wouldn''t do it next time. It was questionable whether Aamon could maintain his current status even for several minutes even when he was focusing on fighting, let alone talking with Yong-ho.


    However, it meant that Aamon had such a powerful strength.


    It was clear that Aamon went one step closer to the power Mammon exercised.


    [You may have heard it from Scathach.]


    [Conquer the Labyrinth of Greed and subdue the 12 Spirits of Mammon. Then you will be able to complete the Godly Energy of the King of Greed.]


    [I believe you can succeed in it.]


    Yong-ho found Aamon''s voice strict and serious, but at the same time, deeply affectionate.


    His kindness was clearly different from Scathach''s.


    Yong-ho became somewhat embarrassed, so he changed the topic, feigning innocence.


    "Come to think of it, if Scathach''s star sign is Aquarius and Baphomet''s is Capricorn¡­ are they in the zodiac?"


    The zodiac signs meant the twelve constellations that divided the sun''s orbit.


    Could it be true that there were 12 zodiac signs in the demon world like the human world?


    [Yes. Mammon, my master, said that the 12 zodiac signs were learned from a different world.]


    It was not true that the 12 zodiac signs existed in the demon world.


    However, it was clear that Aamon used the 12 zodiac signs as a motif and named the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon.


    Yong-ho himself was the descendant of the descendants left behind by Mammon in the human world. There was nothing strange about the fact that Mammon had knowledge of the human world.


    "Uh¡­ So, what is your star sign, Aamon? What about Gusion''s and Elune''s?"


    [Gusion''s star sign is Taurus, and Elune''s is Libra]


    [I''ve no particular star sign. My master said that I had better have an extra star sign because there was nothing befitting me. Actually, I am somewhat alien even among the 12 Spirits.]


    "Wait a moment. If you don''t have one, isn''t it true that 12 zodiac signs are not complete from the beginning?"


    [Yes. Moreover, there were a lot of vacancies since some of the spirits already died.]


    [This is my little wish... I think it''s good for you to fill the vacancies with new dungeon spirits.]


    [I mean, you can complete the 12 new Spirits by combining those from the old and new generations.]


    Unlike his usual attitude, Aamon spoke in a little excited tone.


    Yong-ho laughed pleasantly. The names of each of the 12 zodiac signs came to his mind.


    Which one was good for Catalina?


    Virgo or Aries?


    As if he already read Yong-ho''s mind, Aamon blinked.


    [Libra would suit your escort girl.]


    [She is Elune''s successor in many ways.]


    Yong-ho was bothered by his mention of ''various ways,'' but he laughed it off.


    Aamon continued.


    [And you may think I''m meddling too much, but I hope that you can put off your right to claim your wish that you obtained the other day.]


    [I hope you can put it off until after you defeat Baphomet or the gang of the western region.]


    Yong-ho blinked at that because he never expected it.


    Moreover, Aamon mentioned even his right to claim his wish.


    Aamon continued calmly while he was at a loss about how to respond.


    [Whenever I think of you and your escort girl''s right to claim the wish granted by Kaiwan, I see the little master''s desire is overflowing.]


    [Given the power of greed, it''s clear that you are going to use it carefully. ]


    [It is a catalyst of great power.]


    [This does not mean that you should not use the right to claim your wish at all. If you postpone its use too much, you will not be able to use it as a catalyst. Project your desire more purely.]


    [Namely, not delusional sexual desires, but what you, little master, really want.]


    Aamon was extremely serious, which made Yong-ho even more embarrassed.


    It was as if his parents discovered a secret folder that he had hidden.


    Yong-ho wanted to tell Aamon that he should not be so serious about talking about such stuff, but he didn''t.


    Moreover, Aamon''s last words needed to be heard seriously.


    Aamon laughed again then said in a blazing flame.


    [My little master.]


    [I believe it.]


    [Surely that day will come. I mean the day when I will call you my master, not little master.]


    Aamon was the same as always. Confirming his sincerity, Yong-ho smiled brightly.


    As he said in front of Scathach, Yong-ho straightened himself and responded, "It won''t take so long."


    [I look forward to it.]


    The green flames came out of the red lotus, which soon engulfed the whole world.


    Yong-ho closed his eyes then opened his eyes again to face reality.


    ***


    Time passed fairly for everyone.


    The moment when Yong-ho talked face to face, there were new developments in the empty western and eastern areas.


    The house heads in the eastern region were never stupid. They could predict the future based on their judgment of the future.


    They were safe now.


    It was funny to discuss "safety" in the midst of dungeon battles following the turbulence caused by Embrio, but it was a fact.


    While Embrio, who occupied the northern region, attacked the western region, the eastern region was also in great turmoil. The successive dungeon battles produced winners and losers, and from the moment the number of losers began to surpass that of winners, the eastern region gained a strange peace.


    The increased risk held back reckless action.


    Moreover, the surviving winners'' power was big enough to threaten each other.


    It was as if the six kings, who were ruling the current demon world, could not engage in such a conflict because they checked against each other. In other words, they entered the so-called Cold War status.


    In the midst of this turmoil, Agares, who might break the balance of power recklessly, was removed. Moreover, since he was not removed by anybody in the eastern region, there was little possibility that the pendulum of power would swing to one side.


    The house heads in the eastern region finally recovered their peace of mind and looked around.


    In just a few months, the situation in the southern abandoned area changed completely.


    Several dozens of house heads over there were reduced to 14 or 15, all told, in the whole southern area. Some of them were killed by others while others gave up their status as the demon king and chose to become their dungeon spirits.


    The northern region was devastated. The only demon king left behind there was Embrio, the demon king of wolves.


    The destruction of the western region was underway. The Western Owners'' Alliance, who rose triumphantly, were facing the last fight. To simply discuss the number of troops, they were numerically superior to Embrio''s forces, but few believed in their victory.


    It was the southern region that produced the most unexpected results.


    People often referred to the southern region without owners as an abandoned land.


    ''The southern region'' was just an abandoned land in the vast south.


    The number of house heads there was the least, compared with other regions, and the distance between the dungeons was also long.


    It was truly amazing that such a region stood out amid the turmoil.


    The House of Mammon.


    It was no exaggeration to say that the house perished, no matter how wonderful its past glory was. Moreover, the head of the House of Mammon defeated Agares, who was considered to be the strongest in the entire blank area in the south.


    Now, the house heads in the eastern region had to recognize that the House of Mammon in the south was no longer a fallen family. It was a powerful family that could exert influence over the entire deserted area.


    The house heads in the eastern region thought of the future.


    What was Embrio''s next move? Would it be right for him to sit in the eastern region and watch the western region go to ruins?


    The heads of the two houses that divided the eastern region joined hands instead of fighting to decide each other''s superiority.


    Now wasn''t the time for them to fight. Their priority was to deal with the wolves approaching them from afar.


    The heads of two houses began to move. Their activities were not confined to the eastern region.


    "Is this the result?"


    Ophelia, who returned to the Free City to deal with urgent affairs, calmly asked the uninvited guest in front of her. Instead of looking at him, she glanced at a small box on top of an oak bar.


    The small box had a wet bottom. And what wetted the bottom was a red liquid that flowed out of the box.


    The uninvited guest responded by acting. With a gentle smile, he opened the lid of the box.


    Ophelia did not smile nor did she frown. Her gaze was cold to hide her agitation.


    In the box was an object that she guessed when she heard it.


    Junceros''s daughter. It was her severed head, the head of the House of Abigail.


    The uninvited guest did not cover the lid again.


    Ophelia rolled her eyes to stare at the uninvited guest.


    He was a devil from one of the eight tribes, who was hard to find in the southern region. He was covered with green skin, close to blue, dressed in a spacious attire common anywhere. He had a strong build, and his face had a sea urchin-like beard that matched well with his sharp ring eyes symbolizing a devil.


    He said, "It''s just a gift of friendship. It''s always fun to get rid of the troubles in your neighborhood."

 126 Skirmish 3

    The uninvited guest had a snake-like tongue. Ophelia knew he was very cunning, and she did not forget that it was a gift, but at the same time, it was a display of strength.


    It was true that the House of Abigail was on the verge of collapse. Besides, Jungceros''s daughter was so weak that she could not be compared with Foras or Jungceros.


    But even so, she was the owner of her own dungeon. She was the owner of a dungeon heavily fortified.


    Even though Ophelia was watching Jungceros''s daughter sharply, she did not know her death until the uninvited guest appeared.


    The house heads in the eastern region showed that they could infiltrate the southern region anytime and kill the head of any house stealthily.


    Instead of an ambiguous diplomatic language, Ophelia spoke directly, "So, you want me to be an anvil in return for your being a hammer, right?"


    "Great! That''s correct. If you guys in the southern area stop Embrio, we in the eastern region will attack the northern region without losing the momentum."


    The uninvited guest also replied straightforwardly.


    Ophelia gently rubbed the smooth surface of the bar with her fingertips.


    It was virtually his unilateral notification as follows:


    Now that the western region is being attacked, we won''t attack the northern region.


    For we want Embrio to completely destroy the western region.


    But at the same time, we don''t want Embrio to occupy the southern region because Embrio will become too strong in that case.


    We will plant hope in the House of Mammon, so they won''t surrender, for we want the House of Mammon to fully confront Embrio that destroyed both the northern and the western regions.


    Ophelia thought to herself, ''In other words, you guys in the eastern region want to subdue Embrio and the House of Mammon, fully exhausted after occupying the northern region and devastating the western region.''


    She clearly read his intention, but she found it meaningless to argue with him here.


    Regardless of what the future holds for them, the eastern region was an ally of the House of Mammon, given the current situation.


    "We''ve left the dungeon of the House of Abigail as it was. I hope it will be of any help to the House of Mammon."


    "Thank you for your hospitality."


    "You''re welcome. You are the one who got rid of Agares, who were running wild everywhere. Our master is really grateful to the House of Mammon."


    They were done talking finally.


    Ophelia bowed him out with a smile, while the uninvited guest left the tavern leisurely like he did when he entered.


    Counting the number in her heart, Ophelia closed the lid of the box, thinking time passed a lot since he left.


    Looking out the window, she saw the sun setting. But she couldn''t hesitate. It seemed like she had to run all night today.


    ***


    Since he fell asleep late at night, he was very tired, but he couldn''t avoid Ophelia, who ran here all night.


    As soon as Ophelia was done briefing, he closed his eyes and asked what came to mind first.


    "How did you deal with the body of Jungceros''s daughter?"


    "I came here after ordering her burial after a simple funeral."


    "Well done."


    He was serious. He didn''t have any grudge against Jungceros''s daughter, who he had never seen. In some respects, she was a pitiful woman.


    The next question he asked Ophelia was how she would respond to the unilateral notification by the uninvited guest from the eastern region. It was no exaggeration to say that her response was already decided.


    "Let''s take over the House of Abigail first. It is impossible for us to fortify at this point. How about using it as a dummy?"


    The heart of the dungeon of the House of Abigail was highly likely to be good food for Lucia. However, Lucia didn''t necessarily need it. It would have been desperate food for the House of Mammon in the past, but it was only one of its options now.


    Ophelia said, "I think it''s better to use it like a dummy, too. If you pretend to reinforce it a little, it will be difficult for outsiders to guess the dungeon''s defense condition."


    Rikum, a counselor to Yong-ho like Ophelia, was now staying in the House of Randolt. Since Yong-ho and Ophelia agreed, there was no reason for Rikum to oppose.


    Yong-ho told Ophelia to rest then wrote a simple command.


    It was a letter ordering the crazy Oros in the Free City to occupy the House of Abigail.


    A few hours later, Ophelia, who woke up at almost lunchtime, embarrassed Yong-ho a lot.


    ***


    "Right to claim your wish? Sounds like a really good idea. Fortunately, you have become strong thanks to the little master. I myself feel motivated to hear that."


    Ophelia already heard from Lucia about what was going on, but she was still curious about what happened for the past several days when she was away.


    So, as soon as Ophelia woke up, she grabbed Yong-ho''s escort girl Catalina and inquired about what had happened.


    Just like a good and innocent girl, Catalina told her about even what she didn''t have to.


    It was only natural that she was completely debriefed by Ophelia, formerly a veteran intelligence peddler.


    Among what she confided to Ophelia was the reason why the power of the dungeon spirits grew rapidly, the Godly Energy of the King of Greed that Scathach mentioned, the evolution of Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus, and the existence of Baphomet, the worst spirit located on the second floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    Each of them was interesting to Ophelia, but what caught Ophelia''s attention personally was the right to ask for a wish that Kaiwan granted to Catalina and Yong-ho.


    Watching Ophelia talking to Eligos in the training field cheerfully like a lively girl, Yong-ho shook his head. He didn''t look at Catalina who was checking his mood with her ears and tail drooping as if she now realized she leaked a secret. Instead, he watched Eligos, who was greatly embarrassed.


    Eligos was mounting a sophisticated attack on the pretext of sparring. But the training field was also a place where they exchanged physical affection naturally. Besides, Ophelia mentioned she would grant his wish on the excuses of inspiring his motivation.


    Since Eligos could not outtalk Ophelia, he was desperately asking Yong-ho to intervene, but it was useless. Yong-ho ignored him by cruelly turning his head.


    ''I''m sorry, Eligos. Their sparring sounds like fun.''


    Although Yong-ho felt terrible whenever he was mocked by Aamon, he enjoyed being an onlooker at this moment. He was also curious about what kind of wish Ophelia would say to Eligos.


    ''Well, like Ophelia said, this is going to motivate him a lot.''


    Yong-ho didn''t need to be flustered just because the eastern and western regions were in turmoil. Since the House of Mammon was taking care of what was necessary in an orderly manner, it would be better for Yong-ho to relax with small events like this.


    Perhaps having heard the rumor, the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon began to arrive at the training field to watch the fight between Eligos and Ophelia.


    As it was the break time after lunch, not only Goblin Rangers, but also Orcs, and even Burgrim and Treant came out. Yuria and Baduk sat next to Catalina.


    Given the situation at the moment, Eligos had no other choice but to fight.


    There was a fight a man could not avoid in his life, and this was the one for Eligos.


    Eligos revealed all three horns and displayed all his might. The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were greatly agitated by the butler''s power that they had never seen before.


    Eligos was much stronger than expected!


    Ophelia smiled cheerfully at Eligos'' muscles that had swollen like a beast.


    She also spared no strength. She showed all her might by revealing a fourth horn.


    The dungeon spirits were shocked and got agitated again after seeing that.


    Orcs, the born fighters, clenched their fists and swallowed, watching the fight.


    Burgrim kept his eyes narrow to watch the two on the training field.


    "Let me start."


    "Hope I''m in your good hands, brother!"


    Shortly after exchanging greetings, the two Red Demons kicked off the ground at the same time. They rushed at each other with terrifying speed.


    It was truly breathless sparring. A head-to-head battle in which neither chickened out was going on.


    Yong-ho was freshly shocked. Eligos'' growth was beyond imagination. Yong-ho took him to small battles a few times, so he knew he became strong, but little did he realize that this old butler became so strong since then.


    ''He is almost as strong as Ophelia when she entered the House of Mammon.''


    No, it was different this time. He was stronger than Ophelia.


    Ophelia gave Eligos the right path. Eligos''s beast-like offensive rooted in his Herculean power, producing tremendous offensive power. As far as his hurtling toward his opponent was concerned, Eligos might be the strongest among the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Ophelia blocked Eligos''s attack effectively. Considering that she was his teacher, her skills were remarkable.


    Everyone in the House of Mammon, including Yong-ho, was absorbed into their sparring. However, their sparring did not last long.


    About two minutes or so passed when Eligos punched her hard. Since his punch was on the target, she couldn''t block or avoid it, so she bounced back because of the impact.


    The Orcs shouted at that moment, but Eligos, who punched her in the face, was very embarrassed.


    He was even worried that Ophelia was wounded by the punch.


    In fact, he threw the punch aimlessly, but as it turned out, Ophelia, not anyone else, was hit directly by the punch.


    "Oops, you beat me. You''ve gotten a lot stronger, Brother Ellie."


    Ophelia, who fell somewhat seductively, spoke cheerfully.


    Eligos was embarrassed again. The Orcs, shouting in joy, now realized that something was wrong.


    But she did not care what they thought. She gently raised his upper body and said, whispering with a fox-like expression, "Now, what kind of wish would you, Brother Ellie, ask of me? I hope it''s not something trifling."


    Ophelia tilted her head slightly. Everybody in the training field kept silent, watching them.

 127 Skirmish 4

    Eligos couldn''t say anything with a stupid expression, and Yong-ho, a real man who graduated from an all-male middle school, high-school, and college, just blinked.


    ''Wow¡­''


    On the other hand, Catalina, Yuria, and Lucia moaned in admiration.


    Alarmed by their reaction, Yong-ho suddenly came to his senses. He felt there was something these women should not have learned from Ophelia''s interaction with Eligos, but it was too late. Eligos, who was moving his lips without saying anything, turned to Yong-ho. Again, he was desperately signaling him for help, but Yong-ho ignored it at once. Paying particular attention to Catalina and Yuria, he walked ahead and left the training field.


    ''Ophelia¡­ scary girl.''


    Shaking his head from side to side, Yong-ho looked back at Catalina slightly. As if she discovered something new, moved by the romantic interaction between Eligos and Ophelia, Catalina''s gleaming eyes seemed very dangerous.


    And two days later, Yong-ho met Skull, who hastily returned from the House of Randolt, and headed underground with all of his dungeon spirits.


    They were in front of the second floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    They launched the attack on the "Gate of Hell," the massacre demon Baphomet''s place.


    ***


    The first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed, ''The Garden of Life,'' was literally a garden.


    Therefore, it was as good as an open place. With no facilities to defend against the enemy, there was only a beautiful scenery that suited the castle of the great king.


    However, the second floor, "Gate of Hell," was different.


    Indeed, this was the beginning of the Castle of the Demon King.


    It was the first door at the end of the beautiful garden. Regardless of an ally or an enemy, anyone who wanted to enter the Labyrinth of the King of Greed must pass it.


    The passage connecting the first and second floors was very huge. It was no exaggeration to say that the whole room located in the opposite direction from Scthach''s room was a passage leading to the second floor.


    When they passed through a huge arch door decorated with trees, vines and colorful flowers, a staircase wide enough for dozens to pass at the same time appeared before them. A film of soft mana blocked the space between the first and second floors, so it was impossible to discern what space was under the stairs.


    Yong-ho came here with the minimum number of dungeon spirits he selected in person.


    They were four dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon, Salami, Bucephalas, and four skeleton knights that stood out among Skull''s squad.


    On the second floor, there would probably be dungeon monsters more powerful than those on the first floor. Moreover, since the second floor was an entrance, it was highly likely that traps were installed, unlike the first floor.


    When she met Yong-ho, Scathach did not specifically mention the structure of the second floor or the traps installed. However, she recommended that he take only the elite members rather than mobilizing a motley group.


    Going about 10 meters down the stairs, he stood in front of a canopy of subtle mana. The stairs also ran down to the canopy as if they stretched down the lake.


    Yong-ho didn''t bother to look back. After smiling at himself, he stepped beyond the canopy.


    He felt as if he dipped his feet in the water. Instead of stopping, he speeded up.


    He quickly crossed the canopy and entered the second floor.


    The air changed.


    It was different from its freshness on the first floor. It was quite different from the Garden of Life that made him feel that it was cute despite its vastness for it contained a mountain, a field, and a lake.


    It was such a huge space.


    The whole second floor was a huge space. The ceiling was over forty meters high, and the floor was real earth, not stone. Beyond the wilderness reminiscent of the Free City was erected a truly massive castle wall.


    It was exactly as Scathach said.


    Yong-ho didn''t think that the space he was standing now was inside the dungeon.


    He almost made a forced smile at the vastness of the second floor.


    "Oh my God!"


    Catalina, who passed through the canopy after Yong-ho, opened her mouth wide.


    She decided she would not be surprised no matter what she saw, but she never imagined that she would face the vast wilderness and high walls before her eyes.


    To talk about its functions alone, it was like the "gathering place" on the first floor of the house of Mammon. In other words, it was like a combat space where they secured a large space first to block the enemies with defense facilities.


    The only difference was the size of the space.


    If Yong-ho made the gathering place, assuming the fight among a few dozens, the second floor of the Labyrinth of Greed assumed thousands. Rather, it seemed possible to assume tens of thousands of forces at this scale.


    Eligos, who crossed the canopy after Catalina, kept gulping at the spectacular scene.


    He couldn''t even imagine that there would be a place like this in the basement of the Hosue of Mammon where he had been staying for decades. He was aware there was a basement, but he just thought there were literally several basements.


    Moreover, this was not the end. This was only the second floor.


    ''13th floor.''


    Yong-ho got goosebumps at the thought of it. It was the thing of the distant past, more than a thousand years ago, but Yong-ho could feel how powerful the House of Mammon was in the past.


    "Let''s go."


    Yong-ho could not afford to be overwhelmed. He came here to conquer the second floor, not for sightseeing.


    Salami, who was already embarrassed in the Garden of Life, opened his eyes wide. Bucephalas also went down the stairs with a confused look.


    There was a wilderness of about a hundred tens of meters from the end of the stairs to the wall. The wall was in contact with the ceiling. Therefore, the only way to enter the castle was to destroy the gate or the wall.


    After getting on Salami''s back, Yong-ho looked far away. There were many large and small scars on the gray wall that looked as strong as deep-rooted trees. There were a lot of embrasures for a long-range attack, and there were a couple of stone statues of a fierce-looking giant on the left and right side of the huge castle gate, which seemed to be 20 meters high.


    When Yong-ho looked closely, there weren''t only two statues. Stone statues in the shape of giants or monsters were seen at regular intervals. Some were so severely damaged that they could not be identified.


    The statues were still far away, but they were so huge that Yong-ho could only recognize shapes roughly. Catalina and Eligos once again expressed pure admiration.


    But Yong-ho was different. From the moment he saw the stone statues, he felt a strange anxiety.


    ''No way.''


    At that moment, he saw something else. The flow of mana that was being released from the wall engulfed the statues.


    Vast space and wide ramparts.


    Would Yong-ho deal with the invading enemy with long-range weapons? Was there no other way than opening the wall for the hand-to-hand fighting?


    He got the answer soon. The stone statues standing on the left and right of the castle gate took a huge step.


    They didn''t roar or shout. Their giant stomping replaced it. The ground was shaken sonorously, which was as good as an earthquake.


    The stone statues saw Yong-ho at the same time. Then they rushed at him immediately.


    "Let''s go!" Yong-ho yelled.


    It was not a retreat order. He had Salami spread the wings of flame.


    There were four stone statues on the move.


    In the past, they would have run away without fighting, but they would not now. Just the huge stone statues alone could not stop Yong-ho himself and his dungeon spirits.


    Salami flapped the wings hugely. The dungeon spirits triggered Brigada at once.


    Catalina spread her wings made of black mana and defended Yong-ho, who soared, scattering flames.


    Eligos and Ophelia kicked off the ground at the same time. They concentrated mana on their fists and legs. At the same time, they revealed their horns.


    "Skull!"


    Skull lifted the battle hammer. The battle hammer, reborn in Burgrim''s hand, did not simply save Skull''s lightning strike. The lightning spell cast on the battle hammer itself strengthened Skull''s lightning strike.


    Bucephalas charged at them. The members of Skull''s squad who got on their respective Nightmare horse followed their captain and raised their magic weapons.


    It was only a hundred meters of distance between them.


    The moment they ran toward each other, there occurred the first collision.


    Ignoring the giants, Yong-ho flew toward the city gate.


    Catalina, who was separated from Yong-ho after soaring, saw the stone statue on the left. She strongly wished she could stand near Yong-ho. As the escort knight for the King of Greed, she wanted to stand by him. She needed the power to do it. She needed the power to be able to walk with him side by side!


    The darkness of greed rose from Catalina''s fingertips. In an instant, it became huge before turning into a black blade. The stone statue could not attack Catalina. It was impossible for the statue to even look back at her passing by its side at a tremendous speed.


    The stone statue''s head fell to the floor. The moment it slid along a cleanly cut surface and touched the ground, Eligos and Ophelia threw their punches at it.


    Bang!


    Although the two attacked the statue, there was only one noise heard. Eligos, who jumped high, punched the giant''s abdomen, which resulted in massive destruction. The stone statue with a broken hole in its stomach collapsed from its knees.


    Ophelia did the same thing. On the stone statue where she gored with her horns was a trace of a huge whirlpool. With a hole in its chest, the stone fell back.


    "Skullkull!"


    Skull shouted.

 128 Skirmish 5

    Outpowering the collapsing statues, Skull looked up.


    The last remaining statue struck Skull with a sword. Instead of running away, Bucephalas rushed at the sword. At Skull''s order, Bucephalas climbed not only the blade of the sword but also the stone statue''s arm.


    Bucephalas was done with it so quickly that the statue could not even withdraw its arms.


    When it shook its arms vigorously, Bucephalas was already about to attack its collarbone.


    The lightning of greed flashed from Skull''s right arm. The battle hammer that swallowed up a lot of lightning hit the stone statue''s jaw.


    The sound of the attack was different from when Eligos or Ophelia mounted the attack.


    The lightning strike exploded not only the stone''s jaw but also the air. The shattered head of the stone statue scattered in all directions.


    "Skull, Skull!"


    Bucephalas stepped in the air. It created a scaffold made of dark magic where its feet touched, which was the unique driving method of the upper Nightmare horse flying in the sky.


    When the fourth stone statue collapsed, Yong-ho turned to Aamon.


    He shot Aamon engulfed in the green flames at the castle gate right before his eyes. Break through the gate!


    It couldn''t be called flames anymore. A great greed swallowed up black mana.


    It transformed Aamon into a huge ballista.


    An incredible physical force hit the gate. The gate crumbled with a terrifying noise. Actually, it was separated from the wall as it could not withstand the impact.


    Salami entered the castle and hurriedly flapped its wings of flames. He almost fell to the ground due to the aftermath of the terrible blow, but he adroitly kept his balance before landing safely.


    Yong-ho also groaned in pain because he felt like his right arm would fall off. At the same time, he felt a strong pleasure in the fact that he destroyed the gate with a single blow.


    Yong-ho looked back from Salami''s behind. The artificial sun''s sunlight poured over the broken gate. The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon followed Yong-ho, fully releasing their own mana.


    Yong-ho looked ahead again.


    He had no intention of stopping.


    ***


    There were a series of wide spaces inside the wall. It seemed that Mammon thought of the second floor of the Labyrinth of Greed as the continuation of the huge "gathering places".


    Namely, places for large-scale engagement.


    Because of this, the passage was wide, and the size of each room was also unusually large.


    Yong-ho moved forward without hesitation. Dozens of dungeon monsters appeared in droves, but they couldn''t stop the advance of Yong-ho and his spirits. Whenever the flames, lightning, and darkness rained down, they were destroyed in mass.


    Fortunately, there were few traps along the way.


    It was already hundreds of years ago that the House of Mammon lost the second floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. During that long period of time, Mammon''s people were not supplied with properly and used up mana in dealing with the dungeon monsters coming up everywhere.


    ''In some respects, I wonder if we are now benefiting from the dungeon monsters.''


    Yong-ho was referring to the trap of the Labyrinth of Greed. If properly activated, the trap would have been a much greater threat than the dungeon monsters.


    Yong-ho only went straight ahead, following Scathach''s advice.


    ''Baphomet is the last barrier on the second floor as well as its gatekeeper. The passage leading to the third floor is beyond Baphomet''s sealed paper. To get there, you just have to go straight. The previous king was a very bold man.''


    She was right. After he passed through five large rooms following the castle gate, he saw a straight path. With Catalina''s power, he looked through the darkness to find a huge door. It was clear that it was the door leading to Baphomet''s sealed paper.


    Yong-ho, who ordered his dungeon spirits to just move on until now, told them to stop for a moment.


    ''All of my dungeon spirits have become strong.''


    They really fought much better than he expected. In fact, he was busy taking care of his own growth until now, but his dungeon spirits made a big progress, too.


    Especially, Eligos drew his attention.


    Ophelia had been recognized as a "strong woman" in his mind since she entered the House of Mammon. In the case of Catalina, he felt it was natural that she became strong since she was around him as his escort knight all the time.


    But Eligos was an exception. He was the one who guarded the House of Mammon alone even when all the other dungeon spirits were fighting on the battlefield.


    Eligos didn''t show all his skills when he sparred with Ophelia. His sparring partner was Ophelia.


    Regardless of his denial or not, Eligos cherished her very much. How could he display his ''real skills'' when she was his sparring partner?


    But Eligos was different when the opponent was the dungeon monster.


    He fully displayed his real skills while fighting the dungeon monster.


    Yong-ho understood why Eligos'' name for his next advancement was ''Tyrant.''


    He attacked the dungeon monsters fiercely just like a hungry beast catching its prey.


    His fierce attack completely belied his usual appearance, so Yong-ho was shocked by such a stark contrast.


    Yong-ho smiled before he knew it when he recalled the days when he had just become the head of the House of Mammon, for he clearly remembered the small Eligos who went out to draw water every morning.


    Then he looked at Skull.


    When it came to the amount of training, no dungeon spirit of the House of Mammon could surpass Skull.


    That was why Yong-ho trusted Skull all the more. Moreover, Skull played a very important role in the battle against Baphomet.


    Scathach chose Yong-ho himself and Skull as the key players in this battle because of the characteristics of Baphomet.


    Death, Baphomet was the incarnation of death sent by fanatics in the alien world.


    Because of this, even though he was weakened, he exhaled the energy of death naturally like his breathing.


    Those whose energy was weak lost their lives just by being exposed to Baphomet''s energy.


    Even those strong men saw their strength weakened because of their instinctive fear of death.


    It was only Yong-ho and Skull who could exert full combat power even in front of Baphomet''s energy of death.


    After experiencing more than hundreds of near-death experiences, Yong-ho could endure the energy of death.


    Since the undead Skull was already dead, he would rather feel calm in the face of Baphomet''s energy of death.


    It was because of Baphomet that Scathach''s test was a near-death experience from the beginning. Anyone who did not pass her test could never be an opponent of Baphomet.


    Yong-ho patted Skull on the shoulder, who he thought was always reliable.


    Skull laughed heartily when he felt Yong-ho''s confidence in him without Brigada.


    "Skull Skull."


    Yong-ho was not in a hurry. He kept sharing the magic potion he obtained from the arena with the dungeon spirits. The restorative Scathach made for him also played a great role.


    About 30 minutes passed. They caught their breath fully by now.


    Yong-ho ordered Salami, Bucephalas, and the Skull Squad to stand by. He then sprayed the lights into the passage. After driving away the darkness, they went forward.


    It was a huge bronze door.


    Yong-ho realized that the name of the second floor, ''Gate of Hell,'' referred to this door.


    Dozens of people were embossed on the door. They were groaning and crying in pain.


    Yong-ho took his breath deeply and held the doorknob.


    By Herculean force, he opened the ''Gate of Hell'' very slowly.


    It was filled with impenetrable darkness. But he could see. Rather, he felt it.


    A black monster fell in the middle of the wide empty area. Large shackles were attached to its neck as well as its limbs, and those tied on its legs were still connected to the floor.


    The door was not yet opened halfway. However, the energy of death came out continuously. The black monster raised its head slowly, crying in a spooky voice.


    It was laughing. Its creepy laugh filled the empty place with the energy of death.


    Red eyes, Yong-ho remembered seeing them when he peeked into Scathach''s memory.


    The black monster shook its shoulders. It touched the floor with its hands and raised its upper body very slowly. It stared at Yong-ho with its red eyes shining alone in the dark.


    Yong-ho was scared. It was much more dreary than what he saw in her memory. He felt like Scathach saying that it had become weak was an absurd lie. Death wrapped around his body. He could feel hundreds, rather thousands of eyes around. The screaming of resentful ghosts filled the whole world.


    But Yong-ho opened the door. He didn''t close it. Then he took a step forward in the darkness.


    Brigada was activated at once. His dungeon spirits followed their king, Yong-ho, just like Mammon''s 12 Spirits had done in the past. They were not terrified by the fear of death.


    Yong-ho didn''t have to say anymore. He quietly raised his hand. Like Mammon in his memory, he grabbed Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus that bloomed in the air. He drove away not only darkness but also the energy of death with the green flames of greed. The blue water, which was like the symbol of Scathach, spewed out from the uncompleted Godly Energy located in the magic field of his left hand.


    Baphomet laughed like crazy. His crazy laughing soon turned into a roar. Baphomet saw Mammon in Yong-ho. So, it cursed him and got crazy. Grabbing the scythe of death from the darkness, it charged at Yong-ho wildly.


    It was like the rush of death itself.


    Yong-ho also rushed forward to confront it.


    As the new King of Greed, he confronted the incarnation of death.

 129 Outburst of Anguish 1

    It wasn''t the first time Yong-ho had faced the monster. He encountered it when he first faced Aamon, when he met its eyes in a burning world when he encountered Gusion in the arena, and the moment Scathach revealed her skills for a very short time. He remembered it all, and he didn''t forget the horrible feeling at that time. He was always overwhelmed by its absurdly enormous presence.


    He felt the same thing this time.


    Baphomet lost its strength as a dungeon spirit because it lost its master. Besides, it was extremely weakened since it had been sealed for a long time and shorn of its strength by the other 12 Spirits. Nonetheless, it was the incarnation of death that came from the alien world.


    It was so huge. So, Yong-ho felt like he would be trampled by this absurdly huge creature at any moment.


    But this time, it was different. It had to be different.


    He had to face this monster and defeat it.


    Instead of stepping back, he boldly advanced and confronted Baphomet head-on, which rushed toward him without hesitation, like a runaway locomotive.


    Baphomet''s body was huge. It was somewhat different from what he saw in Scathach''s memory, but its head, resembling a black goat, and its huge body were the same as before.


    It looked like a mountain seemed to collapse in front of his eyes.


    Laughing like crazy, Baphomet wielded the scythe of death. It was wielding from above the power of death itself.


    Yong-ho did not miss that moment. He opened his eyes and saw death rushing to him.


    It had a trajectory. But what was seen wasn''t everything. Black mana swirled around the blade of its giant scythe. It was obvious that black mana would devour a space several times the size of the sickle.


    Yong-ho could not move back at this point. It was also reckless for him to block the monster by wielding Aamon.


    But Yong-ho did not stop. He took another step, remembering Scathach''s words.


    "Catalina!"


    "Master!"


    Two voices rang almost simultaneously. And at that moment, when the screaming was going on, Catalina quickly approached him from behind his back, hugged him, and became his wings.


    The scythe of death swept the air. Yong-ho and Catalina overcame the evil energy of death. Under the wings made of black mana, Yong-ho saw Baphomet''s red eyes. Then he swung Aamon to cut through the space above Baphomet''s head.


    Waves of the green flames engulfed Baphomet''s head. The death wrapping around Baphomet''s body exploded when it collided with the green flames. Cutting through the scattering energy of death, Eligos and Ophelia rushed toward it.


    The two scattered to both sides with Baphomet in between. They then attacked it with full force.


    There was no roar, no explosion, no scream. The air was scattered by their strong attack, but that was it.


    Eligos was embarrassed. Ophelia immediately raised her head and looked at Baphomet.


    And death crushed Eligos and Ophelia one step ahead.


    It was a completely different kind of force they had never felt before. It wasn''t the overwhelming presence of the strong. It wasn''t even a physical force of destroying and breaking.


    It was death, the end of everything.


    The feeling of helplessness that they could not resist.


    The feeling of despair that there was nothing to rely on.


    Death penetrated Eligos and Ophelia. It didn''t damage their bodies in any way.


    However, Eligos knelt down. Ophelia resisted by generating the mana of greed, but she could not stand it long.


    For a few seconds when Ophelia desperately resisted, Baphomet landed on the ground again. Then it swung its left arm to strike down Ophelia. Suffering from the helplessness of death, she punched head-on by a giant blow.


    She bounced off more than a dozen meters like a broken marionette. Then Baphomet kicked out Eligos by swinging his right arm, holding the scythe of death. Rotating its body greatly, it once again released the wave of death. The chains on Baphomet''s neck and arms broke through the air with a terrible noise.


    "Skullkull!"


    Skull broke through death. He broke the black and huge waves of death with a battle hammer. He narrowed the distance with Baphomet at once and swung the lightning hammer again.


    Lightning flashed from Baphomet''s legs. It wasn''t a fatal injury. However, Baphomet''s legs were bent for a moment. Skull pulled the hammer again. And above Skull''s head, and higher above Baphomet''s head, Yong-ho pulled Aamon. Then, holding Aamon upside down, he created the pillar of flames.


    The green flames struck Baphomet hard then engulfed its whole body.


    Catalina rejoiced, but it was too early for her to rejoice. The moment when the green flames covered its whole body, Baphomet kicked out Skull. Using that momentum, it rotated its body, and once again, it tore the air with chains on its limbs. Holding the scythe of death tightly, it split the air.


    But the scythe didn''t reach Yong-ho. Nonetheless, death did not stop and spread. The power that could only be expressed as pitch-black penetrated Yong-ho and Catalina.


    Catalina''s head was broken. She was helpless, with no screaming or moaning, like Eligos experienced.


    Yong-ho stuck it out, clenching his teeth. Even while he was falling, he swung his left arm wildly. Just like he did when he defeated Kaiwan, he added Catalina''s black mana to the mana of greed. And he swept both Baphomet and the ground with a giant''s hand at the same time!


    Baphomet jumped to avoid the giant''s arm. Yong-ho landed on the ground with the help of a giant''s arm instead of falling to the floor. He raised his head to attack the monster with Catalina, who finally pulled herself together.


    But they were crushed by Baphomet. It wasn''t like black mana or death. Literally, a huge palm pressed both Yong-ho and Catalina simultaneously.


    They could not resist the pure physical force created by the monster''s weight and speed. Both of them got tangled together and were crushed on the floor. They screamed in pain when their bones were broken.


    Baphomet laughed madly. Yong-ho felt he was losing consciousness. He was punched only once, but the blow was so painful.


    Yong-ho once again clenched his teeth under Baphomet''s palm. If he could not use his limbs freely, he intended to release his mana all at once and bounce off the palm of this monster.


    At the same time, Yong-ho felt that Eligos and Ophelia began to move. And even Skull, who was thrown on the floor by Baphomet''s blow, was also standing up again.


    Each of them released mana of greed. Yong-ho further amplified the mana of greed by syncing with the dungeon spirits.


    But at that moment, Yong-ho made eye contact with Baphomet. It lowered its head to see him even when the spirits of the House of Mammon were rushing toward it.


    Its head resembled a goat. It was different from a human head.


    Yong-ho could read its expression. It smiled brightly.


    That was the only smile it could make¡ªmadness and rejoice, brightness and joy.


    It was obviously more weakened than before. But there was something that didn''t change.


    It was still the incarnation of death.


    It was a monster formed at the sacrifices of ten thousand people, as well as the death itself imagined by beings in the alien world.


    It survived by eating over tens of thousands, rather millions of deaths.


    Death smiled. It exuded a force that could not even be compared with anything until now.


    With no sound or movement, it covered a huge black space. It swallowed up the lights of the dungeon lighting devices that Yong-ho''s party had spread for this battle.


    Eligos and Ophelia fell to the floor in the same position they were charging.


    Thanks to the power of greed, they did not die immediately, but that was it.


    They couldn''t move even a finger because of their enormous helplessness.


    Skull was no exception. Although he already belonged to death, it did not mean he was free from death. His vivid sensation of death elicited a sense of life from him. Skull remembered his life for the first time since becoming an undead. That was why he experienced the second death. Old fear and dread, as well as all the things he had to give up by dying, once again destroyed Skull''s spirit.


    Skull collapsed. He suffered from deep despair and sorrow, so much so that it wasn''t strange even if tears poured out of his hollow eyes. Memories of living tormented him.


    Yong-ho breathed a short, rough breath. He became more and more unconscious.


    Although he experienced hundreds of times of mental death in the space Aamon created, all of it was fake. It wasn''t real death.


    He couldn''t feel the passage of time, which was natural, for it was what death was.


    There was nothing there.


    Despair broke his will. Empty feelings swallowed up his anger.


    Accept it, death. Absolute serenity.


    Baphomet raised its hand. In fact, no matter how fast it did, Yong-ho felt its action was very slow.


    Yong-ho did not close his eyes. Instead of Baphomet''s hand or death sickle, he saw something else. It was a so-called kaleidoscopic view of his life events.

 130 Outburst of Angish 2

    He graduated from an elementary school life that he would never spend like that if he were born, grown-up, and went back to it again.


    He entered an all-male middle school because it was close to his home.


    He entered an all-male high school because the nearby coed high school was closed.


    Then he entered an engineering college because he liked engineering.


    Now, one more thing would make his life perfect¡ªjoining the army.


    He had joy and sadness. Although he had frustrations and trials, he had achievements and happiness.


    It was a good life.


    He had no regrets. Although he never dated a girl, it wasn''t a big deal. He didn''t have a blind date, which he had expected a lot before going to college, but it didn''t matter. Rather than being confessed by a lover, he never confessed love to any girl, but he didn''t care. At least he kissed once. His partner was Ophelia. He kissed her for the purpose of overwhelming her mentally.


    He also touched Catalina''s ears and tail. Kaiwan also said that she would grant his wish, whatever it was. His thinking was perhaps unfounded, but he felt that Kaiwan fell in love with him. To be honest, wasn''t she serious? Didn''t she say she would grant his wish? She could not say it to anybody, right? What about Catalina? She didn''t show her heart to me, but was she feeling the same way as Kaiwan?


    ''So what? Damn it!''


    Yong-ho opened his eyes suddenly. When he looked back nostalgically, he found his eyes wet before he knew it, so he got rid of this kaleidoscopic stuff.


    He had to survive now. There were still many things he hadn''t done yet!


    [My little master!]


    Aamon''s voice was heard. It was clear that perhaps from the moment death filled the empty space on the second floor, Aamon called him anxiously.


    The passage of time was still slow. Baphomet only now grabbed the scythe of death.


    So, Yong-ho had to move first and stand up after getting rid of this monster.


    [Desire! Long for it!]


    [Be greedy! My little master!]


    Aamon shouted. Yong-ho understood it. So, he brought out the power of greed.


    It was an original desire. He might be blamed for bringing out the will to live like that, but he didn''t care. He imagined. He hoped and wished for it.


    He burst out anguish, hope, and desire!


    "I really want to do it!"


    He shouted. Yes, he was serious. There were so many things he wanted to do. There were so many things he hadn''t done yet. So he couldn''t die. He couldn''t be overwhelmed with death!


    Time accelerated. Baphomet felt embarrassed. At the same time, he saw the scythe of death at its peak.


    Yong-ho grabbed Aamon. He felt Catalina was still groaning in death. Clenching his teeth, he activated the magnetic field.


    The power of greed. The power of desire.


    He didn''t recklessly use up the unleashed anguish.


    Although the magic field on his left hand was incomplete, it had Godly Energy.


    Finally, Yong-ho brought life out of the 12 Spirits, which was the power of Immortal Witch Scathach that perfectly matched his will to live!


    Blue watery light exploded from his left hand. The power of life drove away Baphomet''s death. Baphomet stumbled. For the first time since it confronted Yong-ho, it screamed in pain.


    It suffered by crying out the name of Scathach, who had the power of life.


    Yong-ho breathed roughly. He couldn''t stand up, but he poured the power of life on to Baphomet. By offsetting death with life, he transformed Baphomet from the incarnation of death into just a giant monster.


    He needed to take the next step immediately, but his next move was already ready.


    "Stand up, my dungeon spirits!"


    His dungeon spirits were faithful to his order.


    Eligos and Ophelia ran toward it. When they stood up again, they felt a strong force of life.


    They shared Yong-ho''s desire and will to live from the mana of greed transmitted through Brigada.


    This time, they completely destroyed Baphomet''s legs!


    Baphomet collapsed, kneeling down. It wailed even louder. It tried to drive away Yong-ho''s force of life that neutralized his death.


    Catalina took his hand. She didn''t want to die either. There were so many things she wanted to do while still alive.


    Holding her hand, he stared sharply at Baphomet. Then he ordered the last dungeon spirit right next to him.


    "Skullkull!"


    Skull rose from death. Grabbing the battle hammer, he rushed toward Baphomet.


    All the power of the dungeon spirits was concentrated on Yong-ho through Brigada, which he, in turn, retransmitted to Skull.


    The green flames rose from the tip of the battle hammer. Greed with black mana soared, and the mana of Eligos and Ophelia connected them all.


    Baphomet was struggling desperately. Instead of the scythe of death being evaporated by the power of life, he swung his huge right arm.


    Skull rode over it and charged at it. He added lightning to the power of greed, with the battle hammer that was broken without withstanding Baphomet''s concentrated power but still functioning.


    "Skullkull!"


    Skull jumped up and stared straight at Baphomet''s red eyes.


    It was no longer the incarnation of death. What was standing before him right now was just a huge black monster!


    Skull struck it with the battle hammer in a row. The concentrated power of greed exploded right above Baphomet''s head!


    Skull landed on the ground as if to fall. Eligos and Ophelia raised their heads, breathing roughly.


    And finally, Yong-ho, who stood up finally, stretched out the magic field of his left hand.


    Baphomet, whose head was destroyed, could not see Yong-ho.


    However, Yong-ho saw its red eyes. As the King of Greed, he granted the promised rest in peace to the incarnation of death that was still harboring death despite his drastic weakness.


    Baphomet smiled. Yong-ho felt that way. And at that moment, Baphomet''s enormous body turned into black ashes and scattered in the air.


    Yong-ho slowly clenched his fist and looked at the newly added jewel on the back of his left hand with the magic field.


    Black with a purple hue. Capricorn, the power of Baphomet, the demon of slaughter.


    Yong-ho reaped the power of life and possessed the power of death.


    ***


    It was like breaking a tight string suddenly.


    The moment when new power was added to the magic field, Yong-ho felt deeply tired.


    He acutely felt the pain all over his body again.


    It hurt and very much at that.


    He felt like his bones were broken all over his body. Although he was punched by Baphomet once, his whole body ached.


    Baphomet''s attack wasn''t just punching. The moment Yong-ho was pressed by its palm, the black mana arising from Baphomet''s left hand hacked his body.


    His body wasn''t only bruised but also his skin ruptured. Besides, his body bled from various cuts.


    He wanted to squat down right now. However, he stuck it out, taking a deep breath.


    He was holding Catalina''s hand in his right hand instead of Aamon.


    Catalina was injured, as well. Since she was behind Yong-ho, she wasn''t hacked by black mana, but Baphomet''s striking down damaged her more than Yong-ho.


    Yong-ho looked at Catalina, who in turn, looked at him. They both poured so much mana into Brigada that their hands were trembling, but they smiled at each other, which looked silly.


    Yong-ho hugged her. Rather it was Catalina who hugged him.


    The two leaned on each other like that. He realized that he was alive by burying his face in her neck.


    When death engulfed everything, Yong-ho had a desire.


    That desire wasn''t just lust. Had it been only lust, he would never have overcome Baphomet''s death.


    There were a lot of things he really wanted to do.


    He seemed to know why Aamon described his lust as anguish.


    It was greed. He didn''t give up on anything. Rather he couldn''t give it up. Everything belonged to Yong-ho.


    Catalina was warm and soft when he hugged her. So he naturally closed his eyes. He wanted to stay like that for the rest of his life. Not only her breathing but also her subtle body scent was all sweet.


    Strangely enough, however, he recalled Kaiwan''s face at that moment. To be precise, it was her smile right before she confronted him in the arena. Come to think of it now, it was almost like a foul smile. How could she show such a smile to him right before the fighting? He thought she outwitted him back then.


    It was not Kaiwan alone that came to his mind. Gusion, Scathach, and Aamon''s faces came to his mind one by one. He also remembered his own dungeon spirits and the exclusive 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon.


    He smiled awkwardly and opened his eyes. As if she was tired, Catalina did open her eyes.


    She was wiggling her tail weakly, but that was all. She seemed to totally rely on him. It looked like she would collapse at the mere touch.


    Yong-ho hugged her waist a little harder. He kissed her head unwittingly and looked around.


    They were all exhausted.

 131 Outburst of Anguish 3

    Eligos and Ophelia were lying on the floor. Yong-ho thought they were having a touching hug, but they were too tired to do it.


    However, they were still strong Red Demons. Eligos, who could be called the strongest of the Mammon spirits, raised his upper body slowly. But Ophelia couldn''t get up easily as if the blow by Baphomet was quite strong. However, she did not lose consciousness and whispered to Eligos.


    Yong-ho eventually gave up standing. He sat down, touching the floor with one hand and holding Catalina with the other. As soon as he sat down, he wanted to lie down again, but he barely held down the urge to do so. When he turned his head a little more, he saw Skull.


    Skull was also a total wreck. The battle hammer that Burgrim improved for him was completely destroyed. What he had now was a bag only.


    His armor and helmet were also broken. He wasn''t as bare as when he first came to the House of Mammon, but it was the first time since his fight with Poras that he was injured so much like this.


    Skull, kneeling on the floor and supporting his upper body with one cracked arm, trembled.


    His chin and head, in particular, trembled badly.


    "Skull?"


    It was Skull that dealt a final fatal blow to Baphomet. Did he overwork himself because Yong-ho mobilized too much power into him?


    When Yong-ho called him in a worried voice, Skull slowly turned his head. Ghost flames that were supposed to be present in his hollow eyes were too small.


    And that wasn''t all. Yong-ho felt somewhat concerned about Skull. It was something like a feeling of strangeness. And Yong-ho alone didn''t feel it. He could sense Skull''s feelings transmitted through Brigada.


    Yong-ho found it hard to express what it was. It was the kind of feeling that he could express by comparing it to a torrent raging under the quiet water.


    "Skull."


    Yong-ho called him again. Skull reacted at his affectionate calling. Although it was a skull without any expression, Yong-ho knew that Skull was trying to smile, though with an effort.


    "Skull¡­ kull¡­"


    Speaking slowly and quietly, Skull fell to the floor instead of struggling to stick it out.


    As if he was encouraged by Yong-ho''s calling, Skull cleared his anxiety a lot.


    Skull now seemed to be resting comfortably like Ophelia and Catalina.


    Watching them, Yong-ho gulped. His sense of strangeness about Skull disappeared, and he could do nothing because there was nothing unusual about Skull at this point.


    Yong-ho just hoped it wasn''t a big deal. Then once again, he held Catalina anew and hugged her. After overcoming the temptation to fall asleep next to her, he looked at the mana in the empty space.


    The energy of death hadn''t yet completely disappeared from there.


    It was the same black mana but different from Catalina''s.


    Black mana swirled in the place where Baphomet stood. When it swirled once, the darkness scattered in all directions, which was spectacular, indeed.


    Yong-ho touched the magic field on his left hand with his right hand over her waist. Despite him not seeing it, the newly created Baphomet jewel clearly came to his mind.


    The power of death contrary to Scathach''s life.


    Yong-ho finally let out a sigh. Prepared for fainting, he extended his right arm. Instead of hugging Catalina, he let her rest her hair on his thigh and grabbed the air.


    Following the flames of the red lotus, the green lotus arose. He collected not only his remaining mana, but also that of Eligos, Ophelia, Skull, and even Catalina, who almost passed out, and poured it into Aamon.


    His efforts paid off.


    Although he was not in the arena, he could talk with Aamon.


    [My little master.]


    Watching Aamon''s true body, the burning spear, reminiscent of a weapon from the age of mythology, Yong-ho asked, "Is Baphomet completely dead?"


    He couldn''t afford to beat around the bush.


    Aamon answered his straightforward question.


    [Baphomet is the incarnation of death. The realization of the concept of ''death'' that humans in the alien world conceived.]


    [Its body, which had been worn away for a thousand years since the disappearance of its owner, has now completely disappeared. Since the container holding the concept has disappeared, the concept will also disappear.]


    [However, we can''t say it''s completely extinct.]


    [The essence of Baphomet remained in its unfinished Godly Energy. Not only Baphomet''s power, ''death,'' but also some consciousness remains in it.]


    [But, my little master. You don''t have to worry. It will never be able to hurt you, nor it will.]


    Baphomet couldn''t hurt him.


    It also didn''t have the intention to do so.


    Yong-ho let out a long sigh. Aamon smiled gently.


    [My little master. Good job!]


    [The power of greed comes from desire.]


    [However, simple lust can''t bring out the true power of greed, for it would be closer to the power of the King of Lust rather than the power of the King of Greed.]


    [Clearly, the power of lust was strong for you, but because it was mixed with the purer, original desire, you could overcome Baphomet''s death.]


    [Hope and desire. Project your true wishes onto your desire.]


    Indeed, Aamon correctly pointed out what seemed to be embarrassing to Yong-ho.


    Instead of replying, Yong-ho looked at Catalina''s face blankly. He had the urge to touch her cheek, but he couldn''t because he was grabbing Aamon at the moment.


    But he was reaching the breaking point slowly. This time, he really wanted to touch her cheek quite seriously.


    So Yong-ho asked the last question, "Third floor. Who among the 12 Spirits controls the third floor?"


    Aamon didn''t answer right away. There was some pause. As a human, Aamon would have sighed or smiled bitterly during that short span.


    [Elune whose star sign is Libra, cutting the night.]


    [She is the owner of the third floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.]


    After answering, Aamon withdrew the flames then went back to a bracelet, its original shape.


    ''Cutting the night... Elune.''


    The escort knight for Mammon, the King of Greed, and his sweetheart.


    Yong-ho caressed Catalina''s cheek. He closed his eyes because of her extremely soft face, but he shouted with all his might. He called Salami, Bucephalas, and the Skull Squad, who were waiting in the corridor.


    The passage to the third floor was opened, but now was not the right time to move.


    First, he had to go back to Scathach on the first floor to restore stamina and mana.


    He felt Salami running behind his back. Only then did Yong-ho take a load off his mind.


    Touching Catalina''s cheeks, he fell into a deep sleep.


    ***


    The end of the long battle was around the corner finally.


    Plauros, the head of the Western Owners'' Alliance, laughed vainly. It was not because Cecharo of the House of Berne, his strong ally, literally disappeared, bleeding before his eyes.


    The Western Owners'' Alliance was defeated by Embrio.


    And that defeat was already certain from the beginning.


    Five horns, which was the evidence of the strength towering over Embrio''s head.


    They weren''t new horns as a result of Embrio destroying the house heads in northern and western regions. Although he had only four horns from the beginning, Embryo, who cultivated his mana over the years, knew it.


    Embrio had five horns from the beginning. Most of the house heads in the northern and western regions lagged far behind him in power, and perhaps, even the power they absorbed by essences of horns was little.


    It was natural that the house heads in the northern region lost to Embrio helplessly.


    It was also understandable that each of them showed their might just like the one-man army.


    It was highly likely that there were quite a few with five horns under the command of six kings. But it was not the case in the barren place of the south. To be precise, Embrio could be said to be the only and the most powerful in the southern area.


    Embrio absorbed the essence of Cecharo. Since it had only four horns from the beginning, his absorption helped him a bit.


    Embrio took another step. Plauros smiled bitterly at that.


    It wasn''t just because of Embrio''s horns that Plauros understood the defeat as "something certain from the beginning."


    Plauros realized who was standing behind Embrio.


    That was why he gave up and laughed scornfully.


    "You can''t be a king, Embrio. You will eventually fall miserably after chasing only the king''s shadow."


    It was not known which king was supporting Embrio. However, whoever he was, he would not ignore Embrio''s ambitions.


    Embrio did not answer. He just silently approached Plauros.


    That was why Plauros laughed again. Instead of begging for life miserably, he wounded Embrio''s mind with a final scorn.


    "You know, Embrio, that you can never be a king."


    Those were his last words. Plauros couldn''t talk anymore. With his heart destroyed while he was still alive, he died.


    Embrio took his essence. It could get quite a lot of power, just like the strongest head of a house in the western region.


    ''You cannot be a king.''


    It was a curse. Embrio decided to think so. By ordering a group of wolves to eat Plauros''s body, it dispelled his displeasure.


    The smoke from the battlefield covered the sky. Death, screams and groaning resonated everywhere.


    Leaving all this behind, Embrio stepped forward.


    He was heading for the south, where a great king was born.

 132 Completion of the Door of Space 1

    Yong-ho slowly opened his eyes. Just as he woke up from a pleasant deep sleep, he regained consciousness naturally and calmly.


    First, it was cold. He felt someone''s familiar softness all over his body.


    ''Scathach.''


    Specifically, it was the blue liquid that Scathach used to handle.


    As if he was asleep for quite a while, his eyes hurt, but he couldn''t properly move his arms and legs. After struggling in the blue liquid, he gave up and looked straight ahead. Somebody''s pleasant smile welcomed him.


    "Let me wipe it."


    Scathach, sitting on the ice throne, moved her fingers lightly. Then, some of the blue liquid came up like tentacles and wiped his face.


    Her service didn''t end there. One of the blue liquid tentacles stopped near his mouth and spewed clear, cold water.


    He didn''t feel like drinking it, but it tasted slightly sweet and fresh.


    Resting his chin on her hand, she said, "Don''t worry because this is a clear water I''ve drawn nearby. It wasn''t the blue liquid or your purified urine."


    "Uh¡­ Really?"


    Scathach giggled at his question. He felt nervous because he couldn''t understand why.


    He shook off useless thoughts and looked around. He saw dungeon spirits sitting at regular intervals around Scathach''s throne. Her whole body except her head was covered in blue liquid.


    "Everyone is recovering, except that cheerful skeleton."


    He got confused again at her statement. She gently moved her hand and turned the blue liquid containing him halfway around. At the entrance to her small palace was Skull lying naked with his armor removed.


    "I tried to adjust his posture several times... Maybe he feels the most comfortable in that posture, namely rolling on the floor¡­"


    She was correct.


    He asked her, "Can''t you recover Skull? Are his injuries too severe?"


    "No, his injury itself is not very severe. But he needs a different type of treatment. I treat people here by sharing my vitality. But because Skull is an undead, his body will be broken and destroyed if I share my vitality with him."


    Yong-ho could understand it. Just like in games, casting heal magic to an undead damages their physical health rather than healing it.


    He looked at Skull with a bit of anxiety. He didn''t think of any other way to heal Skull than evolving or advancing him.


    Scathach said again, "Don''t worry too much. I think a special skeleton like Skull can recover naturally. With sufficient mana, he will stand up quickly. Actually, he has recovered quite a bit."


    "What?"


    Then, did Skull have something like a natural recovery function?


    He had never heard about it.


    Scathach tilted her head and asked, "Uh? You didn''t know? Is this the first time Skull has ever been injured?"


    "No, he was injured before¡­"


    Skull was now out of the lineage of the general undead monsters. Maybe he got it while he became a Magic Knight. Since becoming a knight, he was not injured so much. If that was the case, it was reasonable to think that Yong-ho didn''t know his natural recovery function.


    ''But¡­''


    Why? Yong-ho felt somewhat strange about Skull.


    Skull was the type that rolled on the floor as usual, but he felt different about it this time.


    To be precise, there was something different about Skull before and after fighting Baphomet.


    "Skull?"


    When Yong-ho called, Skull replied back immediately, "Skull Skull."


    But he still didn''t stand up.


    Scathach added, "Well, it''s very hard for Skull to stand up now. All the joints of his body were broken. His upper body was restored yesterday... If his recovery goes well, he can stand up tomorrow."


    She was optimistic, but Yong-ho couldn''t be relieved to hear that. The fact that Skull''s upper body had recovered "yesterday" meant that Yong-ho himself was unconscious for at least a day.


    "How many days have passed since I got here?"


    "Three days. About 62 hours, exactly."


    "Really? Three days?"


    "Since you fought Baphomet, you were shocked mentally rather than being damaged physically.


    Besides, you used up all your energies, more than you could. Because of that, I am completely exhausted, as you see."


    Smiling warmly, she let her shoulders droop. Come to think of it, she looked more pale than usual. The reason she didn''t get up from the throne was probably because she was weak.


    Yong-ho instinctively realized it. Scathach''s vitality, which offset Baphomet''s death, was not just power stored in her Godly Energy. Actually, she drew it from herself, just as Yong-ho took his dungeon spirit''s power through Brigada.


    He also understood how he could defeat Baphomet and why Scathach and Gusion asked him to challenge Baphomet.


    Apart from Yong-ho''s suffering, Baphomet''s body was clearly weakened, so much so that it was incomparable to the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon such as Gusion and Scathach.


    Nevertheless, Baphomet was strong. Its power of death was overwhelming.


    Yong-ho could defeat it because he could offset Baphomet''s death with her vitality.


    Otherwise, even if Yong-ho himself managed to overcome its death with the power of greed, he would have been defeated in the end.


    "Is it true that I can use Godly Energy to draw out the power of the 12 Spirits that recognized me?"


    "That''s why it''s called Godly Energy. However, you can''t do it freely, like drawing out the power of your own dungeon spirits because they haven''t fully recognized you. In order to derive their power, you need the corresponding power. I don''t know what method you used, but in this fight you made it, and you stole my power. Because of that, you won, but I was exhausted."


    It seemed that she referred to the mana of greed that Yong-ho amplified by the outburst of his anguish.


    Yong-ho asked again, "Then what is Baphomet''s power?"


    "Same thing. Baphomet can use its power, but not completely. Just like you used my power, it needed to pay the price. You defeated him, but... you are not yet capable enough to control Baphomet''s ''death''."


    After stopping there, she took a big breath. She looked at Yong-ho quietly, with his chin resting on her hand, and continued again softly, "You don''t have to be too impatient. Someday you will get the power of everybody. I can guarantee it for you."


    Strangely enough, Yong-ho felt relieved to hear what she said. He leaned against the blue liquid. After relaxing anew, he looked back at his own spirits, especially Catalina.


    He felt reassured. Scathach laughed at that.


    "Oh my God! Your affection for her is obvious now."


    Yong-ho decided to become impudent at that moment.


    He calmly turned his gaze to her and said, "I heard from Aamon that the third floor belongs to Elune."


    "Right. And given her personality, she is probably fully ready for any attack. In a sense, you might find her tougher than Baphomet. So, I recommend that you challenge the 3rd floor after getting stronger."


    Suddenly, she closed her eyes tightly then snapped her fingers lightly. Then, the blue liquid surrounding him was sucked back to the floor. Like before, the magical power arising from her dressed him back.


    "I''m done healing you, little master. Your spirits need to recover for another half a day, so go up first. I think Lucia has lots of things to report to you."


    It had been as many as three days since he got here. So, he was curious about what was going on on the ground.


    "Thank you, Scathach."


    "You''re my little sister. You can always rely on me."


    With a smile, she waved her hands, and Yong-ho responded quickly then hurried out of her place. At that moment, he immediately heard Lucia''s voice, as if she had been waiting for him. [Master!]


    [Butler Jun and Tigrius, head of the House of Randolt, have something to report to you.]


    Jun, the only female dungeon spirit among Goblin Rangers, had been on the job training as a butler apprentice under Eligos for a while. Since Eligos was absent for the past few days, she probably took over his job.


    Salami, who was rolling around at the entrance to the Garden of Life, recognized Yong-ho and quickly approached. He quickly climbed on Salami''s back and heard Lucia''s report.


    [Jun''s report is about the current status of the dungeon spirits, the number of gold mines, the tax collected from the Free City for this month, and the control of the dungeon of the House of Abigale.]


    Briefing him quickly, she showed him light sentences and a few numbers. It was a much more simplified report than usual.


    Yong-ho understood why Lucia was in a hurry. So, he gave it a quick look and asked for the next report.


    [This is a report from Demon King Tigrius under your command.]


    [The fight between the Western Owners'' Alliance and Embrio is over.]


    [Embrio has won. Embrio seems to be realigning troops.]


    [Tigrius got this intelligence 12 hours ago.]


    After all, Yong-ho was sliding into the inevitable fight.

 133 Completion of the Door of Space 2

    Moreover, he could not take Lucia''s report as "real-time". Perhaps, the fight itself already ended at least 12 hours earlier by now.


    Probably the fighting was over two or three days ago.


    What would be Embrio''s next move, who destroyed the Western Owners'' Alliance?


    Would he advance into the southern region directly or take a brief break?


    [Your subordinate, Demon King Tigrius, has requested materials for fortifying the House of Randolt.]


    [Since he is in a very urgent situation, you might want to help him out as soon as possible.]


    Salami, who noticed that something serious was going on, quickly moved. After arriving at the central hall of the Garden of Life immediately, he climbed the stairs leading to the ground.


    "Lucia, how far is the House of Randolt from the place of the final battle between the Western Owners'' Alliance and Embrio?"


    [Because they fought deep in the west, it would take at least five days based on their average marching speed.]


    If so, Young-ho could feel relaxed even if Embrio already started his forces.


    And there was little possibility that Embrio started his forces right after defeating the Western Owners'' Alliance.


    As expected, Tigrius was a very careful guy. Lucia showed Yong-ho not only the news about Embrio''s victory but also the paragraphs from the report that Tigrius filed separately.


    It was about the progress in their fight, the size of the troops mobilized by both sides, and the movement of Embrio''s forces located elsewhere.


    Embrio could not immediately move his forces. He needed to realign after the battle. He had to have them take a rest even for a day.


    If that was the case, Yong-ho had some time to prepare for his advance. Even if Embrio decided to advance to the southern region as quickly as possible, it would take at least three days for them to reach Yong-ho''s place.


    Salami ran down the hallway of the House of Mammon.


    The dungeon spirits, who welcomed back Yong-ho after a few days, showed their respect to him, but he could not afford to return their greetings.


    Kicking the door of the Demon King, Yong-ho ordered.


    "Tell Burgrim to prepare the weapon for Skull. Tell Tigrius that I will supply him with the necessary materials. Tell Oros to have his men stand by, so they can move anytime. Ophelia and her forces will understand what I mean."


    [Are you going to head straight to the House of Randolt after stopping by the Dungeon Market?]


    Yong-ho got off Salami''s back. When Yuria, who was cleaning the Demon King''s room with Baduk, nodded to say hello, he raised his hand lightly and sat down on the throne.


    "No, I''m going to leave after one or two days'' break."


    [Okay.]


    [I will convey your message to Burgrim, Tigrius, and Oros.]


    Lucia''s sincere voice was fading from his ears.


    After taking a breath, he closed his eyes.


    Then he accessed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.


    ***


    The virtual space of the Dungeon Market was a huge network created by magic.


    The head of each house could enjoy virtual services by accessing the network through clients provided by the Dungeon Merchant.


    Yong-ho slowly opened his eyes. Since everything that he saw, heard, and touched in a virtual space was transmitted directly through consciousness, not through his five senses, it was not necessary to have a human body, but all the heads of houses, including Yong-ho, possessed the same physical body in the virtual space as they did in the real world. The virtual space was kind of a device to not only protect self-consciousness within a huge mass of mental magic called a virtual space, but it also reduced the sense of incongruity that one felt instinctively.


    Yong-ho was now familiar with it, for he accessed it so many times.


    However, he felt a sense of incongruity instead of feeling familiar this time.


    When he opened his eyes, it was not a white space that filled my vision.


    There was light through the darkness. The piles of light connected in a series of dots like an archipelago located in the great sea had different shapes.


    Funny enough, the current situation itself was quite familiar to him, for it was similar to the scene he saw when he peeked through the memories of Kaiwan, Mammon, and Scathach through mana.


    But why did he suddenly see these things? Did something happen while he was accessing the virtual space? Was that the reason why he regenerated the memory from Mammon embedded in himself or the mana of the 12 Spirits?


    Yong-ho stepped forward. Then one of the piles of lights came to his nose.


    He heard no sound. He focused on those who stood among the lights.


    Gusion was bleeding. He cried out, sitting on the floor, with his body covered with scars.


    Scathach was breathing life into him.


    Yong-ho couldn''t grasp the situation. He didn''t have any clue just like Scathach''s memory that he saw in the Garden of Life. Only Gusion and Scathach were in the dark.


    Scathach was also crying. Yong-ho was really shocked to see her crying with a messy face like a child because she always smiled cheerfully.


    Yong-ho gulped before he knew it. He realized that Gusion''s tearful gaze was directed at a certain place.


    Yong-ho moved on then Gusion and Scathach faded from him. A new pile of light came to him.


    It was Sitri. She wasn''t as calm and elegant as she had been. She cried sadly.


    She, who squatted on the floor, was holding Elune covered with blood.


    Yong-ho could not comprehend the scene. He couldn''t even tell whose memory it was now.


    Elune opened her lips with an effort. Sitri bowed hastily, and Elune slowly moved her lips.


    Yong-ho didn''t know what Elune was talking about since her voice was hardly audible, but Yong-ho instinctively felt that it was Elune''s last.


    Sitri nodded several times. Elune smiled gently at her. She tried to touch Sitri''s cheeks with her bloody hands but couldn''t. Her arms soon drooped again and stopped moving.


    It was a deep silence. Sitri touched Elune''s cheeks with her trembling hands. She hugged Elune''s body that started to get cold and kissed her forehead several times.


    Her tears didn''t stop. Weeping silently, Sitri held Elune''s head in her arms then looked into the sky. She was looking at something in the air.


    Yong-ho stepped forward again. Instead of the red sky of the demon world, he encountered a new pile of light this time.


    The moment he saw the back of someone he knew, he lost memory. Darkness swallowed everything up.


    "It''s all my fault."


    Yong-ho heard a voice. The moment a ray of light drove away the pitch-black darkness, it turned into pure white as if to turn a page of a book. The virtual space of the Dungeon Market returned to its original place.


    Yong-ho turned around. Sitri was blankly standing in the direction where the voice came from.


    Yong-ho saw her sad eyes. Recalling her a moment ago, Yong-ho felt like tears were about to flow down her cheeks at any moment.


    But Sitri didn''t cry. She even erased her grim smile and laughed cheerfully. She pointed to Yong-ho''s left arm with her eyes.


    "I see. You''ve started to create Godly Energy. I wish I had anticipated it, but it''s faster than I expected¡­ It''s really my fault."


    A white chair rose behind Yong-ho and Sitri''s backs. Sitri asked him to take a seat.


    "As you can guess, what you saw a moment ago is my memory. The mana of the 12 Spirits embedded in your lovely magic field and that person¡­ Whether the mana of the King of Greed came by coincidence or necessity, it stimulated the storehouse of memories I made. I wonder if I have to call it a kind of harmonized phenomenon."


    Yong-ho opened his lips, but he couldn''t say anything. He had lots of things to ask, such as what the memories he had seen were, why Elune died in Sitri''s arms, and what happened the day Mammon died.


    But Yong-ho stopped himself from asking. Properly speaking, he couldn''t because the moment he made eye contact with Sitri, he realized that she would not answer all his questions.

 134 Completion of the Door of Space 3

    Sitri lifted her hands lightly with her palms up.


    "This is my private space. You would not have seen all those things in my memory in a normal virtual space. Otherwise, I would have prepared something in advance. That''s my fault, though. You haven''t done anything wrong. I don''t have any intention to get upset because you peeked into my memory."


    When she finished speaking, she let her shoulders droop. She said a little jokingly, "Well, I can''t deny anymore that I''m also an exclusive dealer for the House of Mammon."


    She stuck out her tongue at the end of her words, tilting her head. Normally, he could hardly see her acting charmingly like that.


    Sitri was beautiful. Her acting charmingly for the first time fascinated him.


    However, he couldn''t erase her weeping face from his mind. He seemed to discern her feelings hidden in her charming behavior.


    "Well, shall we get back to our business?"


    Sitri approached him with a chair. The distance between them was wide enough to have a small table between them.


    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After forcibly emptying his mind, he faced Sitri again.


    "I would like to buy something."


    Then he quickly moved his fingers. Then, a document composed of letters of light was created before her eyes. It was about the last installment of materials needed to fortify the House of Randolt.


    Sitri nodded. Then she moved her fingers and presented a bill for the materials to Yong-ho.


    It almost matched the cost Tigrius specified in the report.


    They stroke the deal by signing in the air. Since he already spent all of the remaining budget for the fortification, he could not purchase anything else unless Oros arranged the financial support from the House of Abigail.


    It was time to leave. But Yong-ho could not stand up because Sitri, who already got close enough to touch his knees, quietly grabbed Yong-ho''s hand.


    "You are very urgent, dear client!"


    Yong-ho did not hide. It wasn''t because he peeked into her memory that he couldn''t focus on her surprisingly soft touch.


    "Embrio defeated the Western Owners'' Alliance. Most probably, they will be marching to the south."


    Embrio''s forces were different from previous enemies.


    He could not be compared with not only Foras and Jungceros but also Agares and Tigrius.


    Sitri looked into Yong-ho''s eyes and tilted her head.


    "So?"


    Yong-ho was embarrassed. Sitri grabbed his hand a little harder. She asked, facing close to him, "What are you afraid of?"


    It was Yong-ho who boldly challenged Baphomet, one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    Then, could Yong-ho unusually be scared of Embrio just because he was a powerful demon king who occupied both the north and west?


    The reason that Yong-ho felt more nervous now was not because he was afraid of Embrio.


    What Yong-ho felt nervous about was the difference between his fight against the floor masters in the arena as well as 12 Spirits and his upcoming fight against Embrio. He had also fought the powerful Agares. What made him feel uneasy?


    Sitri discovered that Yong-ho himself didn''t know exactly why he was uneasy.


    That was why she let go of his hand and caressed the back of his hand gently.


    "Well, it''s me who wants to be comforted now. Still, since you are my deal client, let me tell you something."


    Looking straight into his eyes, Sitri withdrew her hand and asked, "My dear customer. What does the House of Mammon mean to you?"


    Obviously she was not asking him about the long history or tradition of the House of Mammon.


    She didn''t mean that he should take pride in being the descendant of that great King of Greed.


    What did the House of Mammon mean to Yong-ho?


    He blinked. In no time, he gave a hollow smile, for he understood why he was more scared about fighting Embrio than Baphomet.


    The House of Mammon was not a place that he was taken to forcibly.


    It was a precious house.


    It was a place that he lived with not only Catalina and Eligos but many dungeon spirits.


    But Embrio was different from Baphomet or the floor masters. He could destroy not only himself but also all of the Mammon House.


    "It''s okay since the King of Greed has been greedy for ages. It''s natural that you want to take them all because Mammon himself was also a very greedy person."


    Sitri laughed brightly. Just like she did to Elune, he kissed Yong-ho''s forehead.


    "Let me stop here. I look forward to seeing you again next time."


    She stepped back. As soon as she moved her hand playfully, pure white swept over his mind.


    ***


    Yong-ho opened his eyes. The Demon King''s room was quiet since Yuria and Baduk left after cleaning the room.


    He took a big breath. He moved his fingers and opened the reports Lucia submitted into the air again


    He read them all but paid attention to one paragraph.


    He saw it, but he deliberately put it off.


    The door of space was completed at a time when his fight with Emrbio was around the corner. Yong-ho smiled. He reached out and removed the report. It wasn''t because he didn''t want to go back to his home country. He wanted to see his father and his friends. He wanted to eat chicken or coke but not now.


    He already decided on something when he resumed the construction of the door of the space.


    Back then, he vowed that he would go back to his home country only after defending the House of Mammon, his house, by defeating Embrio.


    "Lucia."


    [Yes, Master.]


    "Tell Scathach to speed up healing my dungeon spirits. There is something I have to finish today."


    He made up his mind.


    So, instead of stopping and turning around, he just had to go straight ahead.


    He stood up from the throne. Then he headed to Burgrim''s workroom to pick up the weapons to give to Skull in person.


    ***


    Gusion was different from him in Sitri''s memory.


    Encountering Yong-ho, Gusion burst into a hearty laughter.


    "Scathach was right. It''s really my first time seeing a head of a house like my little master. I''ve defended the arena for over a thousand years... But this is my first time in my whole life."


    The former heads of the House of Mammon sitting in the stand were also confused.


    Kaiwan, standing next to Gusion, did not hide her embarrassment. She laughed awkwardly as if he was dumbfounded and asked Yong-ho, pointing with her chin, "Are you really okay?"


    "Well, no problem."


    Replying immediately, he did not look back. Behind his back were not only Catalina but also the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon, standing.


    Nobody among the previous heads of the House of Mammon who had visited the arena brought all of them there with him.


    Why? There were several reasons.


    For example, it was dangerous for anybody, who was not the house head, to challenge in the arena. Or it was because those dungeon spirits, who inherited the legacy of the House of Mammon, might become stronger than its head. Or it was because the house head didn''t want to share the opportunity called the arena with them, even if they were dungeon spirits, Or it was because the house head was afraid of an increase in those who knew the secret.


    There was only one thing that really bothered Yong-ho.


    It was none other than the danger of the arena.


    But if he could share the power with them through Brigada, or if the dungeon spirits could refrain themselves from challenging the floors under the command of Yong-ho, he could reduce the danger of the arena drastically.


    ''When you go out to the arena, it''s only after all of you get advancement.''


    Yong-ho wasn''t going to be content with just keeping it.


    He was determined to have Embrio dare not to covet the House of Mammon, let alone the north and the east.


    Now the fight against Embrio was just around the corner, Yong-ho didn''t have enough time.


    But Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits were determined to stop and defeat Embrio''s forces.


    Each of the dungeon spirits moved forward and embarked on the challenge one by one.

 135 Sword of the House of Mammon 1

    It had already been a few months since Embrio, the Demon King of Wolves, mobilized his forces in the north.


    Embrio fought constantly throughout that period.


    As a result, he unified the northern region and destroyed the western region.


    The outcomes of the wars were different. Although they were invaded by Embrio''s forces, the results were different in each region.


    Most of the dungeons in the north survived. Not all the heads of houses there were annihilated. Many of them survived by going under his command.


    On the other hand, the western region was thoroughly destroyed. To put more pressure on the Western Owners'' Alliance, Embrio destroyed the heart of the dungeons that he already attacked.


    The destruction of the dungeon meant the collapse of their livelihood. Moreover, Embrio erased not only the dungeons but also the ''estates'' of the heads of houses from the map.


    Only ruins remained in the western region. Most of the heads of houses there were killed.


    Residents there, who lost their houses, had no choice but to become refugees or bandits to survive.


    Embrio accepted most of those refugees to use them as human shields in the next war.


    On the day the Western Owners'' Alliance collapsed, the last dungeon in the west, the House of Bern, fell.


    After greedily swallowing the heart of the dungeon, Embrio mobilized his forces into the only city left in the western region.


    The battle, which left total ruins behind, had a bad effect on Embrio''s forces as well. Their fatigue was different from it when they unified the northern part.


    But Embrio didn''t want a pause in the attack. Although he occupied the western region right after destroying the northern area, he became impatient and greedy.


    The situation drove him into a corner. The turbulence that Embrio himself created by starting the war was no longer playing its role. The eastern and southern regions were virtually unified under different flags. Instead of fighting each other like those in the northern region, the heads of houses united as one like the Western Owners'' Alliance to block Embrio himself.


    Of course, Embrio could stop advancing any more and go back. If he led his troops back to the north, those in the east and the south would not dare to make the mistake of raising up an army to challenge him first.


    However, Embrio could not take over the southern area if he gave up now. It was also against his own ambition, and the King of Gluttony would not allow it.


    The timing could not be better if he decided to attack the southern area.


    The confrontation between the King of Pride and the King of Envy, which was intensifying in the northern part of the demon world, diverted the kings'' attention from the south to the north.


    Even the King of Gluttony, who was the strongest supporter and enemy of Embrio, was no exception.


    It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Embrio to unify the southern region for the first time since the great King of Greed, Mammon.


    ''The problem is the eastern part.''


    It was the eastern part where there were the most heads of houses. But only two of them shared the power of all others there, and Embrio could not ignore their power.


    Embrio wondered why they didn''t attack the northern region while he was fighting the Western Owners'' Alliance?


    The reply to his question was simple. They were waiting for the Western Owners'' Alliance to fall into Embrio''s hands.


    Then what would they do next?


    ''If I attack the southern region, they will immediately advance to the north,'' Embrio thought.


    Obviously they read each other''s intentions too well.


    It was highly likely that the heads of houses in the eastern part struck a deal with those in the southern region.


    In other words, those in the south would be an anvil for their counterparts in the east, while those in the east would be a hammer for their counterparts in the south.


    Embrio smiled lightly. If that was the case, he would carry out what they wanted.


    ''Let me attack the southern region.''


    He was going to attack it as fast and as strong as possible. While the forces he left in the north were blocking their counterparts in the east, he would lead his army to destroy the southern area. After occupying the south, he would advance straight into the east to smash them.


    It would have been difficult for him to make the same decision as this if he had to wage a war in the human world, not the demon world.


    Why? It was because of the problem of military supplies.


    The western area, which had been thoroughly destroyed, could not serve as a supply base properly. If Embrio penetrated into the southern area to attack the eastern part, it was evident that the supplies route would be unusually long.


    It was too unstable to make up for the supplies by plundering in the enemy''s area.


    No matter how well the soldiers fought, they couldn''t fight without eating.


    However, they could solve this problem in the demon world.


    The solution was to keep the dungeons in the south instead of destroying them as they did in the western region.


    This didn''t mean that they would solve the problem of supplies by consuming the food in the dungeons under their control.


    They were going to use the Dungeon Market.


    By using the newly acquired Dungeon Market as a transport destination, they were going to purchase grains from the Dungeon Market.


    In addition to grains, they could supply not only military equipment but also dungeon spirits as much as they wanted, if they had the funds.


    As everyone in the demon world admitted, the Dungeon Market''s delivery was fast and accurate. Moreover, even six kings could do nothing about the Dungeon Market. The heads of houses in the southern or eastern area could not obstruct Embrion''s deal with the Dungeon Market.


    Embrio had enough money. The number of goods he collected in the process of destroying the dungeons and cities in the west was truly enormous.


    He realigned his focus in the last city of the western region. Then he ordered Bizarro to move his troops to the south as the advance party, who a former house head was now serving as his trusted general.


    Embrio''s forces began to move.


    Finally, his army launched an attack on the south.


    ***


    As expected, Bizarro''s advance party used the crossroads where the House of Randolt was located as the attack route. Since Embrio planned to take the dungeons in the southern region under his command, Bizarro''s decision was a natural choice.


    Bizarro, the Demon King of Rain, was a practical man. He knew how to use those refugees from the western region as human shields in the war.


    There was no plausible declaration of war or a magnificent speech to raise the morale of his forces.


    Bizarro advanced his troops into the dungeon of the House of Randolt.


    A cruel battle began.


    Screams and howls filled the dungeon.


    Since dozens, rather hundreds of lighting fixtures cleared the darkness in the dungeon, the unfolding scene was harrowing all the more. Nothing could hide the tragic casualties everywhere.


    However, the dungeon of the House of Randolt, which had been thoroughly fortified recently, embarrassed Bizarro''s forces. A typical dungeon would have been already occupied, but a series of defense zones of the dungeon delayed their advance.


    The poison that arose from the floor melted the flesh of the advance party. The numerous javelins shooting from the corridors turned the forcibly mobilized ''arrow shields'' into something like hedgehogs.


    Goblins and Kobolds, pushed to the forefront as ''arrow shields'', cried out in fear, but they had nowhere to run away amid the arrows raining down on their heads. The Lizardmen, the backbone of Bizarro''s forces, didn''t hesitate to behead the runaways.


    Bizarro used the reckless method of destroying all the traps of the dungeon by using these ''arrow shields.'' Funny enough, however, this method worked quite well.


    The durability of the traps wasn''t supposed to last forever. Bizarro''s forces blocked the holes where the odor of the piled-up corpses was leaking out, and the javelins flying from the wall did not harm Bizarro''s forces, who used the bodies of the killed goblins and kobolds as shields. Luckily for Bizarro, all the available javelins in the dungeon ran out.


    To make matters worse, the flames of the traps operated by mana had the same limits. Each time they shot the flames, poor kobolds and goblins were burned in droves, but the number of their shots was limited.


    The mana of the dungeon was not unlimited.


    Bizarro sacrificed nearly three hundred goblins and kobolds in breaking through the traps in the dungeon. As a result, he succeeded in neutralizing most of the traps.


    Bizarro, the commander of the raid, did not even enter the dungeon of the House of Randolt. Positioning himself outside the dungeon along with his own men, Bizarro compiled the real-time information about the fighting results and drew a dungeon map of the House of Randolt.


    It was literally a messy dungeon. The shape of a dungeon differed according to its master, but its width and depth were usually the same.


    As an experienced head of a house, Bizarro could find out the size of the dungeon on the House of Randolt almost accurately. That was why he swore at its previous owner, astonished by the dungeon.


    The House of Randolt made more than 70% of its entire area as a defense area. Except for the dungeon spirits'' living space for food, clothing, and shelter, there were virtually no other facilities.


    But it was almost over now. Although he sacrificed three hundred out of the seven hundred soldiers he led, he could neutralize almost all of the dungeon traps. The only thing left now was the gathering ground, the final defense zone of the dungeon.


    Bizarro was sure of victory. So, he looked at the dungeon map comfortably.


    He waited for the victory news from his men inside the dungeon.

 136 Sword of the House of Mammon 2

    "Crazy bastard!"


    Tigrius cursed, which was something uncharacteristic of him.


    After observing the entire dungeon through the soul of the dungeon, he could not help but curse.


    Just as Bizarro was embarrassed by the fortification of the House of Randolt, Tigrius was dumbfounded by Bizarro''s tactics.


    Bizarro''s way of attacking was far from reasonable. How could he dare to sacrifice hundreds of his own forces to destroy the dungeon traps? But he did.


    And his method paid off. At first glance, it was the least effective and the most reckless, but the final results were completely different.


    Most of those that were killed were goblins and kobolds that didn''t play any other role than being ''arrow shields.'' Although they numbered about three hundred, Bizarro could protect his main forces from the attack with little damage. Moreover, it had to be taken into account that the purpose of the traps wasn''t only to kill the enemy but also to "delay" them.


    If Bizarro''s forces had attempted to break through the traps in a normal way, they would have had to spend much more time and energy than now.


    The only hindrance that he had to break through was the gathering place. Although Rikum and the dungeon spirits were defending the final line of defense, they were outnumbered by Bizarro''s forces.


    Despite the sacrifice of nearly three hundred troops, Bizarro''s forces still numbered over four hundred. Moreover, he had nearly a hundred troops standing by outside the dungeon.


    In other words, Bizarro was a very meticulous guy. Therefore, it was impossible to ambush the commander of the enemy by using the secret passage of the dungeon.


    But Tigrius didn''t give up.


    He went back to the secret passage by using Blink. He gave up the option of destroying each of the enemy forces in the dungeon while Rikum and the dungeon spirits were playing the role of anvils at the gathering place. As things stood now, the gathering place was in danger of being taken over even before he destroyed them in the dungeon.


    "Poison in the right hand, Gust in the left hand."


    He cast a spell while running. Pushing through the door of the secret passage, he put his hands together. Then he blew out the poisonous wind forward.


    A green wind with a tremendous amount of poison swept the Lizardmen attacking the gathering ground. In an instant, more than a dozen Lizardmen fell, bleeding.


    "Tigrius!"


    Rikum came running to him, shouting. As if he was engaged in a fierce battle, he opened the way with a battle-ax stained with the blood and flesh of Lizardmen.


    The situation of the dungeon was worse than Tigrius expected. All of the traps installed in the gathering area were neutralized. The defensive positions were also almost completely destroyed amid the fierce battle between them.


    "Come this way! I have to make space!"


    Extreme fortification of the House of Randolt simplified the rest of the space.


    What was located next to the gathering place was the heart of the dungeon.


    Tigrius smashed the head of a Lizardman attacking him with his cane. At the same time, he ran toward Rikum and prepared a new spell.


    There weren''t many spells available in a closed space where intense fighting was taking place at the moment. If he decided to use one, Tigrius had to be prepared to sacrifice friendly forces just like Bizarro did.


    "Firewall in the right hand, Gust in the left hand."


    He wanted to sweep away the inside of the gathering area with the gust of flames, which would bring big damages to the friendly forces, but he had no other choice now.


    Rikum groaned. A Lizardman''s long spear pierced his shoulder. The Orc, who was fighting right next to him, was wrapped in a steel net thrown by the Lizardman. It was helplessly dragged along in an instant, and it turned into a piece of minced meat in no time.


    At that moment, Tigrius didn''t hesitate anymore. He gathered magic in both hands.


    "Combination magic! Fire Storm!"


    A huge wave of flames covered the inside of the gathering area. It engulfed not only the enemy but also the friendly force.


    But it was weird. The color of the flames was not red. Moreover, it wasn''t even hot.


    The dungeon spirits of the House of Randolt engulfed in flames screamed and struggled instinctively before stopping soon. Although the green flames engulfed them, they were not injured. On the other hand, the Lizardmen that were caught in the same flames were dying.


    Tigrius looked at both of his hands in embarrassment. Fire Storm was still in his hand.


    Some of the flying flames didn''t flare up, swallowed up by the green flames.


    At that moment, Rikum shouted. All the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon shouted in joy. As if they were crazy, they quickly jumped into the green flames and roared!


    "The Demon King of Flames!"


    "Master!"


    The green flame faded. And this time, the blade of black mana swept everywhere. Starting from the entrance of the gathering site, it ruthlessly hacked those Lizardmen that barely survived the green flames.


    The dungeon spirits of the House of Randolt could see now.


    Tigrius rejoiced to see his master who finally arrived at the scene.


    "Master!"


    "You''ve kept the defense line very well until now, Tigrius," Yong-ho said with a smile.


    There were so many Lizardmen in the gathering place that there were still lots of them who survived despite the waves of flames and the whirls of black blades, but Yong-ho didn''t care at all.


    Yong-ho wasn''t even standing with reinforcements. Next to him was only one escort knight, who always accompanied him.


    But the Lizardmen didn''t dare to attack him. Although ogres were ignorant, they instinctively knew who was superior, so they stepped back, screaming.


    The battle didn''t become more intense. Regardless of friendly forces or enemy, they didn''t dare to fight.


    Tigrius released the mana he concentrated in both hands and thought for a moment.


    Yong-ho was a different man this time.


    He was not the kind of man that Tigrius had fought before.


    What the hell happened during this short period? Moreover, it was not only Yong-ho alone that changed.


    Tigrius, a demon king and wizard, did not miss the fact that it was Catalina who wielded the blade of black mana.


    That mana was much stronger than he imagined. Although he could not figure it out because mana was released instantly, he felt it seemed to be the same as his. Moreover, I felt some specialness embedded in mana, which he could not explain properly.


    Tigrius shook his head. Now was not the time for him to think about stuff like this.


    There were still many enemies. Outside the dungeon was Bizarro standing by with his elite forces.


    But Tigrius blinked at that moment because he felt something very strange.


    How could Yong-ho appear here? Every passage of the dungeon was filled with enemies, and outside the dungeon, Bizarro was standing by with his elite forces.


    Tigrius looked at Yong-ho. Instead of explaining to him, Yong-ho laughed heartily.


    Realizing something, Tigrius swallowed. He urgently called the soul of the dungeon and ordered it to explain what the Dungeon Meerkats saw.


    Tigrius shuddered, astonished.


    Only four men were destroying Bizarro''s army numbering one hundred.


    ***


    Demon King of Rain Bizarro couldn''t understand the current situation.


    Only a dozen minutes ago, he was waiting for the good news about victory while sitting in the shade.


    However, something unknown poured down from the sky with a terrifying force.


    There was a lot of dirt, and when it settled, the only thing he could see was the bodies of five or six mangled Lizardmen.


    When he was distracted by that, there were a couple of explosions in the left and right of the one hundred elite soldiers standing in a row. It was a terrific explosion.


    On the right, thunder and lightning stroke, and on the left, there occurred something very strange, such as Lizardmen soaring into the sky in groups as if they were going against gravity.


    It was a pitch-black knight on a black horse that seemed to be wielding the weapon of lightning. And it was a huge red monster with black horns that threw the Lizardmen into the sky as if it were a storm.


    Bizarro couldn''t issue any order to his elite forces. He couldn''t open his mouth because he was so embarrassed by the sudden situation.


    And his embarrassing inaction could not be blamed. Even if he had issued any order at that moment, the situation would not have changed.


    The last Lizardman that fought to the end without fleeing was thrown into the air. The red-skinned muscular giant, rather a beast who threw the Lizardman weighing more than 200 kg with a single punch, approached Bizarro, letting out a breath reminiscent of purgatory smoke.


    Turning white, Bizarro shuddered. Although he kept thinking he had to run away, he couldn''t move even a finger. As if his tendon was cut off, Bizarro''s arms were drooping without moving. And his legs were bent at a bizarre angle and could not function properly.


    It was one of the four that smashed Bizarro''s elite forces.


    Wrapped in black mana that fluttered like flames, it stood alone and looked down at Bizarro, who fell on the floor. The beautifully raised buttocks and narrow waistline obviously showed it was a beautiful woman, but its face was far from a woman. More specifically speaking, it had no face at all. There was something that looked like eyes, but they were nothing more than something like a metallic mask.


    All black, it was literally a weapon. With the black mana arising from its whole body, it not only cut Lizardmen but also Bizarro''s both arms.


    Bizarro caught his breath. Even though his whole body was covered with wounds, he still had power. If he could release the power that empowered him as the name, "the Demon King of Rain", he could escape, rather struggle desperately.


    "Don''t think of anything."


    The person that smashed Bizarro''s legs burst into laughter.


    It was exactly two, not four, who defeated one hundred Lizardmen. While a black knight on a black horse and a huge red monster smashed the Lizardmen, Bizarro could not help them out because his feet were bound by two women. He had to confront them who were equal or superior to him in fighting.


    One of them, a Red Demon woman, trampled his thigh hard. He struggled again in terrible pain, and the Red Demon, Ophelia, pressed down his shoulder with both arms.


    Licking her lower lip, she said, "This is your last moment, so I hope you can enjoy it enough."


    This time, again, something that Bizarro could not understand happened.


    With her eyes half-closed, Ophelia kissed Bizarro. He felt it was soft and sweet, but at the same time, he got goosebumps.


    He lost consciousness, though very briefly. But he immediately felt that the moment he faced Ophelia, who breathed out seductively after kissing with her lower lip, he let her read his mind.


    But there was no time for him to worry about it. A huge shadow came over him. Covering not only him but also Ophelia on top of him, it roared like a beast. It was displaying a clear hostility toward him.


    With a smile, Ophelia stepped back.


    A giant, red beast, Eligos, who turned into a beast, clenched his two fists reminiscent of a giant hammer.


    Bizarro could no longer remember what happened after that.

 137 Sword of the House of Mammon 3

    "Brother Eli''s jealousy was far stronger than I thought¡­"


    As if she felt shy, Ophelia covered her face with her hand, blurring her words.


    And Eligos, who stood next to her, shook his head, pressing on his temple as if his head was pounding and said, "I can''t remember."


    However, given that his red skin was getting redder, Eligos seemed to admit it.


    As if he understood, Yong-ho patted Eligos on the shoulder and looked down at Bizarro''s mangled body. Although he had the fourth recently, he had four horns, but he met his last moment very tragically.


    Yong-ho lightly joined his hands together and prayed for his rest in peace then took his essence. The larger the difference between one''s mana and the other''s, the worse its efficiency, so he couldn''t take much from Bizarro. Nonetheless, Yong-ho felt a bit of thrill.


    "Whew!"


    Yong-ho looked back at the smashed Lizardmen soldiers and admired the great achievement that only four, rather two, made in the fight.


    Promoted as Red Demon Tyrant, Eligos acquired a new ability called "Beast," as Yong-ho expected.


    His new title exactly reflected his new ability. As soon as he empowered himself, Eligos turned into a beast. At first glance, he looked like a gorilla.


    Both arms, tightly fused with muscles, looked like iron pillars, and his fists were reminiscent of the weight of heavy equipment for destroying buildings. White hairs with gray color grew out of not only his head but also chest, arms, thighs, and other areas where hair could grow, making him look like a real beast.


    Eligos, in his beastly shape, was truly the monster of the House of Mammon. Aside from his images as a monster, Eligos''s endless strength was impressive, as evidenced in the House of Mammon and the House of Randolt.


    Yong-ho himself and Catalina got on Salami. Skull rode on Bucephalas. And Ophelia got on the back of Eligos, who turned into a beast.


    Although they took a few breaks in the middle, they smashed the Lizardmen, feeling no fatigue after traveling such a long distance.


    Skull was promoted from Magic Knight to Eldrich Knight.


    In fact, Skull made the most surprising achievement in this battle.


    When Yong-ho evolved Skull last time, he was not sure when he could promote Skull.


    But this time, he could see it. Moreover, Skull''s ability to evolve also increased. Even his level changed.


    Obviously, Skull changed before and after fighting Baphomet. Although Skull could not discover what changed as it was getting around casually as usual, Yong-ho doubted one possibility.


    ''Perhaps¡­''


    Did Skull feel something from death? Perhaps, Skull recovered some of its former self before becoming the undead.


    Skull could not wear the armor that Burgrim had made because of the different dimensions. Therefore, the armor protected only part of its arms and legs, chest, and back. Fortunately, the helmet could be used as it was.


    What Skull chose as the replacement of the broken battle hammer was a relatively short new battle hammer and a huge claymore. Both were magical weapons that Burgrim had used before.


    Ophelia kept smiling at Eligos as if she liked his shyness. Promoted to the Red Demon Breaker, she also gained beast skills like Eligos. However, her beast skills were different from Eligos''s. It was true that she became more militant, but there was something elegant about her, reminiscent of a feline beast. Her appearance didn''t change that much, either.


    Gusion said the reason for this difference was that the two had different temperaments in the first place, but it was mainly because they were affected by Yong-ho''s preferences, just like their appearances after evolution was influenced by Yong-ho''s thinking.


    Finally, Catalina was promoted from Shadow Runner to Shadow Mystress.


    As the owner of the shadow, she could create her own alter ego with black mana. One of the four who smashed Bizarro''s army was none other than her alter ego.


    The only drawback was that her alter ego would disappear naturally if it was too far away from Catalina and that if Catalina did not directly manipulate it, its behavior pattern would be too simplified. But she could deal with it without any problem.


    It was when Catalina and her alter ego fought together in the same place when her alter ego could unleash its power fully.


    Currently, Catalina had limited ability to control her alter ego, so her alter ego only imitated Catalina, but even that was powerful because there was plenty of room for its application, such as delayed attacking or simultaneous attacks from various angles.


    After dissembling her shadow alter ego, she patted her ears lightly. It seemed that she felt quite a sense of accomplishment in this battle.


    Yong-ho laughed bitterly again.


    ''Sorry.''


    Originally, Catalina used to move her ears more actively, compared to other elves, but it was thanks to Yong-ho''s evolution that she advanced as far as here. In other words, his subconscious wishes that he wanted to see more of her cute ears made him evolve her skills.


    But Yong-ho kept mum about it according to Gusion''s advice and looked at her tail. It certainly seemed to be moving more briskly than it did before her advancement.


    ''Well, she had lots of other improvements anyway.''


    For example, her figure was one of them. Of course, since it reflected Yong-ho''s tastes, it was questionable whether Catalina would like her own figure.


    After completely absorbing Bizarro''s essence, Yong-ho faced Ophelia again.


    While teasing Eligos until now, she got serious again and said, "I read Bizarro''s mind and got some information. Bizarro was the chief of the advance party that attacked the House of Randolt. Currently, Embrio himself is leading his main forces to the southern area. It seems that Embrio is planning to attack the east after penetrating through the south at once. And¡­"


    "And?"


    "It seems that Embrio thought he would easily take over the House of Randolt with Bizarro as the head of the advance party."


    "It looks like the House of Randolt is a piece of cake to him."


    Yong-ho laughed bitterly, but he understood. Bizarro led as many as seven hundred soldiers.


    If Yong-ho himself had not come to help out Tigrius, or if he had arrived a little late, the House of Randolt would have been captured in the end.


    "How many are Embrio''s main forces?"


    At that question, Ophelia narrowed her brow slightly.


    She hesitated for a moment and said, "Around 4,000, I guess. There are about a thousand elite soldiers who have followed Embrio from the north."


    Yong-ho closed his eyes tightly. He understood why Embrio underestimated the southern region. Currently, the number of troops the House of Mammon could mobilize was one thousand at most, even if all the troops of the Free City join them.


    But the gap between the troops was not big enough for Yong-ho not to overcome.


    Although he was ridiculously inferior to Embrio in the number of troops, he had confidence that he would never be outpowered by Embrio in terms of the quality and competence of his men.


    The war in the demon world was different from the ones in the human world in many ways, which Yong-ho discovered in history.


    It was because there existed the owners of transcendent combat power.


    ''The number of Embrio''s horns is at least five.''


    Embrio devoured not only almost all the heads of houses in the west but also those in the north. Having eaten them all, he would have at least five horns, given his enormous absorption of their essence.


    Yong-ho stopped thinking about it anymore. He looked back at Tigrius, who couldn''t help but admire the dungeon spirits that were so different from what he had seen last time.


    "Troops of the Free City and Skull Squad led by Oros are coming from the rear. So, let''s get rid of the enemy''s bodies piled up in the dungeon and realign our forces."


    "Got it, Master." Tigrius nodded.


    However, he couldn''t completely hide the anguish around his eyes. Although the defense of the House of Randolt was remarkably strengthened with complete fortification, it was trampled by only 700 soldiers led by Bizarro.


    Given that Embrio''s main troops numbered 4,000, he wondered how Yong-ho and his reinforcements could stop them.


    Yong-ho also understood Tigrius'' concerns. However, he did not want to give up before fighting. Tigrius felt the same way, too.


    "Tigrius, I have one suggestion. I hope you think it over well before replying. I won''t mind if you refuse to answer."


    Yong-ho spoke, and this time, Tigrius read his mind.


    "I want you to be the dungeon spirit of the House of Mammon this time."


    His suggestion was what Tigrius expected.


    It was largely for two reasons that Yong-ho did not make Tigrius a dungeon spirit until now.


    First, in order to effectively proceed with the fortification of the House of Randolt, it was necessary to have someone like him who could order the souls of the dungeon in the field.


    Second, Yong-ho himself could not afford to make Tigrius a dungeon spirit back then.


    Now, he solved both problems. And now he needed one more powerful dungeon spirit rather than the demon king under his command


    Yong-ho''s suggestion was that Tigrius should give up the status of the demon king.


    Since he played the role of the head of the House of Randolt, he would not lose his power, but the weakening of his power was inevitable.


    He had to give up the house now.


    Tigrius slowly closed his eyes. It was something he was prepared for when he was defeated in the battle. Moreover, he was interested in becoming a dungeon spirit of the House of Mammon. How strong could he be? Where would the "power of evolution" that he heard from Ophelia lead him?


    "Let me accept your command, Master."


    To his own surprise, Tigrius responded cheerfully. Yong-ho took his hands with deep gratitude.


    And three days later, Yong-ho, who confirmed the movement of Embrio''s main forces through the scouts, gathered all the dungeon spirits in his room.


    Because the living space of the dungeon was reduced drastically by excessive fortification, the demon king''s room was also narrow. The only furniture in the room was just one bed, so when the five dungeon spirits gathered in one place, there was only a little space left.


    The reason that he gathered them was to convey his own tactics that he had been pondering over for the past few days.


    But there was one thing he had to do first.


    Namely, he had to invite Tigrius as the 7th member as a dungeon spirit.


    Sitting on the bed, he took out a summons from his pocket. Each of the four who already knew the subject of the summons made different expressions, and Tigrius was looking at the summons alone seriously.


    Yong-ho let out a long breath. After deciding firmly, he tore the summons to free his mana.


    And the one who appears thus...


    The one who descends beyond the constraints of the arena as well as time and space.


    Her gray hair fluttered in the strong wind.


    There was mischievousness in her ferocious eyes.


    The head of the House of Mammon three generations ago.


    Kaiwan, the Demon King of Distortion.


    "So, have you come up with any wishes for me this time?"


    Standing askew, she asked teasingly, licking her lips lightly.


    Yong-ho smiled bitterly instead of answering.


    He welcomed her with open arms. She would be the joker in his fight against Embrio as well as his sixth sword.

 138 Rebellion King Embrio 1

    Bizarro, the Demon King of Rain, didn''t come back from the battle, nor did the seven soldiers led by him. It was because his forces were virtually annihilated.


    His soldiers, who infiltrated the dungeon of the House of Randolt, could not get out of it. None of the hundred elite lizardmen, who guarded Bizarro outside the dungeon, run away, as if to demonstrate their loyalty and courage, and were literally annihilated.


    Since there was none who could convey the bad news to him, Embrio didn''t know what happened in the dungeon.


    But there was one thing he knew for sure, which was that the Demon King of Rain, Bizarro, died. The evidence that the soul of the dungeon he was in charge of perished confirmed it. Embrio wondered how Bizarro died.


    Bizarro was the master of a house in the northern area. He had four horns, but he just advanced to that level. His combat competence was mediocre, and his personality was good enough. He was far from hot-tempered nor was he stupid enough to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs. If he had been such a person, Embrio himself would not have spared his life.


    Of course, there could be no absolute survival in battle. It was possible that Bizarro was killed by a stray arrow or sword.


    But Embrio could not imagine such a scenario easily. When something happened, there was supposed to be some plausible reason for it. It was never common for a rat to kill a cat.


    ''Did the head of the House of Mammon kill him?'' Embrio wondered.


    What if the house head himself defended the House of Randolt and took Bizarro''s life?


    It was this man who defeated Agares.


    Although Embrio had never faced him in person, it was highly likely that this man had more than four horns.


    But Emrbio still could not understand why nobody out of the 600 soldiers, apart from Bizarro and his loyal 100 lizardmen, didn''t return from the dungeon. Were they all annihilated?


    If that was the case, perhaps, the House of Mammon was much more powerful than Embrio himself expected.


    Embrio pondered over what to do now.


    It was ridiculous for him to withdraw his forces now. Moreover, even if the House of Mammon was more powerful than he expected, Embrio thought they were obviously not stronger than his forces.


    In his mind, the House of Mammon couldn''t have been stronger than the Western Owners'' Alliance. It was true that the head of the House of Mammon took the essence of those heads of houses in the southern area after defeating them, but it was only a couple of them whose essence he took. If he had been strong, his absorption of their essence would not have been good enough to result in his dramatic growth. If he had been born weak, he must have had the fourth horn only recently.


    There was only one master in the House of Mammon now, and the most soldiers he could mobilize was around 1,000.


    Certainly, it was incomparable to the Western Owners'' Alliance with a dozen masters of houses and nearly seven thousand troops.


    "We''re going to attack the southern region as planned."


    Embrio''s command was conveyed to his commanders. Except for the one thousand troops that left for the north as supporting units, the remaining three thousand troops resumed their march to the south.


    ***


    Since there was no table in the room, Yong-ho laid out a map of the front lines on the floor and explained the tactic he devised.


    It was never complicated. It was a very simple tactic.


    It took about 30 minutes for him to brief his dungeon spirits about it.


    Cross-legged on the floor, Kaiwan looked sharply at the map with her arms crossed.


    And soon, she rolled her eyes and met his eyes.


    "I''ve been thinking about it¡­"


    "So?"


    "You must be crazy, seriously."


    Having said that bluntly, Kaiwan laughed as if his tactic was absurd.


    Since her look was so ferocious, it looked like she was ridiculing him.


    But Yong-ho, who always appreciated her selfless smile, understood the true meaning of her laugh.


    Of course, Kaiwan had no intention of ridiculing or denouncing him.


    She thought his tactic was rather absurd, but at the same time, she admired it a bit.


    Yong-ho chuckled at her comment that he was crazy.


    As if to avoid her gaze, he rolled his eyes to see other dungeon spirits.


    Eligos was looking at the map with a blank expression. Ophelia tried hard to make a smile, and Catalina, puckering her lips, was looking at Kaiwan. It seemed that she was more bothered by Kaiwan ridiculing Yong-ho as a crazy man than by his tactic itself.


    Skull chuckled as usual. The purple ghost flames in its hollow eyes gave out a calm impression, but it still felt like a skull.


    Yong-ho, who was nervous about the various changes in Skull these days, let out a breath of relief briefly.


    Lastly, Tigrius, who joined the House of Mammon as its fifth dungeon spirit, did not betray his expectations. He said calmly, "It''s definitely a reckless tactic, but it seems your tactic is the best at this point. You will never be able to beat Embrio by simply holding up in the dungeon."


    Ophelia added, "I agree with Tigrius. And¡­"


    "And?"


    When Yong-ho asked back, Ophelia narrowed her brows as if she was embarrassed and replied, "It seems like the tactic fits your personality well."


    "I''ll take that as a compliment," said Yong-ho with a smile.


    Yong-ho then looked at Kaiwan again. She unfolded his arms and touched the floor with both hands. Leaning back, she said, "Well, since I''ve been summoned as your dungeon spirit, I''ve no other choice but to follow your order. Like Ophelia just said, the tactic seems to fit your personality. I can feel something like your cunningness or meticulousness that you have shown in the arena. I think your tactic is better than that. Honestly, I really like it."


    When Yong-ho visited the arena last time, he did not challenge the 11th floor. Instead of obsessing with the mana of Mammon or the rewards of the arena, he was seeing the bigger picture.


    The dungeon spirits moved under Yong-ho''s control. They didn''t even think of challenging the floor that required their utmost strength. They challenged those floors only that they could win comfortably enough to satisfy the evolution EXP.


    As a result, Catalina, Ophelia, and Skull only challenged up to the third floor, and Eligos only challenged the second floor. Although each of the dungeon spirits was strong enough to challenge higher floors because of their four horns equal to their master, Yong-ho never allowed it.


    Despite his status as the King of Greed, Yong-ho exercised moderation in a strange place.


    Gusion blamed him for that but liked it at the same time. On the other hand, Kaiwan thought their behavior was really surprising.


    However, this tactic was truly befitting Yong-ho. At the same time, it was obviously reckless. She could feel his conviction in victory with this tactic.


    ''That''s why he did it before.''


    By using the power of evolution during a battle, Yong-ho evolved himself.


    She witnessed it in front of her eyes, but she thought his action was absurd when she thought about it even now.


    When she noticed Kaiwan''s sharp glance at him turning agreeable, Catalina pricked her ears. Fortunately or unfortunately, no one paid attention to her ears, though.


    Tigrius said again, "Even if your tactic is successful, you will incur heavy casualties. I am not sure if this crazy commander Oros can effectively control the freewheeling troops of the Free City¡­ I''m a bit worried."


    The situation this time was different from when they fought Agares'' army in the Free City.


    Ophelia replied on behalf of Yong-ho, "It will be alright. Nobody in the Free City army knows that the western region was devastated. So, they have every motivation to fight. Moreover, Oros will fight well. You don''t have to worry."


    Although Ophelia spoke calmly, she had a point. It was natural that she showed such a reaction as one of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon and one of the heads of the Free City. Instead of colliding with her about it unnecessarily, Tigrius backed off.


    Yong-ho was satisfied with the fact that the dungeon spirits were coordinating among themselves well without him bothering to reconcile their opinion.


    "Ophelia, convey to Rikum and Oros about my decision. Tigrius, double-check the defense posture of the dungeon. Skull, have your squadron stand by. Given the speed of Embrio marching his army to the south, you have to get them leaving tomorrow morning. I''m sorry for all this, but make sure you get enough rest."


    All of them responded to him by politely accepting his order.


    "Then, what about me?" Kaiwan asked.


    Although they were faced with a life-threatening battle, they could not stay nervous forever.


    Standing up, Yong-ho told Kaiwan, "Let''s go to the restaurant and eat something. It''s like you''re here on vacation in decades, right? There is nothing to eat in the arena anyway."


    Yong-ho said that, although he never experienced an army life.


    Kaiwan smiled brightly at his reply while blinking, curious about what he was going to say.


    "Well, I would like to grant two wishes for you, not one. By the way, when are you going to ask for it? Why are you so lazy in letting me know about it? Is it a big wish?"


    Yong-ho smiled bitterly at her question. Instead of replying, he said to Kaiwan while gesturing with his chin, "Let''s go."


    Kaiwan stood up readily. Then Catalina, who also stood up before she knew it, moved her lips.


    Was she going to say the same thing as she did in the arena?


    Kaiwan stroked her hair as if she was cute. Thanks to that, Catalina curled her lips suddenly while trying to say something. Yong-ho also stroked Catalina''s hair.


    Kaiwan laughed.


    "She is cute too."


    "You bet, she is cute and pretty."


    Agreeing with her a bit awkwardly, he left the room ahead of Kaiwan.


    Unlike Ophelia who looked at him weirdly, Yong-ho appreciated Tigrius very much, who turned his eyes away from him elegantly.

 139 Rebellion King Embrio 2

    Days and nights changed one after another.


    Embrio''s army, finally crossing the borders between the west and the south, was approaching the Dungeon of the House of Randolt fast.


    Embrio didn''t rush. Riding on a giant wolf instead of a horse, he turned his gaze aside.


    Lotus, the Demon King of Wild Animals, one of the house masters under his command, replied politely, "There is a group of troops ambushed in the right rear of the dungeon of the House of Randolt. About six hundred, all told. Given that their arming posture is not organized, it seems they are from the Free City."


    As the name suggested, Lotus could freely control wild animals and even shared their senses.


    Embrio nodded. He didn''t expect their defense posture was poor like that. It was unlikely that the master of the House of Mammon, whose troops were absolutely inferior, would retreat.


    To make matters worse, since the master could not place all his troops in the mid-sized dungeon of the Hosue of Randolt, it was highly likely that he had them ready to ambush Embrio''s army.


    "Move forward like we did."


    While attacking the dungeon of the House of Randolt, his forces were in danger of being ambushed, but Embrio didn''t worry that much. His forces were different from Bizarro''s in terms of the size of the troops. Even though Embiro mobilized one thousand troops to attack the dungeon, he still had two thousand troops on standby.


    Now, Embrio kept gesturing to Lotus. After understanding his signal, Lotus bowed out politely and headed to the left-wing of his main forces. Then he turned the marching course of the light infantry troops composed of orcs and lizardmen slightly, for the target of his attack was not the dungeon, but the forces of the Free City in ambush behind it.


    Orc warrior Kijamu, commander of the main unit''s heavy infantry, accelerated the march.


    Of the 1,500 troops located in the center of the main unit, about 900 people, more than half of them, followed his command. Consisting of heavy infantry and arrow shields, their main mission was to attack the dungeon of the House of Randolt.


    The remaining forces left behind were six hundred light infantry, who were reserve units.


    Moreover, there were troops on the right-wing of the main unit.


    Dozens of cavalry, headed by a Death Knight riding on a giant lizard running on two legs, and about 500 light infantry, stopped marching like Embrio''s main forces and kept their place.


    The fighting began from a distance.


    The light infantry led by Lotus clashed with the forces of the Free City.


    Since their ambush was exposed to the Lotus army, the Free City soldiers had no tactical advantage at all. They were just struggling to fight back the Lotus''s light infantry that numbered almost twice as much as them.


    Embrio just watched his commanders leading the fight. Instead of leading the forces by himself, as he did when fighting the Western Owners'' Alliance, this time he took his time and just waited.


    He heard the clattering of horses'' hoofs behind his back. Again, it was as he expected.


    In the current situation, there were not many things the master of the House of Mammon could do.


    Embrio felt that the master would try to divert his attention to the troops in the frontline then have his own elite forces attack the main forces led by Embrio''s commander in the rear. Embrio could clearly understand how Bizarro was defeated. Perhaps, he was defeated by the same tactic.


    The wolves turned. The elite soldiers mixed among the reserves calmed their confusion.


    Embrio burst into laughter after noticing a group of soldiers running to him at a distance.


    20 of them at most.


    Each one of them was an elite soldier, but their number was too small. It was like hitting a rock with eggs.


    ''Was he crazy?''


    Embrio raised his hand. He didn''t even have to go out. Death Knight, who was standing by on his right, could handle them alone.


    But at that moment, the air of the battlefield changed.


    Terrible mana was released from the elite soldiers of the House of Mammon, who were rushing like a moth running into the flames.


    As the attack was so sudden, Embrio was at a loss about what to do.


    His main unit was dealt a strong blow.


    "Kuhhhhhhhung!"


    It was a beast''s roar. Huge red monsters that penetrated into his main forces threw them into the sky, wielding their arms violently. The red beast on the monsters'' backs commanded them with a single flash of light.


    But the cavalry of the House of Mammon didn''t charge at Embrio''s main unit. The pitch-black Nightmare, flying in the lead, turned to the right when the red monster and the beast revealed their claws. The cavalry rushed toward the Death Knight!


    Lightning struck and gusts arose fiercely, protecting the cavalry. Moreover, the mana unleashed by each of them was exceptionally powerful.


    Extreme confusion dominated Embrio''s main unit. However, he couldn''t think of quelling the confusion. He didn''t even look at the Death Knight, who was about to collide with the pitch-dark knight. When Embrio and his men were distracted by the ambush of the House of Mammon, they suddenly raised their heads. Embrio glared his eyes before he knew it.


    Under the red sky of the demon world, there was another sun. A huge and intense lump of green flames flared up.


    Embrio could not afford to think about where they suddenly appeared or how they hid mana.


    The red monsters, apparently under the master''s command, were raging inside his main unit.


    Embrio hastily opened up his mana. Yong-ho, standing on the back of Salami, roared and brandished Aamon.


    The sun of the green flames hit the ground.


    ***


    Embrio''s army witnessed a disaster pouring out from the sky. Those who witnessed their colleagues'' heads being smashed by the red monsters'' fists, those who screamed to overcome their fear, and those who tried to run away instinctively raised their heads and looked at the sky.


    It was beautiful.


    The green flames exploding under the red sky of the demon world were luxurious, glamorous, and mysterious.


    But they couldn''t admire it because the flame was alive.


    The sun of green flames that hit the ground turned into dozens, rather hundreds of flames.


    They covered the sky and the earth and colored the whole world green.


    Sparks of the flames scattering like petals turned into fatal weapons and struck Embrio''s army. He spread the map of hell on the ground.


    Those who were engulfed in flames screamed painfully. The moment the sun of green flames hit the ground, its heat and shock instantly killed nearly a hundred soldiers. The remaining survivors were also swept away by a wave of sparks from the source of the shock.


    Yong-ho looked down at all this from the sky. Although they couldn''t destroy all of Embrio''s main unit and his right-wing troops that didn''t move, the ambush already achieved a lot.


    Nearly two hundred troops were incapacitated by the attack, and the battlefield was thrust into an extreme chaos.


    But Yong-ho felt his attack wasn''t sufficient. The attack was just a killer punch. He really had to prepare for lots of stuff for this attack.


    He concentrated mana for about thirty minutes. At the same time, Kaiwan used the power of distortion non-stop for thirty minutes so that he couldn''t have his abnormally concentrated mana caught by Embrio. She distorted the flow of mana in the atmosphere adroitly to hide his mana.


    Added to this was Tigrius'' illusion magic. Thanks to this, Yong-ho wasn''t even caught in the eyes of Lotus, the Demon King of Wild Animals.


    Lastly, Skull, Tigrius, Eligos, and Ophelia mounted a combined attack.


    While Embrio and his army''s eyes were fixed on the ambush, Yong-ho soared on the back of Salami. Of course, he had to distract Embrio''s attention even during that short span, so Kaiwan, on Salami''s back like Yong-ho, did her best to use the power of distortion to deceive Embrio.


    Then came the killer attack by Yong-ho and his dungeon spirits. Without any regret, Yong-ho breathed harshly and drank the mana potion he had obtained from the arena. So did Kaiwan. Exhausted after using the power of distortion for about thirty minutes, she tried to recover mana instead of looking down on the ground.


    Yong-ho''s attack just began.


    There were still many enemies, and Embrio was well and alive.


    "Oohoooooooh!"


    Eligos roared in the flames that covered the ground. He literally ran around like he was crazy.


    The flames of greed never harmed Yong-ho''s possession¡ªEligos. As a result, Eligos wasn''t afraid of the flames at all. Rather, Eligos actively used the flames.


    While being faithful to his wild nature, Eligos freely used the skills he acquired so far.


    The storm of power.


    Whenever he wielded his punches amid the green flames, enemies'' blood splattered and bones scattered everywhere. A terrifying noise of breaking and destruction resonated in all directions.


    Ophelia ran silently. If Eligos was a storm in the air, she was lightning on the ground.


    She was fast and intense. Moreover, her attack didn''t know distance. A shock wave that she caused by kicking in the air broke the atmosphere and crushed the ground with a strike.


    The role of the two Red Demons was to break the backbone of Embrio''s main unit. Accordingly, they didn''t stop for a moment. They didn''t forget that the moment Yong-ho''s green flames disappeared, he would be exposed among the one thousand troops.


    Skull''s unit penetrated the troops on the right-wing of Embrio. They suffered relatively less damage from the green flames, but it didn''t mean their resistance to Lance charging was reinforced.


    The giant black horses carrying Skull''s troops on their backs guaranteed the unusual impact and racing power of the cavalry. They immediately trampled on the light infantry in Embrio''s right-wing.


    Penetrating the infantry squad with Lance charging was a standard military tactic.


    The moment they stopped moving, the cavalry was no longer a cavalry.


    For this reason, Skull Squad penetrated Embrio''s right-wing. They ran diagonally and got out of the place except for one.


    "Skulllull!"


    However, Skull didn''t penetrate the right-wing. Skull immediately ordered its unit''s members to get around and charge again at the right-wing. Skull then turned the head of the horse. Skull drove a horse face to face to the one who rushed forward without turning his gaze even when the sun of the green flames was pouring down.


    Bucephalas exuded a hot, harsh snort. Skull also roared wildly, grabbing Claymore, which was embedded with lightning.


    The Death Knight. He was one of the prized figures of the undead monsters!

 140 Rebellion King Embrio 3

    The Death Knight held an unusually huge zweihander in his hand. Wrapped around in pitch-black armor, he fluttered a red cloak and released a wicked energy.


    It was overwhelming. It was a terrifying energy indeed.


    The wicked energy was so intense that Embrio''s army near the path of the Death Knight screamed in painful groaning.


    It wasn''t an enemy that an ordinary undead monster could deal with. It was in a different league from the start.


    But Skull didn''t back down. It sharply stared at the Death Knight with Bucephalas and glared its purple eyes even more.


    The wicked energy of the Death Knight.


    It didn''t matter. Skull didn''t care. Claymore screamed from Skull''s hand!


    "Skullkull!"


    Brigada shined. Skull brought out not only the mana of greed but also other power.


    It was death. It was the power of Baphomet, the demon of slaughter and one of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon.


    Lightning was added to death. The mighty power to tear even the wicked energy of the Death Knight was present in Skull''s Claymore.


    The Death Knight also didn''t back down. He rather smiled at Skull''s power. A great warrior when he was alive, he laughed like crazy and frantically wielded zweihander at Skull.


    The moment they were compressed against each other and the moment they stopped moving, the two warriors who returned from death looked at each other.


    They clashed violently.


    Embrio didn''t look away.


    When the sun of the green flames hit the ground, he opened all of his five horns. It wasn''t the time for him to hide his power fumblingly.


    The huge mana he released instantly became a barrier in itself. It easily blocked the waves of the green flames raining down in dozens of strands.


    Embrio saw the essence of the sun of the green flames. Despite death rising to overtake him from all sides, he analyzed it.


    It was strong. Even if that was the master''s all power, his evaluation didn''t change.


    Embrio erased everything from his mind that he had expected of the House of Mammon so far.


    And he closed his eyes. There were two Red Daemons running around like crazy.


    They were also strong. Each of them could be compared to Plauros, the strongest in the Western Owners'' Alliance.


    An undead monster, apparently from the House of Mammon, was confronting the Death Knight. It was a pretty tight fight between them. And this kind of fight was far beyond Emrbio''s expectation.


    There were already three players comparable to Plauros. In addition, the master of the House of Mammon was much stronger than them. Were they all?


    Embrio opened his eyes. Once again he released powerful mana to put out the green flames around him. He saw two women as if they were dancing down from the sky.


    Catalina was sharp. She could be called as good as the blade of black mana.


    She landed on the ground, cutting through the air, and cut everything standing in the way by scattering blades of black mana in all directions. Then she cleaned the place where her king would stand.


    And there was one who landed on the ground between the two women. He was holding the spear of the red lotus, revealing his five horns without hesitation.


    He was still far away from Embrio. There were more than a hundred troops in between.


    Embrio looked into Yong-ho''s eyes. Yong-ho also didn''t avoid his gaze.


    Embrio realized something. It wasn''t how strong the master of the House of Mammon was or how he created his current power. What Embrio realized was what he had to do in the future.


    Right now at this moment, the fight here would determine the fate of the southern area.


    The eastern region was still intact, but in the end, it was only a stepping stone for his advance.


    The land where the greatest King of Greed was born. Who would rise up again in the land? Who would succeed the genealogy of the great king?


    Embrio ordered the attack, and his command resonated in the sky.


    "Mobilize whatever you can! Do your best in this fight because this is a fight worth fighting for!"


    This time Yong-ho raised his head. Although he was facing Embrio, he looked at the sky instinctively.


    Catalina groaned. Kaiwan opened her mouth wide.


    What was coming down from the sky?


    Even at the moment when Yong-ho created the sun of the green flames, there was something watching the ground from a higher place.


    Huge wings covered the sky. Death came down.


    ***


    Crazy Oros fought with all his might.


    Embrio''s army was almost twice that of the Free City. Moreover, Oros''s forces were inferior to them qualitatively, let alone quantitatively.


    Embrio''s army boasted of their most fighting experiences in the southern blank. The bums in the Free City also had lots of fighting experiences, but the nature of their fighting was different.


    A tight, dense formation by Embrio''s army pressed the freewheeling formation of the Free City troops. The bums in the Free City who were not accustomed to this kind of fight eventually had to choose to survive rather than fight to kill their enemies.


    So, Oros came out to the forefront. It wasn''t a situation in which he would command them in the rear. After all, Oros was tasked with keeping the enemy at bay. What he needed at this moment wasn''t a cold-hearted commander, but a mad troll who would smash the enemy''s bones in the front line.


    He smashed an orc''s head with a stick. He killed the goblins rushing without fear by trampling on them. He then swallowed drugs, which maximized not only the troll''s unique regenerative power but also strengthened all the functions of his body.


    Regardless of friendly or enemy forces, they were killed here and there. Oros looked everywhere with glittering eyes. Since the drug was working, Oros let out a breath roughly and shouted.


    Right at that moment, the sun of the green flames hit the ground. The intense shock lasted only for a moment, but it stopped all fighting.


    Orc warrior Kijamu''s heavy infantry, who were beating the dungeon spirits of the House of Randolt hard, looked toward their main unit blankly. So did Lotus, the King of Wild Animals, who was in the thick of slaughtering the Free City troops.


    Oros laughed. He was in doubt when he heard it first, but now he could trust it sincerely.


    He was sure he could win the fight.


    But when he believed so, the sky opened. Something more intense than the sun of green flames made everybody look up at the sky.


    There was something he had never seen before.


    But everybody knew what it was.


    Oros stepped back. He was more than a few hundred meters from it, but he made eye contact with it. Staring at Oros himself, it spread its huge wings.


    "No!"


    Someone shouted. And that was it.


    The dragon descended over the forces of the Free City.


    Although it was fooled by death, it breathed out the power of the great King of One, called Dragon Breath.


    ***


    What was the strongest among the numerous races in the demon world?


    There were lots of disagreements about it. Given that there were big individual differences even among the same race in the demon world, such disagreements were taken for granted.


    However, whenever they mentioned it, they never failed to mention this race.


    Dragon.


    The descendants of the great King of One, who had inherited the fantastic veins of water.


    Some called them the king of all wild beasts and birds.


    Others said their very existence was a miracle.


    They were strong. When fully grown, they were dozens of meters tall, and they were very tough. Their muscles were transcendent, and the scales were firm. Despite their large body and weight, they could freely roam the sky. Dragon''s bones, teeth, and claws were compared to the hardest metal in the demon world.


    Aside from their mighty physical power, their inherent mana was also extraordinarily powerful. To talk about the average mana of each race, the dragons were the best in the demon world.


    As if their skills were insufficient, the dragons also had various other skills. Some of them had superpowers compared to the power of the masters of houses.


    Dragon.


    Some called them perfect beings.


    And the ultimate weapons they possessed.


    The primitive power inherited from that great King of One.


    Dragon Breath or breath weapon, it was pouring down from the sky now. It was a lump of power embedded with terrible wicked energy.


    It was purple. Crazy Oros couldn''t know more than that. He was crushed by its overwhelming power without defending himself or avoiding it.


    Like the sun of the green flames, the breath weapon exploded as soon as it hit the ground. The purple wicked energy covered dozens of meters in diameter and annihilated all that existed in it.


    A huge thing, which was dozens of meters long from head to feet, was floating in the air. That alone was amazing, but it really unleashed an overwhelming power.


    The battlefield froze. Embrio''s army and the soldiers of the Free City looked at the dragon, forgetting the fight.


    They instinctively covered themselves. And what happened immediately afterward astonished everyone again.


    The dragon threw itself on the ground. Its descent, which could be called a free fall, was an attack in itself. The ground shook as if there was an earthquake. Numerous soldiers were crushed by its giant body. The dragon moved. Rotating its body roughly, it swept the ground with its tail. Dozens of soldiers again died in its simple attack.


    The dragon roared then turned around, releasing a terrible wicked energy. Its dreadful eyes glared threateningly.


    It wasn''t necessary to tell friendly forces from enemies in this situation. The soldiers of the Free City couldn''t move like a frog in front of a snake. Embrio''s army was no exception. Even though the dragon didn''t do any harm, they were seized with fear instinctively.


    "This is the dragon. It''s undead. So it''s weak. Weaker than when it was alive. It doesn''t have any special skills. So, don''t be scared."


    Somebody spoke quickly. It was none other than Kaiwan.


    She was wary of the dragon that she saw with stiff expression and Embrio at the same time.


    She had a point. This dragon was weaker than a living dragon. This dragon, which could be called a sort of skeleton, lost many powerful weapons unique to the dragon.


    The scales harder than any armor were no longer present in it. In the process of falling as an undead, it lost most of its skills, and its cold-hearted intelligence turned into that of a beast.


    Nonetheless, it was still a dragon.

 141 Rebellion King Embrio 4

    Moreover, it didn''t lose everything. It had a terribly wicked energy, and it regained something else because it rose again from death.


    Its defense ability was weakened, but its durability became stronger. It could continue to fight in the battle despite injuries that a living being couldn''t endure, just like Skull.


    Hundreds of soldiers of the Free City evaporated in an instant. It didn''t take too long for the remaining troops to be completely destroyed.


    There was no time. Embrio was looking this way even at the moment the Bone Dragon''s Breath Weapon hit the ground.


    "Kaiwan!" Yong-ho called.


    Kaiwan rolled her eyes at his somewhat tense voice. There was a bit of fear and a lot of pride to hide it in her ferocious eyes.


    Yong-ho said, "It''s my wish. Detain Embrio."


    Yong-ho spoke shortly, but what he meant was clear. After a brief pause, Kaiwan smiled bitterly. Although he stood in the midst of close to one thousand enemies, facing the terrifying posture of Bone Dragon and Embrio, Yong-ho shouted proudly, "Okay, if you do well, I''ll grant you one more wish. And grant my wish, too!"


    This wasn''t the time for anybody to smile. But Kaiwan spoke cheerfully with an effort.


    Yong-ho also responded with a bitter smile, "Don''t you think you are using your right to grant wishes too often?"


    "Because it''s worth it."


    She stopped saying anything further then stared at Embrio instead of Yong-ho.


    She wore a fierce smile befitting her ferocious gaze.


    "Defense is my specialty. I''ll stick it out. But come back to me quickly. Honestly, I think this is going to be rather tough for me."


    The moment she finished talking, the battlefield frozen by Bone Dragon Dragon began to move again.


    Bone Dragon spread its wings and hit the ground. Eligos and Ophelia resumed fighting. Shouts, screams, and cries filled the battlefield.


    Embrio moved forward. Fully opening her four horns, Kaiwan stepped forward. She showed her back, not her face, to Yong-ho.


    Yong-ho also turned around. Instead of watching Kaiwan, he hugged her waist, and Catalina understood what she was supposed to do. Catalina hugged him face to face and spread her wings of black mana.


    Their attack was simultaneous.


    Bone Dragon finally screamed and soared into the sky. By wielding the whip sword, Kaiwan recklessly slaughtered the enemy soldiers located between her and Embrio. Tigrius raised his head, and Eligos and Ophelia shared their intention through their eyes. They broke through Embrio''s forces to move toward Kaiwan.


    Catalina flew. And the traces of red flames were added to the black traces in the sky.


    Flying over while burning the remnants of the flames, Salami carried Yong-ho and Catalina on its back again.


    Embrio didn''t counterattack Kaiwan. He stepped forward and stopped. He looked at Yong-ho.


    Embrio''s eyes were cold. And Yong-ho knew it. Although he didn''t know why, Yong-ho realized that Embrio also took an adventure. Despite the fact that he was in a very favorable situation, Embrio exerted all his powers.


    Yong-ho was right. For Embrio, Bone Dragon was a secret weapon that he didn''t want to use until the last moment. Embrio already revealed the Death Knight. If Bone Dragon was added to this, it would definitely attract others'' attention too much. Perhaps, some among the kings might feel suspicious about Embrio''s tactics. The Death Knight and Bone Dragon were too powerful for a housemaster in the southern area to own.


    Nevertheless, Embrio revealed Bone Dragon. He knew from his sense, sharpened through numerous battles, that he did the right thing.


    He couldn''t afford to hide it now, for he knew that this was a fight in which he had to kill Yong-ho by mounting a massive attack from the beginning.


    Embrio and Yong-ho turned away from each other. Grabbing the handle on Salami''s back, Yong-ho clenched his teeth. He released mana as if not to be outpowered by Bone Dragon''s massive body that blocked his vision.


    Embrio took another step and stared at Kaiwan, now attacking him magnificently like a mantis in front of a wagon. He combined the mana released at random for a proper combat posture.


    Bone Dragon roared. Facing its dreadful roaring right before its eyes, Salami screamed grotesquely. Salami spread the wings of the flames wide and soared higher into the sky.


    Yong-ho thought that he could not hope for Kaiwan''s support when she was in an overwhelmingly unfavorable situation like now. So, he had to defeat Bone Dragon by joining hands with Catalina alone.


    Salami twisted its body with a wild scream. Despite its huge wings, Bone Dragon was fast.


    Bone Dragon''s molars penetrated the space where Salami stayed until a moment ago.


    The sound of its teeth meshing each other was already horrible. But Yong-ho couldn''t afford to be distracted by it. So, he ordered, and Salami flew again, screaming. Rather than increasing its distance with Bone Dragon, Salami got rather closer to it then penetrated into its neck!


    At that moment, the blade of black mana created by Catalina with all her might hit Bone Dragon''s neck. But that was it. Her attack left a small scratch on its bone, but it was not broken.


    Despite the attack, Bone Dragon kept its place. Rather, Catalina was almost thrown out by Bone Dragon''s repulsive force.


    In the meantime, Yong-ho concentrated his consciousness and checked the mana flowing in the body of Bone Dragon. It was a huge flame. Crimson flames of mana covered the entire body of Bone Dragon. The flames were so strong that he couldn''t spot any weaknesses.


    Bang!


    Bone Dragon once again bit the air. This time, it didn''t stop there and released mana.


    Although it lost mana after becoming an undead, Bone Dragon didn''t lose the operational skills on mana. Several lumps of mana condensed in a circle raced toward Yong-ho.


    "Salami!"


    "Kahhhhhhhhh!"


    Giving out a screech, Salami spread its wings. In a desperate aerobatic flight, it changed its direction in the air then flew toward Bone Dragon''s back once again. Yong-ho swung Aamon and poured the green flames on the back of Bone Dragon.


    Bone Dragon roared. The unique energy of death of the undead was added to one of Bone Dragon''s innate abilities, the Dragon Pier. It was a terrifying force that deprived the will of life, like the energy of death that Baphomet released.


    Although Catalina hastily combined the black mana to create a huge shield, it wasn''t a physical attack on Bone Dragon. Salami, exposed to the energy of death, momentarily lost consciousness. Yong-ho endured it by clenching his teeth and ordered Catalina in heart.


    He swung Aamon once again and burned anything around Bone Dragon to disturb its vision.


    Catalina lowered her posture while falling down. She buried himself on Yong-ho''s back and put her arms on Salami''s back. After releasing black mana and binding her around Salami''s body, she spread huge wings behind its back.


    "Kuuuuuuuk!"


    Screaming strangely, Catalina barely flapped her wings and flew again before crashing down on the ground.


    Bang!


    There was a big explosion again. Moreover, the ground exploded this time. The explosion occurred because Bone Dragon, with its vision blocked by the waves of the green flames, fired Dragon Breath recklessly toward the ground.


    The energy of death spread in all directions. Some of Embrio''s soldiers disappeared along with the ground.


    Salami finally regained consciousness and flapped its wings again. Catalina breathed out roughly and withdrew the wings of black mana.


    They couldn''t fight this way any longer. Basically, it exhausted Yong-ho and his dungeon spirits. So, he needed something else to deal a fatal blow to Embrio.


    "Salami!" Shouted Yong-ho.


    At that moment, Salami repressed the desire to run away once more. At the command of its master, it concentrated all the power on the wings of the flames. Forgetting even Bone Dragon, Salami soared into the sky.


    Bone Dragon and Salami crossed each other. In that short moment, Yong-ho saw Bone Dragon once again. The mana of death flared up like flames.


    The mana of death.


    The energy of death.


    Yong-ho realized. He encouraged Salami even more. While rising almost vertically, he grabbed Aamon. He concentrated mana on the magic field on his left hand.


    Bone Dragon was definitely strong. Its physical strength was superior to Baphomet''s.


    However, it was different when it came to the energy of death. Unlike Baphomet, the incarnation of death that descended in the alien world, Bone Dragon was just an undead. Its physical force was incredible thanks to its powerful mana, it was essentially inferior to Baphomet.


    So, Yong-ho thought he could defeat Bone Dragon and he had to.


    The red demonic sky. Salami rotated in a place high enough to make everything on the ground seem so small. It turned its head to the ground and stared at Bone Dragon located hundreds of meters below.


    Kaaaaaah!!"


    The wings of flames flared up in the air. Salami descended vertically. Yong-ho put Aamon on his side. Yong-ho and Catalina shined brightly at the same time, and a tremendous black mana covered the magic spear of the red lotus. It really created a huge spear.


    Lance charging was pouring vertically.


    Bone Dragon saw it. As soon as Salami turned in the air and opened its mouth, Bone Dragon opened its mouth and let out Dragon Breath!


    It was different from before. It wasn''t a single shot. Like the breath of flames of red dragons, the energy of death continued to come out.


    But Salami didn''t avoid it. It accelerated its speed by screaming wildly. The huge spear made of black mana and Breath Weapon clashed in the air. And at that moment, Yong-ho''s magic field as well as the Godly Energy of the King of Greed sent out blue watery light!


    The force of life. The power of the Immortal Witch Scathach covered the spear of black mana.


    The life-empowered huge spear penetrated the Breath Weapon full of the energy of death from the front. It was a collision of tremendous power.


    The tip of the spear was shaken randomly. The Breath Weapon was shaken by the power of life, which could be called its complete opposite.


    But it was not strong enough. It couldn''t penetrate the Breath Weapon.


    Rather than trampling on the energy of death, the energy of life gradually began to be eaten away.


    Scathach once told Yong-ho that he needed to pay the corresponding price to bring out his Godly Energy.


    Yong-ho could do it when he fought Baphomet. The power of his intense greed was so huge that even the magic spear of the red lotus admired it.


    But he didn''t now. His mana was insufficient. He couldn''t bring out the force of life from his Godly Energy.


    But he clenched his teeth and exerted all his power to bring out mana. If he were pushed out for a moment, he would perish here. Rather than penetrating the Breath Weapon, he would be crushed by the energy of death.


    He needed to be greedy now, so he could bring out the mana of greed. He had to pump up the will to live. Can he do it?


    "I like you!"

 142 Rebellion King Embrio 5

    At that moment, Catalina shouted behind his back. Despite the fact that he was on the verge of life and death, Yong-ho blinked before he knew it.


    Catalina hugged his back tightly. It wasn''t just because she witnessed his fight with Baphomet.


    She thought if she didn''t do it now, she could never do it. Burying her head again, she shouted again, "I really like you!"


    Her feelings were conveyed to him through Brigada. It was a more intense and pure expression of her affection for him than any of her words.


    Yong-ho''s face turned red. Salami screamed about her confession amid the fighting, but she didn''t care.


    Yong-ho now felt Catalina''s thoughts and feelings. He felt as if his heart was bursting. His will to live was overflowing now.


    [Desire!]


    Aamon''s voice reached him, and he also shouted at Aamon. He desired while being grateful to his simple-mindedness. He desired and desired.


    ''I''ll survive. I''ll surely survive. Let me win by all means!''


    "Oooooooooooh!"


    The mana of greed exploded. He brought Scathach''s life from his Godly Energy. He finally penetrated the link to Scathach, which he couldn''t because of insufficient power. It seemed that he could hear her voice, who must be in the Labyrinth of Greed.


    Life overwhelmed death. It didn''t stop offsetting it but destroyed it. Despite Bone Dragon''s enormous mana, the Breath Weapon collapsed!


    Salami spread its wings of flames and sped up again. Catalina hugged Yong-ho''s waist even tighter. Aamon roared.


    A fatal blow.


    Lance charging penetrated the Breath Weapon. Without slowing down the momentum, Aamon penetrated into Bone Dragon''s mouth. The vortex of life from the huge spear tore death. And it finally reached the center of Bone Dragon, where there must be Bone Dragon''s heart, a mass of powerful mana when it was alive.


    Greed shouted. The greed arising from Yong-ho''s whole body was exactly divided in two.


    One wrapped up Catalina, and the other wrapped around the center of mana.


    The spear made of black mana was dismantled. The watery blue energy of life exploded and opened the way again. What was left now was the green flames of pure greed.


    Greed led the way. Even at the moment when he penetrated Bone Dragon like an arrow, Yong-ho cut through the center of mana with Aamon.


    What happened next was Salami''s forceful advance.


    Finally, Salami penetrated through Bone Dragon. Catalina looked behind her back, blushing. She witnessed Bone Dragon shattering in the air.


    Yong-ho didn''t hesitate. He ignored the common sense of the demon world that the living shouldn''t absorb the essence of the undead contaminated with the energy of death.


    Greed, it was one of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    The green flames swallowed the essence of Bone Dragon and its power.


    ***


    The red Breath Weapon shattered in the sky. The huge spear engulfed in the green flames penetrated Bone Dragon.


    The explosion that shook the sky, and the loudness and splendor that reminded one of thunder and lightning.


    Salami left the traces of flames in the sky. It slipped out of the bones of Bone Dragon and drew a new trajectory once again.


    The bones of Bone Dragon poured down from the sky because the power of death that made Bone Dragon exist as an undead was destroyed by Scathach''s force of life.


    Those who watched Bone Dragon''s fighting, shouting with joy, were so embarrassed. They were so shocked to watch the huge dozen meters long being shattered into pieces.


    Embrio was as embarrassed and shocked as them.


    Grabbing Kaiwan''s neck. Embrio raised his head before he knew it. He couldn''t take his eyes off the sky even though he could break her neck with a little more push.


    Kaiwan smiled slightly.


    She was covered with wounds. When Yong-ho was engaged in a fierce battle with Bone Dragon in the air, another fight was going on intensely on the ground. Despite the fact that her specialty was defense like she said, she was thoroughly abused by Embrio.


    Embrio had something similar to Yong-ho, but he was different. His pressing down on Kaiwan with overwhelming mana was the same as Yong-ho, but he was different in terms of its delicacy and sophistication.


    It was literally impossible to do something about Embrio. He read not only Kaiwan''s attack but also her every move. He read even the power of distortion early on and dealt with it.


    Blood flowed from her lips. She was hit only twice, but the blow was big. Her right shoulder was smashed, so she couldn''t move, and the color of her abdomen exposed to his attack terribly changed. She quickly reduced the shock with the power of distortion, but her internal organs were messed up with a little shock.


    However, Kaiwan didn''t lose her fighting spirit. She still had her left arm and two legs, so she could fight as much as she could.


    "I''m different from you¡­" She barely said with her neck held by Embrio.


    Embrio, who was chasing the traces of the red wings, rolled his eyes at her feeble voice.


    Even though her eyes were half-closed, she still looked at Embrio ferociously.


    Their fighting lasted only shortly, but Kaiwan already sized him up.


    Embrio''s mana was familiar to Kaiwan himself.


    "We have the blood of the great House of Mammon flowing through our body, but that''s it."


    Mammon''s blood was flowing in Embrio''s body. Nobody knew the reason. Over a thousand years was never a short time even in the demon world. Maybe Embrio was a remote relative of Mammon, or he might not know he shared the blood of the House of Mammon.


    Embrio''s eyes were cold. However, Kaiwan didn''t miss the agitation hidden in his cold eyes.


    Kaiwan didn''t know how the fight would end up. That was why she had to raise the odds of Yong-ho''s chance of winning a little more. Kaiwan was thinking of infuriating Embrio.


    So, she made a terrible smile. She never showed it before Yong-ho, but she now showed the most ferocious smile at Embrio, which she used to show at those who insulted and despised the House of Mammon. Her smile contained sarcasm on her viper-like lips.


    "Kneel down and respect and welcome the King of Greed¡­"


    From Kaiwan''s point of view, she didn''t expect much when she said that. She just wanted to keep insulting him to break his composure.


    Contrary to her intention, her words got on his nerves from the beginning.


    Embrio''s eyes trembled. He couldn''t hide his agitation anymore.


    Even at that moment, Embrio looked back at the sky. It was his instinctive movement.


    Not only Embrio, but everyone on the battlefield did so.


    Bone Dragon was no longer in the sky. The traces of the flames that Salami''s wings left behind were beautiful, but they weren''t strong enough to draw attention from everyone on the battlefield.


    Nonetheless, everyone looked at the sky. Those who were sensitive to mana felt more pressure.


    Embrio opened his lips. Kaiwan smiled slightly.


    Bone Dragon''s mana wasn''t scattered. Its essence that the living couldn''t even absorb because it was contaminated with the energy of death burned in the green flames, which looked too small. The master of the House of Mammon, the demon king of flames, swallowed the essence of Bone Dragon.


    It was stupid. It was like swallowing poison. But the master didn''t collapse. There was no painful scream from him.


    The release of a huge mana.


    A vortex of intense mana that shook the surrounding area.


    "The Sin Of Greed¡­" Embrio said, as if he sighed.


    At that moment, Kaiwan wrapped the power of distortion around her neck and bounced off Embrio''s hand.


    Kaiwan fell down to the floor. Embrio quickly turned his head. Instead of praising their king, Eligos and Ophelia kicked off the ground again, feeling their mana growing.


    And the sun of the green flames rose again. Yong-ho, who drastically shortened the time required for concentrating mana by almost fully releasing the absorbed essence of Bone Dragon, looked down on the ground.


    Five towering horns on his head shook. Salami headed back to the ground with its wings of flames.


    Embrio''s army had experienced this kind of stuff before. So, they were agitated. They tried to run away with a screech.


    Kaiwan smiled. Embrio knew he couldn''t even use her as a shield against Yong-ho.


    Surprisingly, the green flames of the master of the House of Mammon could distinguish between friendly forces and enemies. Therefore, Embrio decided to face the disaster proudly.


    He erected five horns and released mana. He also activated his power!


    Bang!


    Yong-ho swung Aamon. The sun of the green flames hit the ground once again. It destroyed Embrio''s main unit, and once again recreated the map of hell on the ground.


    Yong-ho closed his eyes for a moment. He felt the mana transmitted through Brigada.


    He briefly found out the condition of his dungeon spirits engaged in the intense fighting.


    Skull was still fighting the Death Knight with all its might. Eligos and Ophelia smashed Embrio''s main unit amid the green flames. Commanding Skull''s unit instead of Skull, Tigrius destroyed Embrio''s forces in the right-wing.


    Yong-ho opened his eyes again. Catalina let go of her hands around his waist. She knew what she had to do. She couldn''t intervene in his fight with Embrio. What she had to do now was to save more soldiers of the Free City fighting under Oros''s command.


    Standing on Salami''s back, Yong-ho looked at Catalina. She laughed vigorously, flapping her red-hot ears.


    Yong-ho kicked Salami in the back. Catalina also flew, spreading her wings of black mana.


    The two flew in different directions.


    "Embrio!"


    Shouting at him, Yong-ho landed on the ground. The green flames flaring up all over the place were split automatically, making way for Yong-ho.


    And the green flames exploded not far from Embrio. Powerful mana crushed the green flames. But Yong-ho focused on his consciousness. He read Embrio''s mana in the air. He wasn''t just content with seeing it. He predicted its trajectory!


    Bang!


    Aamon clashed with an unknown huge spear. Yong-ho and Embrio looked at each other beyond their weapons. Each other''s mana clashed in the air and exploded.

 143 Rebellion King Embrio 6

    The two pushed each other away. They distanced themselves from each other as soon as they clashed, and they took the same tactics almost simultaneously. It was to increase the intensity of their mana in the surrounding area.


    Yong-ho and Embrio realized it instinctively. They could read the flow of each other''s mana, so they increased the concentration of mana to delay the other party reading the trajectory of the attack with the help of the flow of mana.


    Embrio stepped forward. But at that moment, someone intervened in the battle between the two demon kings. With a thunderous screech, Eligos punched Embrio like lightning.


    It was a perfect surprise attack.


    Yong-ho and Embrio were so conscious of each other that they couldn''t pay attention to others. Embrio quickly twisted his upper body, but Eligos punched Embrio''s left arm immediately. Even with that attack alone, his left arm was torn out.


    Eligos smiled. Embrio''s left arm, which had been torn off, was fluttering in the air.


    Then Eligos broke the floor with his fist.


    Then Embrio stepped forward and threw a punch in Eligos''s chest with his left arm.


    Then he came up with the penetration strike to put all his mana into the opponent''s body.


    With a thunderous noise, Eligos''s massive body rose slightly upward. Soon he collapsed, gushing blood. Embrio shook his upper body just like he did when he confronted Eligos.


    Ophelia rushed toward Embrio and attacked Embrio''s thigh hard with a turning kick. Her sharp kick cut his left leg like a beast''s teeth.


    But Embrio moved ahead again. Stepping on the ground with his left foot, Embrio stretched out his arms. Then he mounted a penetration strike into Ophelia''s abdomen, who stopped momentarily because of embarrassment.


    Bang!


    Yong-ho stepped forward strongly. As if he was doing lance charging, he charged at Embrio, pointing Aamon upright.


    Ophelia collapsed, throwing out blood and pieces of intestines. In terrible pain, she understood what Embrio''s real power was. She kept thinking, hoping that Yong-ho would also discover it.


    The Demon King of Wolves, it was just his nickname. It wasn''t the name Embrio had as a true demon king.


    Embrio''s real power was regeneration. It was his super-speed ability to regenerate, which was fast and strong enough to recall immortality.


    It wasn''t because Embrio avoided Yong-ho''s attack that he twisted his body after releasing that power. In fact, the purpose of his action was to minimize the shaking of his body in the aftermath of Eligos and Ophelia''s attack. In other words, he immediately penetrated into the opponent''s body for a counterattack right after being attacked.


    He did the same this time. That was why Embrio confronted Yong-ho''s attack from the front.


    Ophelia''s intention was passed on to Yong-ho, so he was convinced of what he saw.


    Embrio''s ability to regenerate was real, not tricky.


    Tsupahahahaha!


    Embrio jumped over the waves of the green flames. Although he was wounded by the heat of the ultra-high temperature, he didn''t care. By the time he passed through the flames, his wounds already regenerated. Thanks to the powerful magic field around his body, he had no fatal injuries.


    The huge spear in Embrio''s right hand stabbed into the air. His action was completely different from it when he fought Kaiwan. All his movements were optimized only for his attack. It was an extreme move that neglected his own defense.


    He was faster and more powerful. Yong-ho, who managed to get out of it by kicking the ground, grabbed Aamon. Then he stretched out Aamon toward Embrio, who was advancing again to get him.


    But Embrio didn''t avoid the attack. Rather he didn''t defend it. Aamon pierced Embrio''s abdomen. Embrio groaned in pain, but he didn''t collapse. Rather he took a step forward.


    Yong-ho quickly released Aamon from his hand. But it was already late. Likewise, Embrio''s right palm, who abandoned the huge spear, touched him. It was the so-called penetration strike.


    Embrio''s mighty mana began to spread with terrifying momentum.


    ***


    Yong-ho bounced off randomly. It was no exaggeration to say that he was thrown out almost a dozen meters or more.


    This was something abnormal that he never expected. Embrio''s penetration strike was a skill to destroy the opponent by pouring mana into his body. It was far from a technique to push the enemy out.


    Yong-ho rolled on the floor. Clenching his teeth, Embrio pulled out Aamon from his abdomen.


    His penetration strike failed. It was true that he touched Yong-ho for the penetration strike, and released all his mana, but that was it.


    Putting up with pain, Yong-ho raised himself up. His tattered left arm, covered with wounds, drooped.


    The moment Embrio turned to the penetration strike, Yong-ho moved his left hand. It was impossible for Yong-ho to clearly pinpoint Embrio''s target, so it was almost a miracle that he could avoid it.


    Fortunately, Embrio''s attack was straight and linear. Embrio touched Yong-ho''s left hand. At that moment, Yong-ho activated the Ring of Distortion and blocked his penetration strike with the Shield of Distortion. The reason why Young-ho bounced back was because the penetration strike couldn''t get into his body and only bounced off the Shield of Distortion.


    But Yong-ho''s defense was incomplete. Above all, he activated the Shield of Distortion too quickly. Although he managed to block the mana of the penetration strike, he could not block it completely. Even though he was exposed to just a little bit of Embrio''s mana, his left arm was in tatters. Probably, he couldn''t use his left arm during this battle.


    On the other hand, Embrio was still well and strong. Although his whole body was burned by the flames of the red lotus while he was separating Aamon from his hand, Embrio wasn''t wounded. As soon as he pulled Aamon out, he recovered his body in an instant, as if he was going against time.


    Yong-ho stared at Embrio and thought about his power. If his regeneration ability was his real power, he would never be truly immortal.


    ''Mana.''


    Only now could Yong-ho realize what it was.


    Embrio increased the concentration of mana that he was releasing around him, but he couldn''t hide the flow of mana completely.


    His mana was being consumed for regeneration. That meant that there was clearly a limit to his regeneration ability, as well.


    What should Yong-ho do now? Should he keep attacking Embrio until his mana run out?


    Bang!


    But Embrio didn''t let Yong-ho buy time. Yong-ho concentrated his consciousness.


    Instead of reading his mana, Yong-ho tried to read Embrio''s movements.


    He felt a sharp pain in his left arm again but tried his best to put up with it.


    Embrio''s right hand stabbed into the air. Embrio''s weapon wasn''t just the penetration strike.


    He had powerful mana based on the five horns, a stocky body, and superhuman patience and will to endure even the pain of his whole body being burned.


    Yong-ho barely managed to avoid Embrio''s right hand. However, his action was a trick to make Yong-ho avoid it. Embrio''s real attack came from his left hand.


    And Yong-ho also saw it. Embrio wasn''t the only one who set the trap.


    Yong-ho grabbed the air. Then the flames of the red lotus arose. Aamon, which Embrio had thrown on the floor, rose from Yong-ho''s right hand!


    Embrio couldn''t respond properly to Aamon''s sudden appearance. He couldn''t even use the secret weapon he had prepared for this battle when he was dealt a strong blow by Yong-ho.


    Aamon again pierced Embrio''s abdomen. Yong-ho held his breath. Instead of screaming, he poured magic into Aamon.


    The violent green flames arose roughly, burning Embrio''s body from the inside.


    But Yong-ho didn''t stop. He saw Embrio regenerating his body and collapsing amid the green flames. Embrio was gathering mana. Even in terrible pain, he raised his arm and grabbed Aamon, which showed truly his astonishing will.


    Embrio stared at Yong-ho while suffering from pain beyond imagination. Not content with grabbing Aamon, he took steps to narrow the distance with Yong-ho.


    Then Yong-ho once again poured out mana. Embrio''s body burned again. Thanks to the enormous power of mana, Yong-ho could notice Embrio''s bare bones.


    And Embrio took it as an opportunity. He delayed recovering his abdomen, so he could get out of Aamon. Even amid the pain of his hair turning white because of the intense heat, Embrio finally created a moment of counterattack.


    Yong-ho saw Embrio, so did Embrio!


    Bang!


    At that moment, Embrio''s right arm was bitten by something. It was Kaiwan''s whip sword that snatched it like a viper.


    "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"


    Kaiwan let out a screech. Then she pulled Embrio''s whole body with her left arm. Just like she did to Yong-ho on the 10th floor, she struck Embrio on the floor by swinging her whip sword violently.


    She held him only for a moment. She couldn''t hold him for long because her injuries were so severe that she found her left arm already losing strength.


    But that was enough. Time was made.


    Embrio regained freedom from Kaiwan by cutting off his right arm wrapped in the whip sword. Instead of attacking Kaiwan, who fell, exhausted and bloody, he grabbed the magic spear he created with mana. Then he ran into Yong-ho again.


    Yong-ho confronted him now. Appreciating Kaiwan''s help, he rushed toward Embrio.


    During the time Kaiwan created, Yong-ho kept pondering over how to defeat Embrio.


    Yong-ho and Embrio clashed.


    Embrio aimed at Yong-ho''s immovable left arm. Yong-ho also stabbed him with Aamon this time. Both attacked each other without thinking about their own defense.


    They crossed each other. Embrio was a little faster in attacking. He pierced Yong-ho''s left shoulder with the magic spear. But it lasted only a moment. Yong-ho didn''t stop.


    Enduring the pain, he stretched out his right arm. He stabbed Embrio''s chest with the magic spear of the red lotus, Aamon, and created the green flames of greed.


    They repeated the same attacks several times. Embrio activated the power of regeneration and at the same time focused on the magic spear. He wanted to release mana through the tip of the spear. But he did it differently now.

 144 Rebellion King Embrio 7

    Embrio, who was trying to heal his wounds by using his power, felt his power disintegrating.


    Death.


    A dark purple light flashed from the magic field in Yong-ho''s left arm. The terrible power of death ate away Embrio''s power.


    It was also excessive for Yong-ho. Scathach''s life and Baphomet''s death were different.


    The mana of death, raging insanely, pushed its blade into not only Embrio but also Yong-ho.


    Moreover, Embrio didn''t give up before the mana of death. He turned all the mana he was trying to exhale to Yong-ho toward Aamon. He resisted the mana of death while empowering the power of regeneration that was constantly diminishing.


    Embrio showed a truly thrillsome will, but Yong-ho didn''t care. The driving force of Embrio''s strong will wasn''t important to him. What really mattered was that he had to destroy Embrio at this moment.


    Embrio''s mana clashed against Yong-ho''s mana violently.


    This type of fight was new to Yong-ho. It could be called a showdown between the two men''s pure mana.


    Embrio was a little stronger when it came to mana itself. Because of the energy of death, Yong-ho didn''t fully absorb the Bone Dragon''s mana. Moreover, he used too much mana when he released the force of life.


    Yong-ho drew mana from Brigada and didn''t stop there. He hoped more than that to destroy Embrio. Yong-ho took the power of mana greedily!


    The power of combination magic, dungeon spirit Tigrius''s power as the master of the house, although the power of his soul was weakened, he still had it.


    Greed brought it out. Yong-ho screamed in extreme pain as if his head was breaking.


    He added a new light to the magic field emitting purple light.


    Scathach''s life was back in strong motion. To bring it out, Yong-ho consumed not only his mana but also his own force of life. He triggered the power of combination while staring at Embrio, astonished by his new power.


    It was a mess. It was the power of combination that he couldn''t properly control in the first place. But that was enough. Scathach''s life and Baphomet''s death didn''t cancel out.


    The two different forces repelled each other strongly and finally exploded!


    Death swallowed up Embrio''s power. The explosion caused by the opposite power of the two blew away Embrio''s magic.


    Embrio screamed. Yong-ho roared once again. The green flames of greed surged from Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus.


    ***


    Yong-ho''s knees were broken helplessly. He couldn''t hold up anymore and flopped down.


    He was breathing roughly. He felt like his heart was bursting. And his hand holding Aamon trembled violently.


    His mana ran out. He could no longer endure the pain. If he could, he wanted to collapse and faint right away.


    However, he once again clenched his teeth and looked straight ahead.


    Unlike Yong-ho himself, Embrio still had mana. But Embrio didn''t activate the power of regeneration. He barely breathed out occasionally.


    Yong-ho felt that Catalina was running toward him. Salami, which dared not to intervene in the fierce battle, flew down and landed on the ground to protect its defenseless master.


    Yong-ho caught his breath. He raised his upper body while falling forward and clenched his teeth. Although he took the Bone Dragon''s mana too quickly, it was definitely a driving force for his growth. Moreover, his evolution EXP had maxed out thanks to this fight.


    So, he had to stand up. He shouldn''t lose consciousness yet. He had to share Catalina''s mana to activate the power of evolution. There were still the remnants of Embrio''s troops in the House of Randolt and in the rear. The fight between Skull and the Death Knight was also not over.


    Yong-ho stood up. He stumbled, but he finally stepped forward.


    Watching him, Embrio''s hands trembled.


    The two faced each other again. Salami stood by Yong-ho''s side. Catalina''s black mana was gradually transferred to Yong-ho through Brigada.


    And at that moment, Embrio sprang to his feet. He passed by Yong-ho, who flinched because he couldn''t react instantly. Then Embrio poured all his remaining mana into the ground.


    Yong-ho flopped down again. Salami stood between the two.


    Embrio''s last attack didn''t miss. The black demon watcher, who was leaning out of the ground halfway, was killed when his heart burst. It was because Embrio activated the secret magic from the day he encountered the watcher.


    Yong-ho couldn''t understand the situation. But he realized it instinctively. Instead of attacking himself with the remaining mana, Embrio attacked the demon soaring from the ground.


    Embrio, who fell on the watcher''s body, closed his eyes. He couldn''t see any more. Now his mana ran out completely. He had no sign of recovering.


    Embrio smiled faintly then squeezed his voice and said, "King of Greed¡­ you''re back¡­"


    Actually, Embrio had been longing for his return throughout his life.


    He didn''t want to tell his story in detail nor did he want to persuade the King of Greed to understand him.


    He continued, "Hide your greed¡­ Beware of the King of Gluttony¡­"


    The watcher was killed. But nobody knew there might be another watcher. Even if it wasn''t true, the King of Gluttony would soon infer the situation.


    Embrio''s hearing, as well as sight, were paralyzed. Even his pain became dull. He didn''t question his own action. Maybe he projected his wishes and unfulfilled dreams onto the new King of Greed.


    "King of Greed," Embrio said for the last time. With a faint smile, he died.


    ***


    Embrio''s army scattered in all directions and fled.


    Rikum, who fought fiercely in the dungeon of the House of Randolt, didn''t know the situation of the battle. He simply flopped down on the floor, content with the fact that the battle was over.


    Tigrius, who not only helped Skull fight the Death Knight but also Embrio''s troops in the right-wing, was also exhausted. He was pretty much exhausted, but the old gentleman didn''t flop down. He rode his horse to command the surviving Free City troops.


    Skull''s armor was shattered again. Claymore was also so badly damaged that Skull could never use it again.


    However, Skull grabbed the half-broken Death Knight''s skull with his hand. Only after getting to Yong-ho, it rolled on the floor. As if to reassure him, Skull said in a dying voice even though it was already dead, "Skull Skull."


    Eligos fainted. Ophelia, leaning over Eligos, gave a grunt of pain. Since both of them were strong Red Demons, they could survive. Otherwise, they would have lost their lives by Embrio''s penetration strike.


    Catalina, who transferred all her mana to Yong-ho, drooped on Salami''s back. And she was satisfied with the current situation. She hasn''t heard Yong-ho''s answer to her confession, but she felt happy that she confessed and that he survived.


    "What a mess!"


    Squatting on the floor, Kaiwan spoke. She stretched her legs, leaning against some monster, not knowing whether it was an orc or not. She looked terrible, but at the same time, she looked pretty comfortable.


    Yong-ho squatted in front of Kaiwan. Thanks to Catalina sharing mana with him, he could barely move around. If he used mana again, it was certain that he would lose his strength completely, so he put off using the power of evolution later. He also decided to think about Embrio''s last words and actions later.


    "Thanks, Kaiwan."


    His short compliment contained his genuine and deep appreciation. He really thanked Kaiwan.


    Without her help, it would have been Embrio, not him, who was here.


    "You''re welcome. I had a very pleasant vacation thanks to you. I feel like I''m alive after a long time," she replied with a bright smile.


    He felt it before, but her smile was really charming. Moreover, the fact that she made such a smile at him alone was even more revealing.


    Alien mana was circulating around Kaiwan''s body. It was none other than Gusion''s mana, not anyone else''s.


    "I think I used too much mana. I''m sorry, but I need to return early. I think if I don''t go now, I might die soon. Let me go and get some treatment."


    Kaiwan was a dungeon spirit in the arena. Until the new owner of the arena appeared, the fate of her life and death was left with the arena.


    Yong-ho nodded.


    "Next time, I''ll get you discharged from there, not just vacation. Let''s eat a lot of delicious things again."


    "That''s great! I look forward to it."


    Kaiwan leaned down. Gusion''s mana grew stronger and stronger.


    "Yong-ho Chun."


    Kaiwan called him again. She seemed to hesitate for a moment then rolled her eyes and said, "It''s my wish. Don''t move and stay still. Don''t even answer."


    At that moment, Catalina pricked her ears. Salami felt something ominous.


    Yong-ho remained still as she requested, and she moved his body with a grunt.


    She wrapped his face with both hands and gently kissed his lips.


    Her kiss was short but very intense. It was different from when he kissed Ophelia.


    "Hehe."


    Kaiwan laughed in a silly manner, which didn''t fit her at all. After touching his cheek, who hardened like a stone statue, she winked at Catalina, who was shocked in fear.


    She winked at Catalina again and said with a smile, "See you later."


    Gushion''s mana enveloped Kaiwan and disappeared with her.


    Salami shook its head as if it shouldn''t have seen them. Catalina was drooping on Salami''s back just like wet laundry. She was about to cry now.


    Watching them all, Skull laughed heartily. Then it shouted once again for Yong-ho, who was overcome with deep emotions at the victory.


    "Skullkull!"


    The battle was over. It was a victory for the House of Mammon.

 145 Homecoming 1

    The southern and northern parts of the demon world were hugely different, like night and day. Unlike the southern area called an abandoned land, the northern part always played an important role in the history of demons.


    First, the land there was fertile. Even without special magical measures, they could do farming without any problem.


    There were rich underground resources, and transportation of goods on sea routes was brisk thanks to the three rivers that led to the deep sea, one of the three major seas of the demon world.


    However, it wasn''t because of this alone that the northern part was called "the blessed land". That was not the most important reason.


    There was a powerful flow of mana in the north. Since it was more powerful than any other area of ??the demon world, some even called it the "great flow."


    Perhaps, thanks to the powerful flow of mana, those in the north were often superior to those in other regions within the same race. It was because some were born with more mana than others.


    Those in the north were strong. They lived longer, and even their reproduction rate was faster than that of those in other areas.


    And there was one family that had dominated the northern part for a long time.


    That family was very special. Even in the long history of the demon world, there was no other family that could pair with that family.


    Originally, the Seven Deadly Sins couldn''t be inherited from generation to generation.


    Regardless of the current kings but also the previous ones, it was common that the house of the Seven Deadly Sins changed with the emergence of a new king.


    But this family was an exception.


    Since the Seven Deadly Sins emerged, this family had never lost the title as the Sin of Pride until now. The master of this house always reigned in the north as the King of Pride of the day. Even before the great King of Greed emerged thousands of years ago, his ancestors were the King of Pride. Even now, more than a thousand years later, they maintained that privilege.


    The dungeon of the King of Pride was the oldest dungeon in the demon world. The weight of the accumulated years surpassed the Labyrinth of Greed. All those born and raised in the north grew up, watching the dungeon of the King of Pride.


    The King of Pride was someone who reigned over the people. The first King of Pride thought that looking down on the earth from the sky befitted him. Therefore, his dungeon was not built underground. Built on the ground, the dungeon stretched toward the sky.


    The tower of Pride was the tallest skyscraper in the demon world.


    At that time, the King of Pride was on the top floor of the skyscraper. In his place while facing the sky, he thought about the worldly affairs.


    He was tall and his eyes were confident. He had gray hair and a strong build, with three eyes on his forehead.


    Wearing a pitch-black cloak adorned with black bird feathers, he grinned on the throne made of dozens of wings. He looked at the pieces on the chessboard again.


    The King of Fury was demonstrating force beyond the sea. But he didn''t care. The King of Fury was the weakest of the six kings, contrary to popular rumors. That ridiculous peace-seeker wouldn''t dare cross the sea.


    Like it or not, the King of Violence was a dragon. He was the guardian of the treasure.


    He usually crouched in his own nest, and he didn''t bother to provoke a war first.


    The rest of the kings were like him. So, the King of Pride was convinced they wouldn''t make the provocations.


    "It was too long."


    A false peace under the name of balance was no longer needed. Now, he needed destruction for a new beginning.


    The King of Pride made up his mind. He exercised psychokinesis to move the pieces of the chessboard.


    It wasn''t just the pieces that moved at that moment. The troops in the north crossed the border.


    He started a war.


    ***


    Yong-ho''s battle with Embrio was over. But it didn''t mean the war was over.


    There were lots of things Yong-ho had to take care of everywhere.


    The immediate problem was how to handle the remnants of Embrio''s army.


    Almost all those soldiers under Embrio''s command survived and left the battlefield.


    The troops of the House of Mammon didn''t even dare to chase them.


    Although they won, the damage was too great. Oros was killed, and more than two-thirds of the troops of the Free City, who followed Oros, were also killed with only two hundred surviving.


    Most of the Free City soldiers complained of extreme stress and fatigue. Therefore, it was impossible to have them pursue their enemies.


    Embrio''s soldiers dispersed in all directions. Most of them fled to the west, but there were quite a few who ran away deep into the south. Of course, nobody thought they would capture the dungeon of the House of Mammon or occupy the Free City.


    However, their existence itself was a headache for the south. It was necessary to subdue them sooner or later by defeating them or absorbing them into the south.


    Even Lotus, the Demon King of Wild Animals, who accompanied Embrio on this battle, also survived and escaped.


    It was okay if he ran to the west or north, but if he penetrated into the south, it was a different issue. Lotus was the master of a house with power. He was far from an ordinary remnant.


    The northern and eastern regions were also troublesome.


    In the north, there were several house masters who had surrendered to Embrio.


    Since they had been waiting in the north to stop the provocations by the east, it was difficult to judge how they would act after Embrio''s defeat.


    Currently, the biggest source of trouble was those in the east.


    They initially tried to fish in troubled water while Embrio was fighting with the House of Mammon. Now that Embrio was gone, it would be nothing strange if they attacked the south instead of the north. Of course, it was more likely that they would march into the ownerless north instead of attacking the south.


    This was the bigger problem in a sense.


    The immediate problems were more annoying and challenging.


    For example, problems such as the reorganization of the House of Randolt, collection of the Bone Dragon''s bones, the return to the House of Mammon, calming down the popular uneasiness in the Free City, and the restoration of dungeon spirits.


    Out of these headaches, the last one made it even more difficult for Yong-ho to handle things efficiently. Basically, he was short-handed for lots of work.


    Half a day passed after the battle with Embrio was over.


    Yong-ho was perching on the bed of the Demon King''s room in the deepest part of the House of Randolt. His outside wounds were healed thanks to another evolution through furthering physical strength, but that was it. His whole body ached.


    But he couldn''t fall asleep easily. It wasn''t just "cosmetic problems" that the House of Mammon faced today.


    What was the demon that Embrio defeated at the last minute?


    What did Embrio''s will mean?


    Yong-ho didn''t take Embrio''s essence and that of the demon that surged from the ground, for they were totally destroyed. It seemed to be the effect of the magic that Embrio activated for the last time.


    Beware of the six kings.


    Watch out for the King of Gluttony.


    Tigrius, the least injured among the dungeon spirits, couldn''t give counsel to Yong-ho because he was so busy with taking care of the aftermath of the battle. Ophelia, who usually served as an advisor to Yong-ho whenever problems like this happened, was also a patient now.


    Yong-ho gave up asking for their advice. It seemed that the best policy, for now, was to take a rest. It was foolish to just worry because there were so many problems.


    ''Well, I took care of the bigger problems anyway.''


    Actually, he was done with moving the wounded soldiers into the dungeon of the House of Randolt. Since most of the spaces of the house were fortified, most of the wounded soldiers had to lie down in the aisles or gathering places, but it was inevitable.


    ''Sure, that''s the way I should do right now.''


    Letting out a long breath, he turned his gaze to the side. He was faced with something he had to solve now.


    Catalina was sitting at the end of the bed quietly. Her long ears and tails were drooping on the floor. Even after the battle, she worked tirelessly until now. She was exhausted because she shared all her mana with Yong-ho.


    However, she might have another reason for letting her ears droop like that.


    He gulped before he knew it. The sound of him gulping was heard unusually loud. Yong-ho took a deep breath again.


    Even though he did so several times, he couldn''t calm down his pounding heart. Rather, his heart was beating more rapidly now. So, he said, pretending to be calm as much as possible, "Catalina."


    "Uh, uh, yeah! Master!" she said, flinching a little bit. But she was looking down at the floor.


    He clenched his teeth, which was really bad for his heart. He felt like his face was blushing.


    But he had to speak. So, he opened his mouth again, though stutteringly.


    "You know¡­ I mean what you said to me during the battle."


    Catalina slowly turned her head and looked at him.

 146 Homecoming 2

    She was nervous, too. As if she was scared, her eyes were welled with big tears.


    He couldn''t continue because his head was in a whirl at the moment.


    But she didn''t wait indefinitely. Instead of biting her lips, she pricked her ears straight.


    Facing him directly, she said, "I was serious when I said that."


    That was how far she could say.


    Even without Brigada and even without getting connected to the dungeon spirit, he could know her feelings. So, he answered, "I like you, too."


    In fact, Yong-ho thought of a lot of nice expressions about her, but that was all he could say calmly at the moment. He said again, "I mean I like you."


    It looked like a basic answer that even an elementary boy could say, but Yong-ho didn''t care.


    He saw her flapping her ears like wings after a long time. Despite her watery eyes, she couldn''t hide her lifting the corner of her lips with joy.


    His heart was beating faster again. She pulled her buttocks slightly and approached him.


    "Master¡­"


    "Uh?"


    "I hope you can grant my wish¡­ Will you?"


    He never expected it, but he nodded immediately. Honestly, it was impossible for him to think rationally now.


    She let out a big breath then swallowed and moved boldly. She narrowed her distance with him and said, seeing him face to face, "Please stay still. Don''t even talk."


    At that moment, he was going to say, ''Wait a minute,'' but stopped.


    He thought about what she just said because he had heard it before and several hours ago at that.


    Anyway, he stiffened like a piece of wood, and Catalina wrapped her cheeks with her trembling hands.


    Ophelia and Kaiwan did the same thing to him, and now Catalina was doing it.


    It seemed that he was born to be kissed rather than kiss somebody.


    Catalina gently closed her eyes. However, Yong-ho couldn''t close his eyes.


    He couldn''t take his eyes off her lips, getting closer to his lips little by little.


    "Ophelia, Enderion''s daughter, is interfering with the master of the great House of Mammon. I''m really really sorry. But It''s too urgent for me. And I think this is the perfect time."


    Startled, Yong-ho turned his head toward the direction where the voice came from.


    Catalina was standing in the corner of the room, boasting of her best agility among the dungeon spirits. She erected her tail as if she was quite surprised.


    Ophelia, the owner of the voice, alternately looked at her and Yong-ho with mixed feelings and narrowed her eyes. Salami was shaking behind Ophelia''s back for some reason.


    Clearing her throat once, Ophelia continued, "It''s not something like the enemy''s ambush. It''s because of the bones and restored items of the Bone Dragon."


    However, instead of falling and taking a break, Ophelia chose to move, clenching her teeth.


    She needed someone to take care of picking up the pieces after the battle.


    Even though Yong-ho and Catalina were busy with picking up the pieces after the battle, they weren''t yet used to it. It might sound arrogant, but without Ophelia, it would have taken much more time for Yong-ho to clean up after the battle.


    Ophelia said, "Although I collected the ruins of the battlefield in one place, I don''t have enough troops to guard and transport them. And it is not the right time for us to ask for additional troops from the Free City. So, I wish we could use the transport service of the Dungeon Market, although it was expensive. Besides, we need more medicine to treat the injured."


    The bones of the Bone Dragon were in themselves a great treasure. So, they shouldn''t be neglected.


    Despite that, the ruins of the bones were scattered on the battlefield randomly.


    In the eyes of former merchant Ophelia, it looked like the gold nuggets were up for grabs on the street.


    Yong-ho couldn''t answer right away. It wasn''t because he didn''t understand her request. Since he was busy cleaning up outside the dungeon until now, he knew well how badly the bones were neglected.


    The reason he agonized was because the House of Mammon had no cash reserve. The delivery service of the Dungeon Market was quite expensive as Ophelia said.


    Like an excellent dungeon spirit, Ophelia read his mind, and said, "You can pay for their service with some of the bones. I know it''s too good to pay with the bones, but it''s more urgent to safely move the bones of the Bone Dragon into the warehouse of the Mammon House and to heal the wounded. I am sorry, but I would like you to approve it."


    Ophelia found one more value in the bones of the Bone Dragon.


    Who made the Bone Dragon? Who the hell gave the Bone Dragon to Embrio?


    The clue on that question could be found in the bones. There weren''t so many individuals or groups with the ability to create undead monsters like the Bone Dragon.


    Such power was too strong for the master of a house in the abandoned southern land.


    The Death Knight and the Bone Dragon were too powerful dungeon spirits to be owned by the master of a house in the south.


    There must be somebody behind it. Be it an individual or a group, there was clearly a certain presence behind Embrio''s back.


    Yong-ho nodded at Ophelia. He stood up and approached her.


    "Let me approve it. I think you are in charge of the deal with the Dungeon Market, too, right?"


    "Sorry," she replied, narrowing her eyebrows.


    Since she was sincerely sorry, she couldn''t even smile.


    He smiled at her. Although he really wanted to take a break at the moment, he gave it up.


    "Okay, let me access the virtual space right now. But I also have something to order you."


    He grabbed Ophelia''s hand then led her to the bed, so she could sit on it.


    "Now, take some rest. Sleep first, and take care of other stuff after you wake up."


    Ophelia couldn''t answer right away because she felt like she would collapse on the bed when she was just sitting there.


    "Well, I think I have to greet you when you come back¡­"


    "Just go to sleep, lady."


    Yong-ho slightly winked at her and sat on a throne in one side of the demon king''s room.


    "Lucia, get ready for me to access the virtual space."


    [Okay, Master.]


    [And just a moment ago my heart was pounding.]


    Lucia giggled brightly. Yong-ho, who completely forgot Lucia was watching him all along, tried to calm down. Before accessing it, he saw Catalina for the last time.


    "I will be back."


    "I''ll wait."


    Catalina''s tail flapped. Yong-ho closed his eyes comfortably.


    He accessed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.


    ***


    It was the first time that Yong-ho accessed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market in a place other than the House of Mammon.


    He opened his eyes in a strange atmosphere.


    It was quiet. And there was nothing.


    He just blinked in a white space. It was a very familiar space, but he had never encountered anything like this.


    "Uh¡­ Sitri?"


    There was no answer from her. He looked around in a little anxiety.


    ''Was this such a terrible place?''


    The pure white horizon, which was just connected endlessly without even its shadow, was terrifying.


    What the hell happened? He tried calling her once again.


    "Sitri?"


    [Recognition number: 009]


    [Descendant of the man.]


    [Yong-ho Chun, the current master of the House of Mammon]


    [Your recognition has been completed. Welcome.]


    When the letters of light spread out in front of his eyes, he could hear the slightly stiff voice of a woman. Her voice was suddenly heard, but since he was familiar with it, he was rather relieved. It was a standard voice that could be heard everywhere, such as when they introduced the catalog of the Dungeon Merchant.


    The voice continued.


    [Sitri is currently attending the Dungeon Chamber of Commerce.]


    [You can''t chat with Sitri now.]


    [Would you like to go back? Or would you like to trade in normal mode?]


    Yong-ho knitted his eyes slightly. Maybe he was overconfident, but it was Sitri''s way of dealing with him. The Sitri that he used to be familiar with would have conveyed a direct message to him instead of relaying her message through a machine.


    ''Is she attending an emergency meeting?''


    He became curious. Sitri always described herself as a big shot in the Dungeon Market.


    And her statement wasn''t a lie. She was a powerful witch that had lived for over a thousand years.


    If it was an emergency meeting in which Sitri had to attend, the agenda was highly likely to be unusual.


    ''I wonder if it''s related to Embrio.''


    He momentarily questioned it, but he soon shook his head. There was zero possibility that the emergency meeting was about it.


    It was highly likely that it was a much bigger agenda at the meeting.


    Looking at the letters of light, Yong-ho asked, "Can''t I wait here until Sitri returns?"


    [You can.]


    [However, I can''t tell you exactly how long you have to wait until she comes back.]


    "How long has it been since the meeting started?"


    [I can''t answer that question.]


    In a way, it was a natural answer.


    Instead of asking more, Yong-ho moved his fingers. Although he couldn''t see Sitri at the moment, the whole white space made him adjust to the situation. A chair that looked very fluffy rose behind his back.


    "Let me wait here. Can I browse the catalog of the Dungeon Market?"


    [Sure, you can. I hope you have a great time.]


    The letters of light disappeared. And, as if it could be a substitute, a round sphere of light was formed around his left hand.


    Buried deep in the white chair, he gently touched the sphere of light. Then, a familiar catalog of the Dungeon Market opened in the air.


    The reason he chose to wait wasn''t just because he was curious about the results of the meeting that Sitri attended. He needed a direct deal with her. Since he wanted to pay with the bones of the Bone Dragon for the delivery service, it was absolutely necessary for him to negotiate with her about the price.


    ''Good.''


    He decided to relax. Being connected to the virtual space itself consumed mana, but now he had five horns. The amount of mana recovered naturally was more than that consumed in the virtual space. If he could stop being impatient, he could have a pleasant break.


    ''What a big catalog!''


    It was different from the limited catalog that Sitri had shown to him so far. The general catalog of the Dungeon Market boasted of very detailed items because of the vast variety of its trading items. Yong-ho first typed Bone Dragon on the search bar. Soon, the complicated stuff on the screen disappeared and a concise sentence appeared on it.

 147 Homecoming 3

    [Catalog of 6-Star Dungeon Spirit]


    [Most items can''t be bought here.]


    [If you want to buy them, please consult with the person in charge.]


    Until now, the dungeon spirits Yong-ho dealt with were those with three stars at most.


    6-star dungeon spirit? He admired it unwittingly.


    Without Scathach''s force of life, he would never have beaten the Bone Dragon.


    ''I see.''


    He now understood why it was so strong. At the same time, he had some doubts.


    How did Embrio get the Bone Dragon?


    The price of the Bone Dragon was astronomical. Since he developed a gold mine, Yong-ho could make a lot of money, but that wasn''t enough.


    Of course, Embrio must have been richer than Yong-ho himself. Still, it seemed difficult for Embrio to buy the Bone Dragon, Yong-ho thought. First of all, its price was too expensive, but there was another essential problem here. In other words, the Bone Dragon wasn''t a dungeon spirit that he could get with money alone.


    Yong-ho closed his eyes gently. There were a few things that came to his mind, but instead of jumping to conclusions, he decided to sleep on it for now. He needed some more information about Embrio.


    ''Let me take care of what I can do now.''


    After opening his eyes, Yong-ho looked for things he could do with the bones of the Bone Dragon.


    Things he imagined were laid before his eyes¡ªvarious weapons made from dragon bones.


    A smile came to his lips naturally. He wasn''t sure if Burgrim could smelt the dragon''s bones, but if Burgrim could, it would be a jackpot for Yong-ho because he could have a whole dragon''s bones dozens of meters long.


    Overly excited at the prospect, Yong-ho checked the price of weapons made from dragon bones. Once again, he smiled happily.


    ''I think I will make a lot of money by trading the dragon bones.''


    He seemed to know why Ophelia was so anxious. It was natural for her to get nervous when she saw such a trove of gold was being neglected on the street.


    Yong-ho gulped and browsed the catalog again because something came to his mind suddenly.


    ''Got it!''


    [4-Star Dungeon Spirit]


    [Dragon soldier]


    [Skeleton born from dragon''s bones]


    [Made with dragon bones as a material, it boasts of much stronger defensive power than an ordinary skeleton.]


    [Depending on the type and age of the source dragon, its properties and strength are different.]


    Yong-ho fidgeted with his fingers in a row. This time, he looked for the menu items on the scroll item, not dungeon spirits.


    [Scroll of dragon soldier creation]


    [* Dragon bones needed.]


    [* It is recommended to purchase dragon bones together.]


    Fortunately, it existed. Yong-ho breathed a breath of relief.


    Although the House of Mammon had a good wizard like Tigrius, he was a novice in terms of necromancing.


    He felt really empowered, imagining that Skull would be reborn as a Bone Dragon.


    He felt satisfied as if his belly was full without eating anything.


    While fighting Embrio, he realized very clearly that the battle in the demon world was different from that in the human world. The combat power of each dungeon spirit was truly superhuman, so it was possible to overshadow numerical superiority by qualitative strength.


    Initially, Yong-ho reluctantly chose the elite soldiers under the inevitable circumstances, but he had a vision. It was better for him to produce ten elite soldiers at the cost of producing one thousand troops with poor armament and combat power. It was a difficult task for ordinary masters of houses, but Yong-ho himself had the power of evolution. And he could make it.


    After googling on the Bone Dragon and dragon soldiers, Yong-ho checked the dungeon spirits, feeling more relaxed. He didn''t check them out for purchase or window shopping. He examined the genealogy of high-class dragon soldiers one by one.


    ''Let me buy them low and grow them for battle.''


    What he paid special attention to was the top-level class. They were clearly different from the class of flames that he came across accidentally.


    Ifrit, the crown of flames in the shape of a beautiful woman.


    Wicantra, the crown of the land in the shape of a powerful giant.


    And the top-level crown with the remaining five attributes.


    ''Oh, Salami is also in their league.''


    However, Salami was already too far from Ifrit. Perhaps, without repeatedly evolving itself until it became something like a dragon, it would hardly be close to a human shape.


    Some time passed, and it was time for Yong-ho to pile up purchase items in his head.


    While the letters of light were splitting in front of his eyes, a dazzling beauty appeared.


    "Dear client, thank you for waiting."


    Sitri was there as always. After greeting Yong-ho who stood up happily for greetings, she created a chair across him.


    "I had to attend a meeting because something urgent happened."


    She frowned slightly as if she was in trouble.


    Yong-ho asked carefully, "Have you solved the problem?"


    "No, not yet. It''s just the beginning. It looks like this kind of meeting will continue for some time."


    Sitri smiled cheerfully. After seeing her smile, he was convinced that even though Sitri would give him some hints about the meeting, she wouldn''t tell him what happened at the meeting or why the meeting was held.


    Sitri changed the topic.


    "My dear client, what has brought you here?"


    She looked so beautiful when she asked him, tilting her head a bit. But even before he answered, she clapped her hands and said with a bright smile, "Oh my God! I would like to congratulate you from the bottom of my heart. The fact you are here right now means that my dear client has defeated Embrio, right?"


    Her statement made it clear that the agenda of the meeting wasn''t Embrio''s defeat.


    He nodded with a smile. Sitri suddenly narrowed her eyes and said, "By the way, I don''t think that''s the only thing I want to celebrate. Any other good news?"


    He couldn''t manage his expression. Faced with his silly expression, she pulled her body slightly back.


    "Well¡­ I feel like my loyalty to my dear client has been weakened very slightly. Don''t make such an expression before other ladies. That''s my sincere advice."


    But Yong-ho couldn''t help but laugh. Recalling Catalina flapping her ears, he cleared his throat once again. Changing his expression this time, he said, "I would like to trade the bones of the Bone Dragon."


    His deal with Sitri was quick and cheerful, as always,


    So, he sold the entire left leg bone of the Bone Dragon. In return, he purchased the delivery service by the Dungeon Market, a large number of recovery items, and a scroll to create dragon soldiers.


    In his mind, the price of the Bone Dragon''s bones were sold a little lower, but he didn''t protest because he didn''t think Sitri wouldn''t force him to price down the bones.


    As if she read his mind, she added lightly, "If you incur the wrath of the undead, the value of the dragon''s bones is supposed to go down because the energy of death resides in the dragon''s bones. Please keep this in mind if you are going to smelt the bones of the Bone Dragon."


    Yong-ho just laughed bitterly.


    The deal was all over. He enjoyed his conversation with her, but he stood up because he wanted to take a break more than anything else now.


    "Let me leave now. See you next time."


    "Can I give you a piece of advice before you leave?"


    Sitri also stood up. Getting closer to him, who was puzzled, she whispered, "If you are going to visit the ''house,'' you had better hurry up. If you delay, you might not have time to visit."


    He looked at her. Hiding her expression, he stepped back. It was just clear that her advice was related to an emergency meeting.


    "I love you, client. See you next time."


    Bowing to him, she disappeared after winking at him. It seemed like she was asking him to find out more by himself if he was curious.


    It was clear that something big had happened to the demon world. Given Sitri''s attitude, it didn''t seem like it would have a direct negative impact on him, but he had no choice but to be careful from now on.


    He shook his head once. He pulled himself together and closed his eyes.


    Then he logged out of the virtual space.


    ***


    [Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat]


    [Lubb-dupp]


    [You can treat me as if I don''t exist. I can understand.]


    Between breakfast and lunch the next day Yong-ho, who barely woke up from more than ten hours of sleep, listened to Lucia, half asleep. Had Catalina not woken him up, he would have slept for a few more hours.


    "Sorry to wake you up¡­"


    "No, you don''t have to. I asked you to wake me up by this time. Thanks."


    Smiling softly, he got up from his bed and stretched himself lightly.


    He stroked Catalina''s head. He looked around in no time and kissed her lips lightly.


    He felt good but shy at the same time. Catalina raised her tail with her ears blushing.


    [Wow, oh my gosh!]


    [Will you really treat me like someone who really doesn''t exist?]


    [Don''t you know I''m watching you?]


    Letting Lucia''s complaint in one ear and out the other, he pinched Catalina''s cheek.


    He wanted to touch her more, but he didn''t want to be trapped by Lucia.


    [Brrrr]


    [Whiny]


    [Sob sob]


    Seeing Lucia expressing onomatopoeia in a row, it seemed that Lucia was really sad or angry. Since Lucia was like his alter ego, it was natural that Lucia reacted like that.


    He left the room after teasing Catalina and Lucia a little more in different ways.


    After having a quick meal, he gathered the dungeon spirits and Rikum, the leader of defense of the House of Mammon in one place.


    "You guys did a great job."


    He was serious. Indeed, all of them suffered so much that none were in good shape.


    Yong-ho looked back at Rikum, who was bandaged almost all over her body.


    "Rikum, all the dungeon spirits who participated in the battle will receive due rewards. Thank you for surviving."


    The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were not characters in games. They were real human beings with their own lives. So, he needed to give them due rewards, aside from his compliments. He could not get their loyalty for nothing.


    Tigrius, perhaps the least injured among them, said, "The delivery service team of the Dungeon Market has started shipping the bones of the Bone Dragon. You don''t have to worry because they are quick and accurate."


    But Tigrius was also exhausted like others because he was tasked with cleaning up after the fight for the reason he was the least wounded.


    Seeing him for a moment, Yong-ho turned his head to the side. He noticed something unusual in Tigrius''s eyes.


    "Do you want to say something?"

 148 Homecoming 4

    Instead of answering immediately, Tigrius moved his lips up and down a few times, something unusual for his typical reaction.


    After hesitating for a moment, Tigrius said, "I''m sorry to say this, but I would like to get some bones of the Bone Dragon. Just a little bit."


    Although he was an ascetic and perfect old gentleman, he was also a wizard.


    Above all, what he wanted was the bones of the Bone Dragon. If he wanted, he could use it not only as weapons material but also material for magic experiments or a catalyst for various powerful magic. Moreover, the bones that Yong-ho got this time were those of a fully-grown dragon.


    It was natural for a wizard to covet the bones.


    Yong-ho smiled brightly at his desperate gaze. Since he became one of his dungeon spirits, Tigrius had never expressed his desire openly, so Yong-ho wanted to grant his request.


    "I can''t say you can use them to your heart''s content, but you can use some of them. You can trust me."


    "Thank you."


    As if he felt a bit embarrassed, Tigrius didn''t hide his smile. Watching him, all of the other dungeon spirits showed approving smiles. Fighting at the risk of his life, Tigrius was already a member of the House of Mammon.


    Rikum said again, "I think we will be done cleaning up before dark."


    "How about the funeral?"


    "I think we can handle their bodies here quickly and proceed with it formally after returning to the Free City. Because of the compensation for the killed, I don''t think we can wrap up the matter in a hurry."


    The funeral was not only for the dead but also for the living.


    The Free City had the largest pool of talent that was available to Yong-ho.


    Since they had a potential for the city''s development, Yong-ho could never treat the matter lightly.


    Ophelia''s face turned somewhat gloomy as if she recalled Oros, the maniac commander of the Free City who lost his life to the Bone Dragon.


    Rikum continued to brief Yong-ho about the recovery status of the injured and the fatigue of the remaining troops.


    "Okay, let''s discuss what to do next from now on. Ophelia, please go ahead first."


    When Yong-ho pointed to her, she stood up and said after greeting him briefly, "The battle is just over, so there is a lot of speculation. I''m sorry, but I hope you can take this into account."


    It was unavoidable. There was clearly a limit to Ophelia''s intelligence. Above all, she was exhausted at the moment. No matter how strong she was as a Red Demon, she couldn''t heal her severe wounds right away.


    What she said up to this point was already discussed yesterday.


    Pointing to the northern and eastern parts of the southern area, she continued, "It''s been a day since the battle was over, so I guess rumors are already spreading. In fact, the north is more of a problem than the ruined west, but since the north is located very far from the south, and people there are faced with the army in the east, so they don''t pose an immediate threat. In my opinion, they will be absorbed by the eastern army, or they will enter into a power struggle among themselves after repelling the eastern army.


    There were numerous geographic patterns that could not easily pass between the north and south. The reason why Embrio hit the south from the outskirts of the west was partly to block the east from outside support, but the main reason was because attacking the south right from the north was geographically difficult.


    "The biggest problem is the people in the east. They are maintaining their troops safely at the moment. But I can say with certainty that they won''t be a threat to the House of Mammon and its master."


    Even Ophelia herself was confident that she could defeat the head of the eastern army.


    The House of Mammon was strong, as evidenced in this battle.


    Eligos was moved to tears quietly. Catalina also suppressed her feelings by biting her lips slightly. The two dungeon spirits, who saved the House of Mammon from the verge of collapse, felt like the present situation was a dream.


    "Since there are so many survivors, the rumors will spread specifically and widely. If the masters of houses in the east are smart enough, they won''t act recklessly."


    Although they thought of fighting Embrio after occupying the northern area, either Embrio or the House of Mammon was much stronger than they expected. If they heard the outcome of the battle this time, it was highly likely that they would get scared and refrain from provoking.


    "There are two options for the eastern army¡ªattack the north as it is now, or go back to their homeland and preserve their power."


    "I guess they''ll attack the north."


    There was a real possibility that they would attack the north. They already rose up the army and needed to strengthen their army to challenge Yong-ho. Moreover, now that the power of the House of Mammon declined greatly after fighting Embrio, this was the right time for them to attack him. If they hesitated a little longer, they would have no choice but to withdraw their army even if they didn''t want to, for the east, their main base, would be likely occupied by the House of Mammon in the south.


    Ophelia nodded as if she agreed with Yong-ho''s prediction.


    "In fact, either way is good for us. If they attack the north, we can give back what they were trying to profit from us while we''re fighting Embrio."


    Yong-ho had nothing to lose in this situation. The House of Mammon had the necessary power.


    Eligos, who wiped his tears off slightly with a handkerchief, asked Ophelia, "Can we expand to the west?"


    "Unfortunately or fortunately, there is little left for us to take in the devastated west.


    Luckily enough, it seems that there are some supplies left in the last city... As soon as it is known that Embrio was dead, they will be the target of looting. The west will be simply hell. Maybe sooner or later, refugees will come from the west to the south in droves."


    Ophelia, who responded affectionately to Eligos, turned to Yong-ho.


    Yong-ho nodded because he agreed with her.


    When she was done talking, Rikum said again, "In order to expand to the west, we need some time to heal. I''m sorry to say this, but we need infantry to conquer and maintain the dungeons and estates there. Although we won, the number of troops we can mobilize from the House of Mammon was greatly reduced. I recommend you focus on restoring your strength, first of all."


    Yong-ho accepted his recommendation because he was right.


    After pausing for a moment, Yong-ho had everybody pay attention to him.


    He said in a calm voice, "I''m going to tell you about another topic."


    He was not going to talk about the post-battle cleanup or prediction of what was coming next.


    Turning his eyes away from them slightly, he said, "Embrio was definitely a strong man. He was a faithful hero who unified the north and the west in just a few months. But even so, I feel that the troops he mobilized in the battle yesterday were excessive. In particular, the Bone Dragon."


    "Are you saying that somebody is behind Embrio?" Tigrius asked.


    Yong-ho nodded at his sharp question.


    "I think that''s very likely."


    "If someone is really behind his back, he must be extraordinary. Apart from the Death Knight, the Bone Dragon is really in a different league."


    At least in the southern area, there were none who could possess a Bone Dragon. Money wasn''t the problem. Top-class dungeon masters could not be bought with money alone.


    Moreover, the Bone Dragon that Yong-ho defeated this time was not included in the catalog of the Dungeon Market.


    If so, it was the Bone Dragon that the Dungeon Market created secretly, or one created independently by an individual or a group without the help of the Dungeon Market. Either way, its scale was too big. Even considering the whole land of the demon world, not just the southern area, there were not many who could create a Bone Dragon.


    "From now on I want to make a little assumption. You can take it far-fetched. So, take that into account when you listen."


    Not only Tigrius, but also Ophelia made a subtle expression.


    Clearing his throat once, he said, "Embrio acted strangely before he died. Instead of attacking me with his full might, Embrio chose to protect me."


    "Protected you?" Ophelia asked suddenly. Since she didn''t hear it yesterday, she was obviously embarrassed to hear it.


    "The black demon that thrust through the ground tried to ambush me. I was so exhausted and focused on Embrio then that I didn''t notice it, but Embrio killed the guy. He killed it by using an enormous amount of magic as if he expected its attack in advance."


    Yong-ho couldn''t take the essence of Embrio and the black demon because the last magic used by Embrio completely destroyed the essence of both.


    It didn''t seem like he improvised this kind of magic hastily. Maybe it was magic that he had prepared only to defeat the black demon because he never used it while fighting Yong-ho, who had magic as powerful as that.


    "He left me a strange will. ''Hide your greed. Beware of the six kings, especially the King of Gluttony.''"


    Having said that, Yong-ho waited for a moment. Rikum and Tigrius sprang to their feet almost simultaneously.


    "Really?!"


    It was not because Embrio left a will that they were astonished. They were more worried about some facts contained in the will.


    "Yes, Rikum, I am the King of Greed with the sin of greed."


    Yong-ho admitted it. Looking back at Tigrius who was making an astonished expression, he raised his right hand and said, "And this is Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus."


    The flames rose. They saw it many times, but it was still very fresh to Rikum and Tigrius.


    That was true. It wasn''t something like the flames of the demon king.


    Yong-ho''s magic up to now was not dependent on artifacts.


    The return of the King of Greed, Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus that guards him at hand, and the legendary-like beings in the demon world.


    Tigrius felt calm amid the confusing situation, for only now could he understand it.


    The miraculous actions that Yong-ho showed him so far were far from those by an inexperienced and young demon king. He was the true king of the south that finally returned.


    Grabbing Aamon again, Yong-ho waited until Rikum and Tigrius sat down.


    Then he said in a low voice, "Embrio told me to hide the fact that the King of Greed appeared. And he warned me to be wary of the King of Gluttony among the six kings. So, I''ve guessed in reverse from here."

 149 Homecoming 5

    Yong-ho put several pebbles on top of the entire map of the southern area. They pointed to Yong-ho himself, Embrio, the King of Gluttony, and the black demon, respectively.


    "The mastermind of Embrio is the King of Gluttony. And the black demon is his minion that he placed to monitor or help Embrio."


    "Monitor him?"


    "If they had a cooperative relationship, it''s illogical that Embrio killed the black demon. So, I think Embrio and the King of Gluttony maintained the type of relationship that helped them use each other, not a master-servant relationship.


    Tigrius nodded and said, "Assuming that the King of Gluttony coveted the southern area, that makes sense. If Embrio tried to use the King of Gluttony as you said, he might have plotted to revolt deep down."


    It was also possible that the King of Gluttony tried to use a surrogate called Embrio instead of directly confronting Yong-ho.


    "It''s not just because of the barren environment that the southern area had been abandoned. It''s because nobody wanted any of the six kings to take possession of the southern land, the birthplace of Mammon, the great King of Greed."


    According to his logic, the King of Gluttony used the surrogate to unify the southern area and ruled it behind the scenes.


    "If so, what you have just said means that Embrio betrayed the King of Gluttony at the last minute. Not only did he save you by killing the watcher, but also, it warned you against the King of Gluttony," said Tigrius.


    Yong-ho nodded at Tigrius'' assumption.


    Catalina, who was silent until now, narrowed her eyebrows and asked, "Did Embrio hate the King of Gluttony so much?"


    Based on his explanation, Embrio took the last step of interfering with the King of Gluttony''s scheme instead of dealing a fatal blow to Yong-ho who killed him.


    At first glance, Embrio''s action could not be understood.


    "Maybe he projected himself onto you, master. Or he might have changed his mind just before dying."


    Yong-ho nodded at Ophelia''s analysis. Actually, he also thought of it, too.


    He said, "There are too many assumptions here from the beginning. I don''t think it''s a good idea to jump to any conclusion before we gather more information about Embrio''s intention. I would like to pay more attention to the King of Gluttony."


    Ophelia said, "First of all, I think it''s better for you to keep hiding the power of greed, as Embrio said. The other kings will not stand still when they hear the seventh King of Greed has returned."


    "That''s why I''m thinking of choosing to build up our strength in the south rather than expanding into the west immediately. In that case, we can leave the north and the east as they are," Yong-ho responded.


    Actually, he didn''t need to hurry. What he needed now was not an external expansion.


    The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon who knew the truth of the Labyrinth of Greed understood his intention.


    His priority was to attack the Labyrinth of Greed and complete his Godly Energy.


    Eligos recalled the arena more than anything else. If Yong-ho controlled the arena and obtained all of the dungeon spirits there, including Gusion, he would not need to fear anything, even if his rival were the King of Gluttony. He could deal with the king easily.


    When Catalina, Eligos, Skull, and Ophelia, who could be called his original dungeon spirits, exchanged meaningful glances with each other, Tigrius felt a strange sense of alienation, but he remained silent. As he did today, he believed that one day he would hear from Yong-ho about it directly.


    When they almost wrapped up their conversation, Yong-ho brought out the last topic.


    "Ophelia, collect intelligence about the northern part of the demon world."


    "Are you talking about the northern part of the demon world, the territory of the King of Pride?"


    If the southern area was at the southern end of the demon world, the King of Pride''s territory was located at the northern end. Since both territories were at the opposite end, they were too far from each other.


    But Yong-ho had a good reason to ask Ophelia for it.


    "When I accessed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market yesterday, Sitri was attending an emergency meeting. And she said to me, ''If you don''t do it now, you won''t have any time to visit home.''"


    "No way¡­"


    "She may have said it simply because of the southern area, but I don''t think that''s all. It is possible that the fight between the King of Pride and the King of Envy has escalated more than they expected."


    In fact, Yong-ho had never been outside the south, let alone the southern area itself. However, he could easily guess that the fight between two kings would have a great influence on the entire demon world. It was just like the fighting between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War era.


    "If that''s true, it''s a grave situation," Tigrius moaned.


    If something went wrong, the whole demon world would be engulfed in the flames of war.


    While everyone was in a serious mood, Catalina curled her lips again.


    After hesitating for a moment, she asked carefully, "Master, aren''t you planning to visit the human world?"


    "Well, very briefly. Aside from my homesickness, I have to."


    The door of space was already completed. Moreover, he felt this was the only opportunity to visit his hometown as Sitri said. If he dragged his feet a little longer, he would not be able to leave this place because of the King of Gluttony as well as his concern about the northern and the eastern parts.


    Yong-ho turned to Eligos and said, "How often do I have to visit?"


    "You have become so strong, compared with when you just came to the throne of the master of the House of Mammon. If you visit this time, you will have no problems for at least hundreds of years."


    Yong-ho was already a powerful existence that was half a human and half a demon. To describe him, he could be called a ''hybrid demon'' like Catalina.


    In the case of Burgrim or Asran, a hero of the alien world, who he had seen at the auction house of the Dungeon Market, they didn''t need to regularly visit their hometowns even though they were from the alien world. It was because, unlike Yong-ho, they were already familiar with mana before they came to the demon world.


    "Okay, I think I have to visit my hometown quickly."


    He didn''t intend to stay long. Maybe for two to three days.


    He wanted to say hi to his parents and reassure them about his safety then return quickly.


    At that moment, he suddenly laughed playfully because of Catalina''s expression, who was standing behind his back.


    "Why? Will you miss me even if I am absent for a few days?"


    Only now could they confirm each other''s affection. Definitely, she would miss him.


    However, she couldn''t even say yes immediately. When she blushed without answering, he took her hand and said, "You don''t have to be disappointed because I''m going with you."


    Astonished, she blinked, and Eligos and Opelia, who had already talked about it, exchanged meaningful glances. And Salami, waiting outside the door in the hallway, shook its head and clicked its tongue.


    ***


    [Any dungeon spirit will do. How about Ophelia, Eligos, Tigrius, or Skull, except for Catalina?]


    [In terms of camouflage, I think Tigrius is the best!]


    Late at night, Lucia urgently made an offer to Yong-ho, who just returned from the House of Mammon quickly.


    He needed to have one dungeon spirit accompanying him on his visit to his hometown.


    The dungeon spirit was supposed to escort him but would also assist him by using the magic for his return to the demon world.


    Yong-ho, a human being, was like a sign in the human world. Because of him, they could stably create the coordinate of the door of space leading to the human world.


    That was why he needed its opposite. If someone in the demon world directly connected to Yong-ho closely accompanied him, it would be possible to obtain more stably the door of space leading to the demon world than he himself passed it alone.


    So, Yong-ho chose Catalina. Besides, she was his escort knight. In all respects, she was the right candidate.


    But Lucia didn''t seem to think so.


    [Master?]


    [Master?]


    [You''re so mean! If you cross into the human world, I can''t watch, or protect you!]


    How could Lucia watch or protect him?


    So, he quickly ignored her suggestion this time. He picked up the communications gear and talked to Ophelia, who remained in the House of Randolt.


    (I will restore the power of the House of Mammon as much as possible during your absence.)


    (Don''t worry about the situation here. Have a safe and pleasant trip!)


    Yong-ho also replied shortly because the device could only convey short messages.


    "Okay, I hope I''m in your good hands."


    (I, Enderion''s daughter, Ophelia, will try to meet your expectations.)


    His communication with Ophelia was cut off.


    He looked back at the dungeon spirits who came out to see him off.


    "Master, have a great trip."


    Yuria, already the cutie of the House of Mammon, said goodbye to him on behalf of them.


    She was really cute when she slightly bowed to lift her skirt.


    He stroked her head gently.


    "Let me buy you a present. Have you heard about chicken?"


    "Chicken?"


    "Yes, trust me. It''s incredibly delicious. It is also a symbol of world peace. If I can, I''ll bring Coke, too."


    Yuria''s eyes twinkled at his grand explanation. Baduk, who was next to him, drooled at the name of the food. As a result of repeated evolution, Baduk turned into a reliable creature, but it was still a simple animal.


    After exchanging his gaze with Salami lastly, he stood at the door of space.


    Just like he did when he first met her, he gently grabbed Catalina''s hand, who was dressed in a suit.


    [Please have a great trip!]


    [Please say hello to your father!]


    This time, Yong-ho didn''t ignore Lucia''s words.


    After greeting her, he turned to Catalina.


    "Shall we go?"


    "I, Escort Knight Catalina, will risk my life to protect you, master!"


    Although she said it gravely, her ears and tail flapped.


    How would his father react when he saw this escort knight?


    Lucia activated the door of space. Almost all of the mana produced daily by the House of Mammon was put into the door of space. As it was not sufficient, about half of the mana she accumulated for the past few days was exhausted.


    Mana swirled inside the empty circular frame of the door of space, creating a plate of blue mana that moved like a wave.


    There was a road that led to the human world over there.


    Yong-ho didn''t leave for the human world for good. It would be his brief visit.


    Nonetheless, his heart was pounding.


    He stepped forward and threw himself into the door of space with Catalina.

 150 Mammon’s Legacy 1

    This time, he felt different when he accessed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.


    This time, he felt somewhat different when he passed through the secret passage to the arena.


    The feeling when the water of Scathach''s life covered his whole body.


    The moment he felt it, he lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes again, completely different senses dominated his whole body.


    Time has passed. He could recognize it. He only closed and opened his eyes, but there was definitely something in between.


    Yong-ho breathed. He quickly regained the sensation of his whole body. He felt the warmth and softness at his fingertips.


    Regardless of who was the first, Yong-ho raised his upper body almost at the same time as Catalina. Sitting down, they looked back, as if they promised to do so.


    Their mana was swirling. It looked like he was seeing the distortion created inside the dungeon.


    The twist that sprinkled a brilliant light naturally became smaller and fixed at the size of a small tennis ball. Only then could Yong-ho afford to look around.


    He opened his mouth wide open. It was foreign and familiar to him. It was strangely unfamiliar to him because almost all of the large furniture such as the bed and desk disappeared, but it was definitely Yong-ho''s own room. The wallpaper and ceiling he was used to seeing for the past ten years proved that it was his room.


    He was back. This was Earth, the human world.


    Perhaps, since he realized he was back to his home, he felt that even the air was different.


    He could hardly see the flow of the demon world, which he always saw in the demon world by concentrating his consciousness. In fact, he was freed from the demon world now.


    "It''s my home," he said.


    Catalina looked around, flapping her ears slightly. When she first took him, she couldn''t afford to look around because she took him only in haste.


    He couldn''t pay much attention to her. He suddenly rose from his seat and shouted again.


    "My home!"


    The smell of the room he missed so much tickled his nose. In fact, there was nothing special that he could smell in the room, but he was touched anyway.


    He quickly opened the door and shouted instinctively, "Dad! Son is back! Dad!"


    But he heard no answer from his father. There was no one in the living room.


    Catalina said cautiously, "There seems to be no one in this house right now."


    Actually, she was much better at sensing human presence than him.


    He nodded. Come to think of it, it was natural there was nobody at home at this time.


    ''I think Daddy went to work. Chicken house. Our family business.''


    ''Since your son has the talent of a demon king, we are inviting him as the master of the House of Mammon.''


    That was what was written in the letter, according to Eligos and Catalina.


    If the letter had been found in another house, his father might have suspected that his son, who was in delusion, left a strange letter before leaving the house, but Yong-ho''s house was special. Maybe his father might have been happy to learn that his son finally carried out his determination.


    ''Um, my father might have thought so.''


    His father might have even thought that it should be him, not his son, that Eligos and Catalina should have taken.


    Thinking about his father, Yong-ho calmed down. Although he was still excited, he could think about lots of other things.


    He looked at Catalina. She was good. Her ears and tails flapped vigorously.


    "Good."


    After checking something out, which Catalina could not understand, Yong-ho looked back at himself. He first checked what he brought with him from the demon world.


    His suit as the Demon King, reminiscent of a semi-suit, was neat. The magic field on his left arm was also kept well in the form of gloves, and the flame bracelet, another form of Aamon, was kept in good shape.


    He injected a little mana into Aamon. As if to respond, there was a faint green flame around the bracelet. He could feel Aamon.


    Next, he opened the leather pocket on his waist. It was barely the size of a fist, but what was inside was special. It was full of items that seemed expensive at the first glance.


    It was the human world without the Dungeon Market. Although he was going to stay here for a few days, he didn''t want to be financially pinched as the Demon King. Besides, he wanted to make fortune for his father.


    If he could have his way, he wanted to bring much more than now. However, since he spent so much money for the fight against Embrio, there weren''t many cash assets he could bring immediately.


    ''How fortunate!''


    Not only Catalina and Eligos, but also Ophelia did not know well about the movement between the two different worlds through the door of space. Even wizard Tigrius and Burgrim, who experienced moving between the two different worlds knew little about this field.


    What Yong-ho knew for sure was that all kinds of electronic devices, such as a computer and cell phone that he carried with him when he was first taken to the demon world were destroyed. Besides, those with a fairly complex internal structure among the items in the desk drawer were ruined without exception.


    On the other hand, the clothes Yong-ho himself wore were intact. As a result, he took the gold and silver jewels under the assumption that those with simple structure would be okay. Fortunately, his prediction was correct.


    After breathing a sigh of relief, Yong-ho looked back at the place where the twist of mana happened. He recalled something that came to his mind when he witnessed the gentle spreading of mana that leaked out like reverberation.


    "By the way, Catalina."


    "Yes, Master."


    "What were you going to do about me in the first place?"


    "Pardon?"


    He slightly scratched the back of his neck. He didn''t intend to question her about his kidnapping now. After experiencing the movement between the two worlds, however, he wanted to ask her. Moving between the two worlds wasn''t far from normal. The amount of mana spent making the door of space was truly enormous.


    It might sound ridiculous, but Yong-ho himself made rapid growth beyond everyone''s expectations. There was a reason why Tigrius called him a man with a miraculous growth after seeing him.


    That was why he could create the door of space.


    But what would have happened if Yong-ho himself did not have the sin of greed?


    Could he have achieved the same growth as now?


    It was questionable whether he could have managed to move between the two worlds even if he had not been defeated by the master of a house like Poras.


    The reason he came to the human world now was because he needed to visit once.


    Of course, he didn''t have to come ''now.''


    Eligos explained why Yong-ho should visit the human world. According to him, since Yong-ho was from the human world, he needed to be exposed to the atmosphere of the human world on a regular basis. Otherwise, his power could be weakened.


    However, to examine his explanation a little further, it was somewhat different from what Yong-ho first thought.


    In fact, anyone didn''t have to visit the human world by all means just because he was from it. Those who could handle mana from the time they first entered the demon world actually did not have to visit the human world.


    Yong-ho himself was now a very powerful demon king. Despite that, however, he needed to visit the human world once. It was because his mana was weak when he moved from the human world to the demon world, and his ability to control mana was also poor.


    In other words, regardless of how strong he became after entering the demon world, the amount of mana and his ability to control it at the time of moving between the two worlds determined the frequency or necessity of his revisiting.


    It was a rather strange phenomenon. It seemed more like an artificial concept of ''permission'' rather than a natural phenomenon.


    It was like the situation where the length of one''s stay in a foreign country differed, depending on what kind of visa one received when receiving one''s entry or exit visa.


    ''It seems that there is an alien world with no restrictions like this.''


    In any case, it was true that Yong-ho needed to visit his hometown once. And after this visit, he wouldn''t have to revisit the human world for the next hundreds of years. Maybe the time limit itself would disappear because Yong-ho himself became that much stronger.


    However, Yong-ho was still in doubt when he recalled his first kidnapping.


    In what way did Catalina and Eligos think about having Yong-ho go back home?


    The two didn''t even know that Yong-ho himself had the sin of greed, and they didn''t expect he would make such a rapid growth.


    Did they take him to the demon world without any plan just because they wanted to satisfy their pressing needs?


    Besides, Yong-ho had one more question.


    Eligos clearly said that he would use all of the remaining mana of the House of Mammon to open the door of space.


    When he experienced it, however, he wondered if it was possible.


    The House of Mammon at the time was really on the verge of ruin. They might have had a very small amount of mana by then?


    Until now, Yong-ho deliberately held the urge to ask this kind of question, but he had no other choice but to ask now.


    When Yong-ho narrated his questions one by one, Catalina curled her lips.


    After her ears drooped several times, she looked at his face and said very carefully, "There was a scroll."


    "Scroll?"


    "Yes, it was one of the few legacies that had been inherited to the House of Mammon without being lost. I and the butler collected mana to operate the scroll."


    Generally speaking, the magic of an ordinary scroll was supposed to be triggered by mana built into the scroll itself. However, since she mentioned she needed to get more mana, the scroll certainly didn''t seem to be an ordinary one.


    "How many scrolls were there at the time?"


    "Well¡­ just one. Still, it was useful. When I opened the door of space with this scroll, I could engrave a magic circle in the room of the demon king. So, I thought I could open it again at least once with the help of a famous wizard or the Dungeon Market or make the door of space like now!"


    It was what Yong-ho thought it was.


    Instead of getting angry, he pinched Catalina''s cheeks painfully. He felt upset that she called him without any contingency plan, but she and Eligos were so desperate at that time.


    Regardless of the process, however, Yong-ho chose the path to become the master of the Mammon House.


    When she looked like she was going to cry, feeling sorry, he found her long face so cute that he could not let go of her hand easily.


    He felt like he learned something dangerous just like when he first touched her tail.


    "Hmmm. Let me ask you one more. How did you find me?"


    At first, he didn''t pay much attention to it, but he felt it was a little weird when he thought about this. He couldn''t even understand why he had not been curious until now.


    Gently rubbing her red cheeks, Catalina replied, "Well, the scroll itself was not intended to open the door of space but find and bring someone suitable for the master of the Mammon House. Two candidates from the Mammon House were identified by the scroll, but only you had the ability to become the master."


    "The other one was my father?"


    "Yeah. Perhaps, the person that the scroll found was you. It seemed that your father was spotted because he was near you. I can confess it to you only now, but little did I think I was connected to the human world like this."


    "I see."


    Yong-ho roughly understood the whole situation, but other questions came to his mind.


    Why did Mammon come to this place, Yong-ho''s own hometown?


    And what was the difference between the human world and other alien worlds, such as Burgrim or Baphomet''s hometown?

 151 Mammon’s Legacy 2

    They bought and sold beings in the alien world at the Dungeon Market. If so, did they deliberately open the door of space and go to the alien world to search for beings to take as slaves?


    Or did they go on a slave hunt whenever the twists leading to the alien world by chance opened up?


    Yong-ho got curious about this question but got it out of his head for now. He could get the detained answer if he could go back and ask Tigrius or Sitri, or even Scathach, but not now.


    ''Sitri wouldn''t have said that for no reason.''


    When he told Sitri he was rebuilding the door of space, she said it would never be easy.


    The former Sitri would not have said so simply because supplying mana was difficult. Obviously, there was something else that Yong-ho himself did not know yet.


    When he was lost in thought, Catalina hesitantly asked, "Uh¡­ Master?"


    She seemed worried that he might be angry a lot.


    However, he stroked her hair and said with a cheerful smile, "Alright. I''m home anyway. Let''s enjoy our stay here until we go back to the demon world."


    He was serious. After checking the scroll with the seal of the Dungeon Market, he reached out and closed the door completely. When returning, all he had to do was to make a little gap by tearing the scroll in the place where the door of space was opened then send a signal to the House of Mammon. Then, the House of Mammon that received the signal was supposed to open the door of a new space by using Catalina as a coordinate.


    The duration of his stay in the human world was about two days based on the demon world. Accordingly, he first needed to find out about the time difference between the two worlds.


    He would compare the time spent in the demon world with the time that passed here.


    He first headed to the window. He pulled out the blinds and looked out the window.


    "Wow."


    He admired what he saw outside, and Catalina opened her eyes wide at the scene that she saw for the first time.


    Big snowflakes were falling down from the sky on a dark winter night.


    ***


    ''Let me compare it thoroughly, but it''s almost the same.''


    He didn''t simply compare it by the change of seasons. There were so many red things outside the window in addition to snow.


    Given that the church not far from his house was decorated with Christmas trees, it seemed to be around the end of the year. It was perhaps just before or after Christmas.


    Then what should he do now? Should he wait, sitting down in his room, until his father came back?


    Since he was not alone in the room, he could do something attractive to her but he couldn''t.


    He headed to the living room then stood there looking at a small bulletin board in the living room.


    "Oh, is this the rumored warning letter from the school?''


    Since he got F in all subjects, it was natural that he got the letter.


    But he wasn''t afraid at all because he planned to drop out anyway.


    He was no longer a freshman of an engineering college, but the master of the Mammon House as well as the King of Greed.


    Nodding bravely, he turned his gaze to the side again. This time, he instinctively flinched before he knew it.


    ''You''re alright.''


    It was the same as the warning letter. But it had nothing to do with his own life.


    He deliberately ignored the ''physical examination notice'' stamped by the Ministry of Defense, and he quickly looked at the bulletin board. Since there was nothing special, he reached out to Catalina, who fluttered her tail and looked around.


    "Catalina, let''s go to see my father. Oh, no, let''s go and eat chicken"


    Just like Yuria did, Catalina tilted her head at the word ''chicken'' but only for a moment.


    After tearing the disguise magic scroll that Tigrius had prepared for her in advance, she hid her ears and tail and held his hand.


    Then both of them went out in a pleasant mood.


    ***


    As soon as he left the front door, Yong-ho had no choice but to go back home.


    Unlike the warm southern area in the demon world, he felt so cold on a night in Seoul where big snowflakes were falling down.


    He took out a long parka and mountaineering clothes called a windbreaker from the closet.


    After thinking hard for a moment, he handed the parka to Catalina because he felt it would make her warm enough.


    To his slight disappointment, she did not show any particular interest in the elevator.


    In a way, her reaction was nothing unusual because there were quite a few things like boxes that moved automatically in the demon world.


    Rather, she showed more interest in the snow falling down from the sky. Ever since she was born, she had never left the southern area, so she grew up without seeing snow at all.


    He cautiously reached out when he watched her ears flinching Instead of fluttering.


    He touched the space where her ears were supposed to be in place, but he actually touched her real ears, for Tigrius'' magic did not transform her ears. It just simply concealed them.


    Startled, she flinched, but he instinctively moved his fingers.


    Without bothering to read her mana, he touched her erected tail.


    His erotic feelings were revived this time, too. Her touch was sensual enough to make him addicted to it.


    ''No, this is not important.''


    He asked her if she could wrap her tail around her waist or put it inside the padding.


    As things stood now, passersby could hit her tail.


    Catalina initially urged him not to play a prank on her, but she nodded awkwardly anyway.


    As he passed by the door of his apartment unit, cold air blew over his cheeks. He looked around, breathing in cold air.


    White snow covered the whole world. It was such a contrast with the black sky, but he didn''t feel they didn''t cancel out each other. The night gently wrapped the white snow, and the white snow gave the night warmth.


    Christmas decorations on the flowerbeds of his apartment created a more colorful scene. Until last year he complained about such decorations, but this time, he felt different. The world looked so beautiful to him.


    ''I feel really warm out here.''


    With his hands in his pockets, he made a gap inside it by slightly raising his left arm.


    Then he signaled to her with his eyes. She curled her lips then crossed his arms.


    As Christmas had yet to come, Christmas carols were playing everywhere. There were quite a lot of people on the street.


    Although the streets were wide, everything was densely located, compared to the southern area. She might have lots of curiosity here. Instead of looking around her, however, she leaned slightly to him and looked up at the stars in the night sky.


    He was also in a strange mood. It wasn''t just because she was next to him.


    He came back to Earth, the human world.


    Just a few days ago, he was engaged in a life-threatening battle with Embrio, but now, he was in peace.


    But he didn''t want to stay in peace forever.


    He felt that the place he had to return to was not here but to the House of Mammon.


    He walked on the street slowly. Instead of looking around like her, he focused on himself.


    But that didn''t mean that he was insensitive to people around him. Passersby were looking at them from all directions. Some of them stopped walking and turned to him and Catalina, and others even took pictures with smartphones.


    Catalina, who had a sharper sense than him, could not miss it.


    She whispered to him, "Master, their intense gaze at us is not very good. Did they find out my identity?"


    Obviously, her voice was rather sharp than nervous. Although he used to tease her with a soft touch, she was his escort knight. She could overpower these passersby easily if she had to defend him.


    But he gently tapped her on the forehead and said, "It''s alright. They''re not looking at you for that reason. So, just never mind."


    She tilted her head with a puzzled expression but listened to him.


    He rather enjoyed their intense gaze and various feelings in it and stepped forward.


    Among them were some women, who were turning their eyes at him, not her.


    He took great delight in it.


    ''Well, I''m more handsome and cool now. My body is in better shape, too''


    He was praising himself deep down when he suddenly stopped and smiled in satisfaction, looking at a store at a distance.


    It was a store decorated with wood. Inside the glass wall was full of customers, who enjoyed chicken and beer. It seemed as if he could hear their chattering from the chicken house.


    He wasn''t moved to tears when he entered his room, but this time, he suddenly shed tears before he knew it. Rolling his eyes, he looked at somebody busily moving among the customers.


    "Let''s go."


    He couldn''t wait any longer. Folding his arms, he walked with big strides. The store door opened with a jingling sound.


    "Daddy," he said briefly.


    The middle-aged man, who turned to him after hearing the jingling bell, faced him and stopped moving. Shortly afterward, he opened his mouth again.


    "Son."


    Yong-ho and the middle-aged man, Kija Cheon, stepped forward toward each other at the same time. "Daddy!"


    Yong-ho opened his arms to give him an emotional hug. His father hugged him tightly.


    After tapping him on the back a couple of times, he looked back at his face.


    He said with a smile, "Welcome back. Let''s share our dramatic reunion after the shop is closed. Delivery has been backed up. As you know, it''s the busiest season of the year."


    Yong-ho just blinked at his thrilled voice. He could not believe his ears.


    "Two chicken orders in World Park Complex 6. I put the delivery address on the paper bag."


    When he came to his senses, he was already outside the store. He found himself holding a paper bag with chicken in each hand.


    Yong-ho looked back again. His father wasn''t looking at him.


    "Uh¡­ Master!"


    Catalina, who couldn''t even enter the store at all, spoke in an embarrassed voice.


    Looking at her briefly, he laughed. He laughed heartily.


    "Yeah, he''s my Daddy!"


    "Master?"


    "This is normal in my house. It is right for us to share the joy of our touching reunion after business hours."


    Yong-ho felt a bit sorry for his father''s way of welcoming him back when he returned home in several months, but he felt reassured at the same time. Obviously, his father understood his long absence from home well.


    ''Come to think of it, I wonder if he intentionally posted the warning letter from the university and the physical examination notice on the bulletin board?''


    Did he do it to tease him as soon as his son came back?


    Again, such action befitted his father. That was why Yong-ho happily climbed onto the delivery motorcycle. Moreover, I wasn''t alone here today. Sitting behind his back, Catalina naturally hugged his waist.

 152 Mammon’s Legacy 3

    [Kangsok! Chicken delivery man is here. Go get it...]


    Yong-ho heard a husky voice over the speakerphone. He waited for the front door to open, manipulating the card reader that he handled after a long time. Catalina flapped her invisible tail behind his back.


    Shortly afterward, the front door opened, and a handsome and strong young man appeared.


    Although it was midwinter, he was wearing short-sleeved shirts and shorts.


    "Hello. The chicken''s price is 13,000 won ($11)..."


    As soon as the door was opened, the young man, who spoke in a friendly manner, took a card out of his wallet. This man, whose name must be Kangsok as heard over the speakerphone, was dumb founded.


    He looked at Catalina over Yong-ho''s shoulder blankly.


    Yong-ho turned up his mouth slightly again. He skillfully manipulated the card reader after receiving it from the man. Then he gave the chicken bag and the card to the man who was still resting his dreamy eyes on her.


    "Enjoy!"


    "Uh, thanks. Goodbye."


    At that moment, the man came to his senses and returned Yong-ho''s greetings with a smile.


    He wistfully looked at her again, but he closed the door in no time.


    "It looks like he had a crush on you."


    When Yong-ho whispered, getting on the elevator, Catalina slightly narrowed her eyes.


    She said in a very serious voice, "He is obviously a fragile human being, but he looks unusual. Maybe he has great potential."


    By evolving several times, she came to cultivate a great sense of discernment. So, given her statement, it seemed that the man was really a man of unusual strength.


    ''I wish I had examined him more closely. Something like his mana.''


    However, Yong-ho already left the man''s house, who was only a young man in his twenties that ordered chicken. Since the man didn''t inherit the blood of the demon king like him, Yong-ho didn''t have to care much.


    Yong-ho climbed on the motorcycle again. A stream of news was appearing on the large outdoor monitor of the broadcasting station across the street.


    [Recently, there are more and more people going into a coma while playing online games.]


    [This is happening in several games, not any specific game. For this reason, experts present various views on it.]


    [Most experts point out various harms such as addiction to online games, but some experts have completely different opinions.]


    [Reporter Hye-rim Jeon is going to report in detail. Reporter Jeon?]


    The sound of the broadcast news faded away.


    Yong-ho went out for seven more deliveries after that, and it wasn''t until eleven o''clock at night that he could meet his father at home. Fortunately, his father closed the store earlier than usual.


    His father sat down on the floor of the main bedroom and asked Yong-ho and Catalina to sit down. He listened to his son''s story relatively calmly.


    After hearing all of his son''s story, his father let out a heavy sigh and looked at his son and Catalina alternately.


    Shaking his head in no time, he said in a low voice, "Dang it. I should have been there."


    He almost murmured to himself, which made Yong-ho smile. It befitted his typical reaction.


    As if he said it as a joke, his father also giggled.


    "Anyway, you solved my long-cherished wish instead. I would like to congratulate you on becoming a demon king. Um, is it okay for me to celebrate you? I don''t think there is somebody like a warrior in the demon world, right?"


    Yong-ho barely held the urge to laugh at the word ''long-cherished wish.'' As expected, it was not Yong-ho alone who had delusions when he came to find out the secret of his family.


    ''Come to think of it...''


    Adjusting his posture, Yong-ho looked at his father. Then he triggered the power of evolution right away.


    [Name: KiJa Cheon (Male)]


    [Race: Human]


    [Property]


    [Individual nature]


    [Smart / Whimsical / Sly.]


    [Individual aptitude]


    [Intellect / Stamina]


    After all, like father, like son.


    Yong-ho, who laughed at his slyness first, let out a mixed and subtle sigh. It wasn''t because of his father''s extremely low stats. In fact, he could evolve his father quickly even without collecting evolution EXP.


    ''Is he the same grade as a skeleton worker?''


    After all, his father was as good as a human being.


    What Yong-ho could evolve with the power of evolution was only those who had a certain level of relationship with him. Only then could he make them his dungeon spirits and evolve them.


    However, Kija Cheon was different. He was Yong-ho''s father. He could evolve his father even without making him his dungeon spirit.


    "Daddy, close your eyes and stay still. I''ll do something good for you."


    "Your eyes are glittering so intensely. I don''t think I need a flashlight in case of a blackout. You''re different from me."


    "Because I am a real demon king."


    When Yong-ho approached him, chattering lightly, his father looked somewhat anxious, but he soon closed his eyes. Yong-ho put his hand on his shoulders and activated the power of evolution.


    "Oh my¡­"


    When Yong-ho chose the specialization of his physical strength, he got the expected results.


    His father wasn''t as much rejuvenated as Eligos, but that was enough. Not only the fine wrinkles around his eyes have disappeared, but his build has grown stronger than before.


    ''He doesn''t have a horn yet.''


    Yong-ho thought about goblins for a moment then shook his head quickly. He felt he should not think about more than now.


    Regardless of his son''s reaction, Kija Cheon was amazed by his thick arm muscles. Then he glanced at Catalina who was smiling softly as if she enjoyed watching them all along.


    He told Yong-ho again, "Son, I have something for you, too. It''s a family treasure that I was going to pass on to you someday. I think now is the time."


    After telling him about it directly, his father opened a small safe inside a chest. He pulled out a box the size of his palm and presented it to his son.


    "This is our family treasure. According to our ancestors, it is said to be the object of the man, the very demon king whose blood is flowing in our family members."


    According to him, this had been kept for over a thousand years.


    "It''s a mysterious item. It looks like an ordinary antique, but it certainly has some power. Over the past thousand years, our family lost this item several times. But it was handed back to our family in one way or another, I hear."


    Then he opened the lid of the box. There was a black, round metal plate inside the box.


    Yong-ho had never seen it before. However, Catalina''s expression changed.


    A smile disappeared from Yong-ho''s face.


    It was composed of a metal plate.


    God''s metal Brigada reacted to Yong-ho''s mana. It shined brightly on its own.


    The fragments of memories that had been kept for over a thousand years were just revealed. He was holding a woman in his arms.


    The woman with dark hair and purple eyes was by no means ordinary.


    But he didn''t care. Although the woman was considered alien to humans in this world, she was just a woman to him.


    She was beautiful, wise, and kind. And she loved him, above all.


    That was enough.


    He himself.


    He blinked his eyes. The woman disappeared. He saw a man covered in a lion''s skin.


    So heavy and tall, the man was meeting her eye level even when he sat down.


    The man said something to her, which made sense. Unlike his savage appearance, the man was always rational.


    The man wasn''t eloquent , but she nodded at the man''s short but powerful words.


    But in the end, she didn''t follow the man''s words.


    The man wasn''t angry. He sighed once as if he also expected things would end up like this.


    As always, the man stood up.


    The man took a few steps again. The surroundings changed completely.


    Two women stood far away. They stood side by side. Then one of them was hugging the other, but their expressions were different.


    The blonde woman, who covered her eyes with red leather, was angered by the red-haired woman who kept trying to stick to her. But the woman didn''t push her away. The red-haired woman smiled brightly at the blonde woman. She pretended to be extremely friendly to that blonde woman.


    It was a familiar scene. When he covered his eyes, more things came to his mind and disappeared again.


    What appeared lastly was a red-skinned man and a woman with watery hair. The red-haired man''s head had a horn like a bull''s.


    He said something, holding the woman''s waist tightly. It was what he used to say, something like ''I would follow you wherever you go.''


    This time, again, she nodded. But she did the same to the man wearing the lion''s skin.


    He could not accept it. He could not allow her to share his last moment.


    He turned around. There was an endless staircase under the blue sky.


    He looked down from there.


    Their images overlapped, and their visions were mixed.


    Yong-ho looked up from the bottom of the stairs at the man who was introduced as "he, himself" a moment ago.


    "Hello."


    "Mammon."


    There came out a voice, unwittingly. The man on the stairs, Mammon, the King of Greed, smiled brightly. Instead of looking down from above, he flopped down on the stairs.


    Yong-ho instinctively felt that this was not a conversation. It was a unilateral notification. Those standing there now were the same illusions until now.


    Mammon rested his chin on his hand. Two large horns replaced his crown. The rest of the horns were hidden, so it was not known how many horns he had originally.


    It was an illusion.


    Obviously, it was no more than an illusion.


    However, there were mixed feelings reflected in Mammon''s eyes, something like affection or kindness.


    "The fact that I''m facing you here means that you are special among my descendants. You''re a special guy who not only has the power of greed but also comes from an alien world. I wonder how many years passed after I died until you were born. I''m also curious about how much you resemble your founding grandma ''Yon.'' I wonder if I can find any trace of your resemblance to Yon since your blood has been mixed for numerous generations."


    The woman with black hair and purple eyes.


    Mammon took his hand off his chin with a regrettable expression.


    "Unfortunately, you are still not qualified. I''m afraid I can''t tell you everything. But it looks like it won''t be long before I will lower the bar for qualifications."


    Yong-ho wanted to ask what the heck he was talking about, but he couldn''t say anything.


    He could not even climb the stairs. He just got fixated on the spot, and Mammon stood up and opened his arms.


    "Boy, keep this in mind. I have always been faithful to my desires. That''s why I do not regret my ''choice'' at all."


    That was why he did not listen to the man in the lion''s skin or Gusion. He rejected Scathach''s wish because he loved her. He didn''t need to share his last moment with her.


    "Boy, the new King of Greed. I hope you can do the same."

 153 Mammons Legacy 4

    Mammon smiled. Seeing his smile, Yong-ho had no choice but to accept his advice.


    Mammon turned and slowly climbed the stairs. He moved on with Yong-ho gazing at him from behind.


    Looking at his back, Yong-ho raised his head a little more. He looked up to the sky at the end of the stairs. And he realized that the sky was not in the demon world or in the human world.


    It was something different.


    Darkness captured the light.


    Yong-ho opened his eyelid.


    "Cough!"


    He gasped for breath. When he opened his eyes urgently, he saw his father thrown into confusion. He could hear Catalina''s voice, too.


    "Master!"


    Yong-ho felt heartsick. Losing his balance at the moment, he quickly reached out and touched the ground. Catalina hugged his waist.


    His jacket was taken off, or rather, it was torn apart.


    A metal plate that was split into dozens of pieces was attached to his left chest like a tattoo.


    Like a wound from a beast''s claw, it was long and reached down to his side.


    It didn''t hurt. Rather, he felt fresh. He felt like he got a big load off his chest.


    He naturally closed his eyes. He felt greedy. His greed ate something new. He could do what he couldn''t do before.


    The power of attribute. Something he devoured but could not make his own.


    Greed awakened Agares'' lightning again. The earth, which was the attribute of the land worm, also woke up after lightning.


    He felt the light and darkness one after another. The earth, fire, wind, water, lightning, light, and darkness, called the Seven Great Attributes, all radiated their own light inside greed.


    Their strength and weakness existed. However, everything empowered him.


    Even those things other than the Seven Great Attributes could now be called his attributes.


    Yong-ho opened his eyes again and reserved his stronger greed.


    Then he smiled with an effort at his father and Catalina, who was wearing a worried expression, to try to calm them down.


    "I''m okay."


    "Are you really okay? Doesn''t it hurt?"


    "Yes, I''m fine."


    Mammon''s purpose was twofold, namely passing down memories and reinforcing greed. Of the two, passing down memories was incomplete. However, only reinforcing greed was done properly.


    ''I feel like I''ve learned how to deal with greed.''


    It was the kind of know-how that he could obtain only after dealing with the power of greed for a long time. He felt he obtained it. He even felt greed and his own will were united into one.


    Yong-ho carefully pushed Catalina aside and changed the way he was sitting.


    Watching his son quietly, his father let out a sigh as if he felt relaxed.


    "Well, I think it''s true that the demon king''s blood is flowing in our family."


    "The Devil''s blood is also flowing," Yong-ho said abruptly.


    "Our ancestors, I mean the woman who married Mammon and gave birth to our ancestors. She wasn''t pure human but half-human and half-demon. She was sort of a nine-tailed fox, and her name was Yon."


    Catalina, who didn''t know what a nine-tailed fox was, blinked with a confused look.


    His father, who was dumbfounded for a moment, soon regained his composure and said, "It''s unconventional, but it''s a secret of our birth that isn''t particularly surprising."


    Anyway, it happened a thousand years ago, and those born at that time were also the very distant ancestors of Yong-ho''s family.


    Yong-ho also nodded at the new fact about his ancestors. The descendants of the demon king or the descendants of the demon king and the half-demon were the same. Anyway, Cheon''s family was mixed with lots of human blood for a thousand years.


    The legacy inherited from generation to generation for a thousand years was now in Yong-ho''s heart. Moreover, it was unlikely that he would remove it.


    His father stood up, slightly glancing at the clock on the wall. He told Yong-ho and Catalina, who were about to stand up simultaneously.


    "It''s so dark outside. Go to sleep. I have made the bed for you in your room."


    "Daddy?"


    His father passed by his son and opened the door of the main bedroom. It seemed that he planned to show him to the room in person.


    After all, Yong-ho also hurriedly stood up. Catalina also came out with the two into the living room. However, the way his father acted was a bit weird.


    Instead of heading to Yong-ho''s room, his father headed toward the front door.


    On the way, he didn''t forget to put on the coat on the sofa in the living room.


    "Let me go out for a drink. I''m probably coming back late tomorrow morning."


    "Pardon?"


    What the heck was he talking about? How could he get out when his son returned home in several months? Was he going out for a drink with somebody at this time?


    When he was at a loss about what to do, his father clicked his tongue.


    Then he winked at Yong-ho and left quickly.


    Before following his father, Yong-ho recalled his last glance at him. Then he naturally understood what his father signaled to him.


    He gulped before he knew it and turned quickly.


    Instead of taking care of Catalina, who was also embarrassed, Yong-ho opened the door of his room.


    There were two pillows but one blanket in the middle of the room.


    He could immediately understand what it meant. Both blushed and gulped at the same time.


    ***


    It was dark and quiet.


    Even though he kept a thick cotton blanket on, he felt like he could hear his heartbeat.


    He gasped for breath, though briefly. Without even closing his eyes, he just stared at the ceiling.


    In fact, there was nothing special about it. It wasn''t the first time he laid on the floor side by side with Catalina like this. Didn''t he sleep with her on the floor like this for a few days after becoming the master of the house?


    ''No, it''s different! How can it be the same this time?!''


    Yes, that was true. This time, the situation was too different. It was definitely not the same as the previous situation.


    First of all, there was no Eligos. There was no Lucia. There wasn''t even Ophelia who could open the door anytime and disturb them. Even Aamon didn''t respond as usual. It was as if Aamon fell asleep.


    "Catali¡­"


    "Mast¡­"


    The two blurred at the same time before stopping.


    In extreme tension, he squeezed his voice.


    "You go first."


    "You first, master¡­"


    Even this time, they talked at the same time. Their voices couldn''t mix in the air and shattered. He closed his eyes tightly in a tense situation that made him so nervous and excited.


    He caught his breath to pluck up courage.


    At that moment, there was something that touched his fingertips. It was her hand that he held not only today but also several times in the past. But her touch was special this time. Her hand just touched his fingertips, but he felt like his chemistry with her was electrifying.


    He didn''t know if he moved first or Catalina did it first, but suddenly, their hands touched each other. Naturally, they interlocked their fingers.


    "Remember my wish for you? It''s still valid, right?" She said when he opened his eyes.


    Although she stuttered, she said it clearly. He turned his head to the side.


    Lying on her side, she was looking at him with her ears drooping.


    He did not move. She carefully stretched out one of her hands that didn''t touch him.


    She had her face close to him.


    This time, she closed her eyes again. He could hear her breathing. Then she kissed him.


    Her shy kissing did not end there. She felt like her tongue melted. Her heart was beating wildly as if it was going to burst at any moment. The saliva she tasted for the first time was so sweet.


    ''You''re so good at kissing.''


    He was embarrassed. Her kiss was clearly clumsy. But it was really fascinating.


    Since it was her first time kissing him, it was funny for him to question if it was good or bad, but he was convinced that she kissed well. Her kiss reminded him that she was a half succubus.


    Her breathing, which paused for a moment, continued again. Her sweet breathing touched his lips.


    Gently opening his eyes, he gulped again before he knew it. He looked at her blushing cheeks and her eyes, wandering about what to do. Curling up her body because she was shy, she looked so lovely to him.


    He naturally caressed her cheeks, which were hot. He smiled, and she slightly curled her lips.


    Her ears that drooped got stiff as if she was tense.


    He then touched his ears and kissed her once again.


    ***


    Yong-ho''s father returned home around lunchtime the next day. His son, whose mind he read so well, was comfortably sitting on the sofa in the living room.


    His son looked so peaceful and relaxed as if he owned the whole world.


    He winked at his son like he did last night, who was smiling at him like a man.


    This time, Yong-ho opened his mouth first.


    "Daddy, are you not going to open the shop?"


    "Today the store is closed temporarily. Have you forgotten telling me you are going back tomorrow?"


    Yesterday, the store was already open, and there were customers, so he could not forcibly close it. But he could close it today.


    Catalina, who usually slept late in the morning, woke up much later today.


    Feeling a bit awkward, Yong-ho prepared lunch. Usually, there were only two at the dining table, but today, there were three after a long time.


    Another dreamlike day passed.


    Packing lots of stuff to take to the demon world, Yong-ho tore the scroll to create a new twist. When he sent a signal to the House of Mammon, a large door of space was formed from the twist.


    "I will come back again."


    He couldn''t go with his father. It wasn''t time yet. It was highly likely that a new war would break out in the demon world.


    His father tapped Yong-ho on the shoulder. He didn''t feel sorry for his son, who didn''t talk about going with him.


    "Son, as always, I respect your choice. So, behave yourself well. Don''t get hit by anybody. Got it?"


    He winked with one eye. At that moment, Yong-ho knew it.


    His father already noticed that what his son said was not true and that the demon world was by no means a peaceful and safe place.


    After all, Yong-ho couldn''t deceive his father. His father could discern everything about him by merely looking at his gaze.


    It was possible because he was his father and parent.


    His father slapped him on the shoulder. Instead of holding him in his arms, his father took a step back and increased the distance between them.


    "Go back now."


    "Yes, Dad."


    Yong-ho smiled at him. Catalina moved up and down her lips to say goodbye but gave up.


    She returned his goodbye by bowing to him.


    His father also smiled, beckoning to him to hurry up.


    Yong-ho held her hand. He gave his father a slight nod for the last time and threw himself into the door of space.


    Standing still, his father watched him going back. Even after the door of space was closed and the twisting completely disappeared, he stood there for a while then turned around.


    ''The demon king''s blood is flowing in our family.''


    It had only been 4 years since he said it to Yong-ho.


    His father left his son''s room. His blue eyes glittered intensely after a long time.


    He closed the door with an awkward smile. It was time for him to open the store.

 154 Preparation 1

    Embrio was dead.


    The meaning of his death in the southern area was extraordinary.


    He was the most powerful master in the southern area and also the most belligerent.


    Few thought that Embrio''s death would mean the end of the war.


    His death was likely only the beginning of a new war because of his risky ambitions during his lifetime. In the worst case, the entire southern area could be in unprecedented turbulence like a carriage without the horseman.


    Everyone in the southern area was all on edge. Embrio''s remnants were seeking a way to survive, and the masters of houses in the eastern area were restless because of the power of the new master of the House of Mammon.


    It wasn''t the masters of houses that suffered the most when war broke out. The ordinary people, who were destined to be sacrificed in the war, kept being anxious about their future.


    However, all of this only mirrored the situation of the southern area.


    Embrio''s death.


    From the perspective of the whole demon world, it was not a big event.


    It could be rightly called a storm in a teacup.


    The King of Gluttony thought it should be called like that and intended to make it a minor event.


    The king raised his unusually large arm to enjoy dinner. A glutton as well as a gourmet, he ate, drank, and devised how to start a war.


    At last, a war broke out. The King of Pride finally advanced his army toward the territory of the King of Envy. Since the former declared a war, befitting his grandiose ambitions, nobody believed the current war would end up being a small local war like before. It was an all-out war. An all-out war among the kings who had sin and Godly Energy!


    The King of Gluttony was eating food more quickly. Rakshasas, who had been kidnapped from the King of Fury''s territory, hastily brought new food to him. Gandarbas, the beautiful girls and musicians for him, also played faster music to the pace of his eating.


    The King of Gluttony came from a lowly devil, a small and fragile demon often eaten as snacks by large monsters such as ogres or trolls.


    As a result, the King of Gluttony knew his limits. Unlike other kings, who were noble from birth, he knew how to endure and stick it out.


    The King of Pride was certainly strong. Probably, he was the strongest of the current six kings.


    But the King of Envy was also as tough as him. He was the oldest king, along with the King of Lust. He was a living legend that lived during the same era as Mammon, the great King of Greed.


    The fight between the two was unlikely to end quickly. So, the King of Gluttony had to make the most of it. Namely, he wanted to control information and minimize several facts about Embrio''s death.


    The kings were not supposed to have any interest in the southern area. They had to look to the north only. The King of Gluttony himself was thinking of pretending to do so. He already deployed his troops on the northern and western borders.


    He would attack the southern area only after his battle with the northern area escalated enough. It was when all the kings got the south out of their minds when it was time for him to occupy the south.


    ''The master of the House of Mammon.''


    His performance on the battlefield was impressive to the King of Gluttony.


    He could not obtain detailed information about the master because the mole he placed to watch Embrio was killed, but his defeat of Embrio as well as the Bone Dragon and the situation of the battle he grasped indirectly through the eyes of the crow were enough to confirm that the master was very powerful.


    The sudden emergence of a powerful master in the southern area?


    It wasn''t impossible. It was really possible.


    But what if it was not true?


    What if the master, like the King of Gluttony, came from a low birth?


    More than a thousand years had passed since the sin of greed disappeared.


    The King of Gluttony began to move his hand again and devoured the food in front of him.


    ***


    The power of experience was great. Yong-ho''s second movement between the two worlds was much better than his first one. Instead of sitting down, he stood upright and met the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon who came out to welcome him back.


    "Welcome back."


    Just as she did when he left, Yuria greeted him on behalf of them.


    Yong-ho put down packages on both hands and stroked her head. Yuria wasn''t the only one to welcome him back cutely.


    [I earnestly waited for you to come back!]


    [Welcome back, Master. How was your trip to your hometown?]


    Lucia, who was talking to him cheerfully, suddenly raised her voice.


    Startled, Yong-ho raised his head. Yuria as well as other dungeon spirits looked at him, embarrassed.


    Lucia shouted again.


    [There is something different about you!]


    [Seriously! Something different about you!]


    [Uh... Oh, no.]


    [I''m sorry I haven''t protected you.]


    [Sob, sob]


    [I should have seen it.]


    What Lucia said last was the most important. Yong-ho, who smiled awkwardly in embarrassment, sharply looked at Lucia, and she giggled as if she deliberately cracked a joke.


    [Haa, our master has become a man!]


    [You have lost your purity, but that''s your other charm. As you have been breathed on, why don''t you decide to be a bad man from now on?]


    Yong-ho narrowed his eyes even more. He even doubted that Lucia was talking to someone else, not him. Her use of vocabulary was getting more lively day by day.


    "Stop joking now!"


    After whispering to her, he took his hand off Yuria and looked at other dungeon spirits.


    An unexpected person was standing among them.


    "Ophelia?"


    "I, Ophelia, Enderion''s daughter, am happy to meet you, master of the Mammon family. I briefly stopped by before heading to the Free City."


    Unlike Yuria, who greeted awkwardly, Ophelia greeted him professionally, rolling her eyes quietly. Catalina, who was standing blankly behind him, looked at her.


    "Hummmm"


    Her moaning had mixed meanings.


    Catalina let her ears droop and curled her lips when she found Ophelia''s sharp glance. Eventually, she lowered his head, blushing.


    Ophelia grinned then told him, who was a bit embarrassed like Catalina, "It seems like you had a great and rewarding vacation out there. Congratulations!"


    Her statement was as significant as her gaze.


    Although Ophelia was not as good as his father in terms of discernment, Yong-ho found it hard to hide his sleeping with Catalina from her. So, he just chuckled. Salami, lying on the floor at some distance, shook its head at Yong-ho''s reaction.


    "You''ve brought lots of stuff here. Can you tell me what they are?" Asked Ophelia.


    Ophelia, one of the good dungeon spirit models, did not put her master in trouble.


    She changed the topic appropriately.


    So, he replied right away, "Well, I don''t want to see you empty-handed. So, I''ve brought a motley of stuff."


    Indeed, the baggage was full of various stuff.


    Since they were extraordinarily strong, Yong-ho and Catalina could bring them. The baggage was heavy enough for four or five adults to carry.


    Yuria, who was closest to Yong-ho, also showed interest in the baggage. She didn''t flap her tail or ears like Catalina, but two strands of her hair that protruded like antennae were cutely flapping instead.


    Baduk, sitting next to Yuria, also sniffed its nose. It seemed that Baduk was trying to prove his smelling power like a dog.


    "Alright. Look at this, Yuria. This is a chicken."


    Yong-ho did not delay opening the baggage. He opened one of the paper boxes on the top of the baggage and showed them the savory seasoned chicken. It was fried chicken prepared by his father passionately for the dungeon spirits of his son and the House of Mammon. There was no "chicken" as a dish in the demon world, but there were creatures that almost looked like chicken. Yuria and Baduk instinctively realized that what he took out was "meat".


    Baduk already started to drool. Yuria also drooled over it.


    Yong-ho did not stall for time. He immediately wrapped a chicken leg in a piece of paper and gave it to Yuria.


    "Thanks for the chicken."


    After thanking him first as she learned, Yuria bit the chicken leg. Then she made an expression she had never made before. Her expression was ecstasy itself.


    This time, Baduk was drooling profusely over it. Yong-ho handed a piece of chicken to Baduk and observed it happily.


    He was not sure about their eating culture in the whole demon world, but there was one thing that he could confirm at least within the southern area.


    The dietary culture in the southern area didn''t develop very much.


    All meat was grilled or boiled raw, and most vegetables were eaten raw or boiled in water.


    It was the same for the bread made from grain. However, pancakes made with eggs were among the most delicious foods.


    Of course, even in the southern part of the country, there was something called splendid dishes. For example, Ophelia''s tavern sold some quite delicious dishes. But it was hard to say that they were really delicious. The average taste was so low that they just tasted relatively delicious.


    The reason why the food culture in the southern area was so undeveloped as to rival British cuisine was because of the food situation there.


    Since the area was so desolate, they could not properly farm. With nothing around, seafood was also rare, and most of the fruits in the forest were inedible.


    In a word, food was rare there. It was impossible for them to develop food in this situation. They didn''t have enough food to eat right now, so how could they study something like cuisine?


    It was all thanks to the Dungeon Market that cooking in the southern area was developed as much as it was now.


    If the Dungeon Market had not supplied them with basic food at low prices, the population in the southern area would have certainly been reduced by half.


    So, long accustomed to the rustic southern food, these dungeon spirits had the first taste of delicious dishes of modern society.


    What a difference between cooking for survival and cooking for gourmandism!

 155 Preparation 2

    Yuria, who ate a chicken leg right away, was so excited that she was jumping up and down in place. It looked like she wanted to express her feelings but couldn''t think of the right words.


    Baduk was chewing on even the chicken bones beside Yuria.


    Since the two showed such a fantastic response, other dungeon spirits, who gathered near the door of space, watching the two eating carefully, showed deep interest. They were already drooling because of the delicious smell of the chicken.


    Yong-ho served a piece of chicken to one of the dungeon spirits that pretended to be the most indifferent. She was none other than Ophelia.


    "Hey, Ophelia, try it. It''s delicious."


    Ophelia received one and took a bite of it gracefully. Catalina held the urge to laugh hard while watching her. She then flapped her ears in no time because she saw Ophelia''s tails wagging violently.


    "Isn''t it delicious?"


    "Hmm, yeah, I have to admit it."


    Ophelia held the urge to take one more bite as much as possible. In fact, she was the hostess of a tavern nearby, which could be called the best ''restaurant'' in the area. So, she didn''t want to show them she was making a big fuss over the food.


    Although she wasn''t honest, Yong-ho was satisfied because he also noticed her tail wagging fervently even without Catalina''s signaling to him with her eyes.


    Yong-ho opened a few more chicken boxes and handed them out to those dungeon spirits that gathered near the door of space. While everyone was enjoying the chicken happily, Treant, which couldn''t eat food, let its branches droop with a long face.


    "Let me tell you what I have brought here."


    Ophelia, who secretly packed a box for Eligos, turned around in embarrassment.


    Instead of embarrassing her, Yong-ho naturally pointed to the box stacked right under the chicken.


    "This is Coke. It''s a soft drink. It''s really the best if you drink it cold."


    Yong-ho just felt good just by looking at it. But Ophelia was a little different.


    She blinked her eyes several times and asked in a cautious tone, "Uh¡­ Master, did you bring only something to eat?"


    "So what?"


    Ophelia''s pretty eyebrows frowned a bit. He heartily laughed at her gaze that reflected regret and a little bit of patheticness.


    "I''m kidding, of course."


    He removed the boxes of clothes he bought for some dungeon spirits such as Catalina, Yuria, and Ophelia. He then pointed to the things laid under them. There were stacks of large bags.


    "I bought some seeds."


    "Seeds? Do you mean seeds to grow crops?"


    "Right. The grains supplied by the Dungeon Market are okay, but their breed was not improved. These seeds are a better breed you can grow properly in the Garden of Life."


    It was because of the difference in crop breeding.


    Potatoes in the human world were improved in a way that they became bigger, more delicious, and more productive. Compared with wild corn that didn''t go through crop breeding with the corn grown on a farm, grains of the latter were ten times as many as the former.


    All the crops supplied by the Dungeon Market couldn''t be called wild crops, but they were inferior to their counterparts in the human world. That was why Yong-ho brought the seeds.


    The Garden of Life was not just fertile land. There was an aura of growth promotion that originated in Scathach''s vitality, whose amount would make it possible to collect several times as many seeds within a few months.


    "And these are books on farming. I''ve also brought some cookbooks."


    Although Ophelia did not know the human characters, she could roughly guess what kind of information was in it. After admiring the excellent binding of the books and the printing method, she agreed with his opinion.


    "If we can provide delicious meals of excellent quality, the morale of dungeon spirits will go up greatly."


    After all, all of them are working to eat. Moreover, the pleasure of eating was very important in the demon world where there were few dishes to enjoy. It was far from the situation where in the army soldiers paid lots of attention to the taste of combat food.


    Except for chicken, coke, and a few favorite items, it was no exaggeration to say that virtually all of the items in Yong-ho''s baggage were agricultural products.


    Since his visit to the human world was made so suddenly and his stay there was so brief, he could not afford to buy other stuff.


    Yong-ho felt it rather awkward to bring out clothes for Yuria and Ophelia lastly in the presence of other dungeon spirits, so he changed the topic.


    "How have you been here? Didn''t anything else happen while I wasn''t here?"


    "Restoring their strength is going on well. Brother Eli and Skull are returning to the House of Mammon with the Skull unit. Maybe they will arrive by tomorrow morning. They started late because they were wounded, but they are all in good shape now. You don''t have to worry."


    Ophelia paused for a moment then continued after catching her breath.


    "The House of Randolt has stabilized again under Tigrius'' command. I''m going to go back to the Free City tomorrow. And the bones of the Bone Dragon have been stored safely in the warehouse. Burgrim is so anxious to work on his dream right now."


    Listening to her briefing quietly, Yong-ho opened his eyes wide and asked, "Huh? Burgirm is just looking at them now?"


    "Yes, since the bones of the Bone Dragon are a valuable asset. It is impossible for Burgrim to tamper with them without your permission."


    Cutting him off, she related the rest of her briefing to him.


    "A battle between the runaway soldiers seems to have broken out in the west, as expected. I guess refugees from the west will come in a few days. In the case of the north and the east¡­ sorry. I have not yet gathered intelligence about the situation there. However, I think those in the east will have heard about Embrio''s death by now. So, I think they will have to choose whether to attack the southern area or defend their own land by the day after tomorrow at the latest."


    "Don''t worry. They are far away from us anyway. What about the remnant soldiers?"


    "Those runaway soldiers, who fled to the south, were not engaged in any suspicious activities yet. Contrary to our concerns, Demon King Lotus of the Wild Animals seems to have moved westward."


    The situation was very favorable for Yong-ho. It seemed that he didn''t have to worry about them at this point.


    "Jun, take the remaining chicken to the restaurant and hand it out to other dungeon spirits. And move all other packages to my room."


    Jun, the only female Goblin Ranger, who was playing the role of butler Eligos, bowed to him and followed his order. Jon, Ron, and Yon moved with Jun like they were one. Although there were three helping her, they acted in perfect unison.


    [Master, you must have been very tired from your journey. Are you going to move around right away?]


    When Lucia quickly asked quick-wittedly, Yong-ho replied in a low voice, "You know I had a good rest for two days. And it seems that there are a lot who have been waiting for my return anxiously for the two days I was away."


    He recalled several of them in his mind. Catalina approached him. Leaning toward him, she, who had a deeper bond with him than ordinary dungeon spirits, asked, "Which one would you want to see first?"


    "Well, let me think about it. I guess she''s going to wait for me more earnestly."


    He beat around the bush, but Catalina instantly knew who she was, for they could understand each other''s intention just by looking at their eyes.


    Catalina curled her lips slightly when he mentioned that woman.


    ***


    [I was worried that the power of your anguish would disappear¡­ I think my concern was unfounded.]


    [The power of your anguish has become stronger.]


    Yong-ho was standing in the middle of the arena. There was no enemy on the other side.


    There was the wreckage of the 13th floor floor master, Giant War Golem, scattered everywhere after being completely shattered.


    The instant opening of his mana, which could be better called ''explosion,'' was far from simple.


    Mana released by Yong-ho was always different. Depending on the color and properties of the opponent''s mana, he brought out the opposite.


    Yong-ho himself possessed only three attributes¡ªflame, chill, and lightning¡ªbut the mana he released during battle was much more diverse. Not only Catalina''s darkness, but also Eligos''s land and Ophelia''s wind were added to his strength.


    Aamon did not hide his satisfaction. Yong-ho became stronger. His spearmanship made a lot of progress, so he really looked like a master spearman.


    [Your previous anguish had a mix of shame, inferiority, and anger.]


    [But now it is different. It is a purer desire. You have the desire to have more and the confidence in having more. Indeed, such desire can be said to fit your greed.]


    [My little master.]


    [Desire. I am proud of you since you are faithful to your desires.]


    Obviously, Aamon praised him, but he didn''t feel like that.


    ''Ah, please¡­''


    Yong-ho wished Aamon didn''t mention it in a serious voice like that.


    He swung Aamon briskly and turned the spear into a bracelet then hurriedly fanned himself with his hand. After taking off heat from his face to some extent, he took Mammon''s mana and the rewards of the arena.


    Mammon''s mana tasted delicious. Perhaps, thanks to the growth in his ability to utilize greed, the efficiency rate of him absorbing mana also improved.


    ''The reward is usually good.''


    It was a ring that improved the concentration of magic casters. He felt he had better give it to Tigrius.


    When Yong-ho turned after wrapping up, Catalina, who was waiting in the audience, stood up suddenly and clapped her hands. Yong-ho felt satisfied with her reaction.


    "Oh my¡­ Look at her turning up her mouth with joy," said Gusion.


    Instead of responding right away, Yong-ho used Catalina''s black mana as Brigada.


    Then something amazing happened!

 156 Preparation 3

    Yong-ho jumped more than twenty meters with just one foot roll. He jumped so high that it seemed like he was flying.


    Its principle was simple. The moment he kicked off the ground, the black mana released from his legs propelled him off the ground strongly.


    Landing right in front of Catalina, he reached out and hugged her waist. Once again, using black mana, he stood in front of Gusion this time.


    His action was completely different from showing off his Herculean power.


    Only the one who could use black mana freely could make such a gentle jump.


    Moreover, Yong-ho performed the same tricks as before with the mana of his dungeon spirit he brought out through Brigada, not his own mana.


    "Hey, you can do something extraordinary. You seem to have become too strong suddenly, don''t you?" Said Gusion, laughing loudly.


    Snorting at him, he let go of Catalina. Then he flopped down across from Gusion.


    "Stop eating, man. I''ve brought it here for Catalina. Are you going to eat it all?"


    "Hey, don''t blame me for eating. Actually, I''ve got one left for her. I know you are the King of Greed, so don''t be mean to me."


    They exchanged barbed words, but they just did it jokingly. Yong-ho looked at the chicken box with a bit of regret on his face.


    Kaiwan was recuperating in the recovery room of the arena. It was natural that she was still in bed because she was injured heavily during her fight with Embrio.


    "Don''t worry. Even those who were battered by you are up and running once they are discharged from the recovery room. You can see them next time," said Kaiwan.


    "That''s good."


    After replying quickly, Yong-ho caught his breath. After trying to forget her smile that kept popping up in his mind, he faced Gusion.


    Yong-ho could see his smiling face, which was so familiar to him by now, but at the same time, he could see his face, who was crying and begging. Of course, his second image was an illusion. It was from the memory that he had read from Mammon''s legacy in the human world.


    Mammon didn''t tell him everything, saying he wasn''t qualified yet. Mammon also said 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon, such as Gusion and Scathach, were not ready yet, but he didn''t tell Yong-ho the truth about his own death.


    But it didn''t mean that there were no clues at all. Yong-ho could create a single picture, though incomplete, by putting together the fragments one by one.


    Mammon didn''t share his last moment with the 12 Spirits.


    Yong-ho could not know what caused Mammon''s death, but he was certain they were not with him during his last moment.


    At that time, Gusion cried and begged Mammon to allow him to stay with the master until his last moment.


    Sitri was looking up to the sky, hugging Elune who was dying.


    Scathach asked Yong-ho to fight with his dungeon spirits all the time.


    Mammon died alone.


    Then, who and what killed him?


    Why was there no record of his death in history?


    There was one more question.


    Why do Mammon''s 12 Spirits hide the truth from Yong-ho?


    What were the ''qualifications'' Mammon mentioned?


    ''Gusion wants to tell me about it,'' Yong-ho thought to himself.


    He could feel it. Aamon, Scathach, and Sitri hid the secret, but for different reasons.


    Gusion was holding the urge to tell.


    On the other hand, Aamon and Scathach didn''t want to talk from the beginning.


    Why were they divided about it?


    Yong-ho remembered Mammon''s words, ''I have always been faithful to my desires. Because of that, I do not regret my choice.''


    That was what Mammon said to him.


    At first, Yong-ho thought he said it to express his satisfaction. But he came to think differently about it when he reflected on it more. He felt like Mammon was drawing a line between himself and Yong-ho.


    ''I hope you can do the same, too.''


    ''Go your way Act according to your desires.''


    ''Don''t be bound by Mammon himself.''


    Yong-ho blinked.


    At that moment, Gusion, in reality, not in his memory, was looking at him anxiously and said, "Little master? Are you feeling ill? Were the wounds you got from Embrio infected?"


    "No, I''m a little tired."


    "I understand. You broke through three floors at once. There were almost very few who challenged the floor recklessly like you after the 10th floor. Kaiwan lost on and on, but finally, she continued to challenge persistently and climbed it."


    There were seven floors for Yong-ho to challenge before the 20th floor, where Kaiwan lost. Considering the corresponding increase in difficulty, it seemed that he could reach the 19th floor without much difficulty.


    "Come to think of it..."


    Suddenly, he said something that came to his mind, so he asked Gusion, "Is there any other floor where they issue a summons on the way to the 19th floor?"


    Gusion answered, "Well, I can''t guarantee, but you might get one because you will challenge the floor after the 10th floor. Even if they issue a summons, it''s not difficult to get you one. By the way, why do you need a summons? Are you going to bring Kaiwan to do something?"


    Gusion accurately read his mind. Yong-ho nodded.


    In fact, Like Gusion pointed out, Yong-ho planned to summon Kaiwan if he could obtain a summons.


    "Well, I want to experiment with one thing."


    So, he needed Kaiwan only. The situation could be a little different if another previous master of the House of Mammon appeared on his way to the 19th floor, but right now, he couldn''t think of any other candidate than Kaiwan.


    Nodding slowly at his earnest answer, Gusion asked, looking back at Aamon, the flames of the red lotus next to him, "Aamon, is it true that the anguish of our little master is getting stronger?"


    [It''s getting stronger. But¡­ it''s a little bit different. It is greed, not lust.]


    [Of course, it doesn''t mean that there is no lust in it at all...]


    At that moment, Yong-ho shook his hand wildly and stopped Aamon from talking more.


    Somehow, it seemed that Catalina was making a sullen expression behind his back.


    Why did Gusion, who usually never cracked a joke, mention it in a situation like this and put him on the spot?


    Yong-ho, sighing at Aamon''s gentle laugh, said to Gusion, "Deliver the chicken to Kaiwan well with my best regards. Let me go back."


    He stood up. Gusion saw him off in person.


    ***


    "I see. That''s why you said you needed my approval."


    It was really very late when Yong-ho left the arena, but instead of going to the demon king''s room, Yong-ho headed to Burgrim''s workshop because he knew well that Burgrim was looking forward to seeing him.


    On top of Burgrim''s workbench was a whole bone almost the size of Catalina. It was part of the ribs of the Bone Dragon.


    The Bone Dragon''s bone was definitely a great material. It was hard and light, and it had strong magical energy inside it.


    Nonetheless, it was bone, not metal.


    Its processing was not smooth. It was impossible to melt it like metal then harden it to reshape it.


    The only way to process a dragon''s bones was to ''drill'' it.


    If one ground a bone to make a knife, it was inevitable to discard some bones. And it was almost impossible to utilize all the discarded bones.


    Of course, dragon bones were also valuable as a magic catalyst, so they were not discarded forever. But the bones required lots of waste in the process of making tools.


    That was why Burgrim waited for Yong-ho. Only after receiving a specific order and getting his permission to use the amount of bone could Burgrim start working on.


    Desire was flaring up in Burgrim''s eyes. His eyes were glittering as strongly as when he was longing for the evolution of mana.


    Yong-ho thought to himself, ''Is it similar to the situation where he obtained an incredible toy in his hand?''


    Yong-ho could not know it. He just giggled at Burgrim and gave him a specific order.


    Aside from making the "dragon soldiers", which could be called high-level skeletons, he had no specific plan about how to use the bones, so he decided to provide Burgrim only one large fang and a few small bones. He thought this would be enough for Burgrim to make weapons and armor for his dungeon spirits.


    Burgrim started working right away. It seemed that he had no intention of taking a break until he produced the results.


    Catalina, who came out on the hallway, said with admiration, "He always seems to be passionate whenever I see him."


    "Yeah. He''s completely different from when I saw him the first time, right?"


    She nodded. When Yong-ho first came to the House of Mammon, Burgrim was languid with his eyes drooping.


    It wasn''t just Burgrim that changed. All the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon have changed since then.


    "Butler Eligos has changed a lot too," she said with mixed feelings.


    At that moment, Yong-ho chuckled because he recalled the bleak House of Mammon when he saw it first.


    Jon and Ron, the first dungeon spirits that he bought at the Dungeon Market, were no longer just goblins. It had been a long time since they surpassed ordinary goblins not only in appearance but also in their abilities. Even if they fight ogres even now, they were highly likely to win.


    Heading to the demon king''s room with Catalina, he chatted with her. There were almost no dungeon spirits in the hallway because it was so late at night.


    When they finally reached the room, he heard Lucia''s voice.


    [Master, it''s deep at night.]


    [You have to take a rest now.]


    Yong-ho knitted his brows, while Lucia kept talking.


    [Pit-a-pat]


    [Lubb-dupp]


    [This time, let me count from one to ten¡­ Uh?]


    [Our connection is getting lost...]


    [Master?!]


    [When did you get this skill?]


    [I''ll hate you if you disconnect the line with me...]


    Lucia, which was interrupted in the middle of her talking, completely disappeared in the end.


    Freed from her connection, Yong-ho reached out to Catalina, who opened her eyes wide, not knowing what happened.


    "Let''s go. We''re going to be busy tomorrow. Time for rest now."


    That was true. Tomorrow he was going to summon dragon soldiers and evolve dungeon spirits including Skull. Probably, he would use more mana tomorrow than today.


    Catalina blinked once. She looked back at her room at the entrance of the demon king''s room and smiled differently. Then she said warmly to him, who made an awkward expression, "Sure, master."


    She held his hands, then naturally stepped into the room of the demon king.


    ***


    Unlike the southern area where peace was restored, the northern area was on fire.


    It was the chaos caused by Embrio''s death.


    The eastern army struck the northern army fiercely. Some of the northern soldiers fought a deadly battle, while others gave up too easily, surrendering to the eastern army.


    Embrio''s dungeon was also among those that were ruined and burnt down.


    It was a small and insignificant dungeon. For this reason, few of the northern army knew that the dungeon burning right now before their eyes was Embrio''s.


    A wolf went out of the burning dungeon. The wolf came out to fulfill his order that he gave before leaving the dungeon.


    The leader who led the herd of wolves was killed.


    However, the leader''s members weren''t killed altogether just because their leader was killed.


    If a new leader appeared, they could continue to survive as long as they wanted.


    The wolf carrying Embrio''s legacy suddenly left the northern area.


    The wolf headed south to join the killed leader''s runaway soldiers, who had followed him.


    The wolf was the new leader that Embrio had nominated as the new leader just before his death. It was the wolf that Emrbio recognized as the king.


    The moonlight was cloudy. The wolf ran through the dark night.

 157 Libra Elune 1

    There was an expansion of fertile land under the sparkling artificial sun.


    It was the laws of nature that life would be born and would grow.


    It was not different here. Countless plants sprouted, grew, and bore fruit.


    It was a scene that one felt warm about just by looking at it. The golden waves of wheat swayed like waves in the wind, and the corns in full ear were shyly wrapped in green leaves. Strawberries and grapes, which would surely smell so sweet in one''s mouth with a bite, also showed off their beauty with their own colors.


    It was beautiful. It was a scene that made one feel the greatness of life and nature, except for a bit of a sense of strangeness.


    "Don''t you think our little master is so mean this time like he was last time?"


    Scathach, the Immortal Witch and the owner of the Garden of Life in charge of healing the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon, frowned.


    The Garden of Life was full of death.


    Nearly 50 skeleton soldiers were absorbed in farming with their own farming tools.


    As they were new to the garden, many of them weren''t familiar with farming, but they made up for their clumsy skills through their meticulous and repetitive actions peculiar to the undead.


    The way that the undead in the realm of death cultivated plants caused Scathach to feel an instinctive sense of strangeness. Moreover, there were more than 50 skeletons in the garden. Similar things were going on in all four circular rooms on the first floor.


    In some rooms, they grew fruit intensively, and in other rooms, they grew preference items such as sugar cane, cacao, and tobacco. The most impressive among them was the room where they grew medicinal materials such as hemp and poppy.


    The beautiful garden where Scathach healed the visitors'' mind and body did not exist anymore. Instead, there were only rice paddies and fields filled with the smell of manure from all directions.


    Yong-ho, who returned from the human world, increased the number of skeletons a lot.


    Skeleton workers, who could be called the lowest dungeon spirit, were very cheap.


    A dragon''s single finger bone, which cost less than pure dragon bones, could buy tens of skeleton workers.


    Yong-ho purchased a total of 200 skeleton workers.


    There were very few masters of houses who bought as many skeleton workers as he.


    When Yong-ho recalled Skull when he arrived at the House of Mammon, it was natural that he thought so.


    Skeleton workers performed very badly.


    They were weak and slow. Of course, they were good at repetitive work almost without taking any break, but their efficiency was so low that it was hard to regard it as their strength. Besides, their learning ability was also limited.


    Given these factors, it was questionable whether the unit price of skeletons was really cheap.


    "Oops¡­ sorry. I was nodding off. What did you say?"


    Yong-ho, with his whole body buried in the blue liquid, spoke slowly with his eyes half-closed.


    He had shadows under his eyes.


    On the day he bought the skeleton workers, Yong-ho promoted all of them to skeleton soldiers.


    They were literally tremendous construction workers. However, with the money to buy two hundred skeleton workers, he took advantage of gaining two hundred skeleton soldiers.


    It was a really profitable business, given that he would promote them to skeleton warriors or higher beings later.


    It was good to have an elite force, but it was also necessary to have as many skeletons as possible. Yong-ho learned and felt a lot while fighting Embrio. From now on, he intended to use the power of evolution more aggressively.


    Scathach let out a long sigh again, after all. Instead of blaming Yong-ho, who looked worn out with fatigue, she turned her eyes at the dragon soldiers that made her feel uncomfortable. She frowned at them again.


    Unlike typical skeletons, the dragon soldiers were farming by twos and threes in a field. They were seven, all told, but each of them was strong enough to be equivalent to five or six skeleton knights. To convert them into skeleton soldiers, they were worth more than a few hundred.


    It was really eerie and terrifying to see them, about 2 meters tall, squatting on the field and hoeing clumsily.


    It was unthinkable for them to be engaged in such manual labor. As dragon soldiers, they were supposed to be proud of themselves. As an undead, they wouldn''t disobey their owner''s orders, but they could throw tantrums and complain while working.


    However, the dragon soldiers were busy hoeing hard.


    It was because another powerful being that could smash their pride at once was also squatting and honing like them.


    "Skull Skull."


    Dragon Bone Knight.


    Its existence itself was different from general dragon soldiers.


    It was huge. It even gave the aura of grandeur beyond just being huge.


    Its color was pure white itself. Since it was made from the hardest and sharpest fangs of the dragon''s bones, it was slender and sturdy.


    Its anti-magic resistance was also excellent. It would obviously ignore any typical mana.


    The purple flame burning in its head, reminiscent of a humanoid or dragon, caused wonder and fear at the same time.


    It was a great warrior that could confront a Death Knight, arguably the pinnacle of the skeleton warrior series.


    "Skullkull."


    After murmuring something like ''The sun is so warm, so it''s good for me rolling on the floor,'' Dragon Bone Knight got down to hoeing hard again.


    Scathach murmured, "Come on, it went too far."


    She felt like that because she witnessed the whole process of Skull being reborn as a Dragon Bone Knight.


    Yong-ho really invested a lot in Skull.


    So, his efforts to create a dragon soldier to be used for evolving Skull were unusual from the beginning.


    First of all, he selected the best quality of the dragon''s teeth as materials.


    Then he went through one more process instead of simply using the scroll of summoning a dragon soldier as he did for other dragon soldiers. It was Tigrius''s combination magic.


    Tigrius, who was summoned from the House of Randolt, used the scroll of summoning a dragon soldier and that of summoning a skeleton mage at the same time.


    And he combined the two magics with the power of combination magic.


    Of course, it wasn''t easy. Yong-ho didn''t use the magic by himself. It was the magic contained in the scroll. Moreover, Tigrius''s power itself was weakened after he became Yong-ho''s dungeon spirit.


    Nonetheless, Tigrius finally succeeded. Although he wasted the scroll of summoning a dragon soldier and the scroll of summoning a skeleton mage, his efforts paid off anyway.


    Thus, a dragon soldier with the power of a skeleton mage was born.


    This time, Ophelia did her bit. To prevent an emergency, she weakened the ego of the dragon soldier with mental magic. She badly complained about having to kiss a skeleton, but the price she paid for that was very cheap compared to the results. Of course, this was what Yong-ho thought to himself.


    Finally, Yong-ho activated a combination magic evolution.


    He was satisfied with the outcome. Just looking at it, he felt like his belly was full even without eating anything. Skull now had the physical strength that surpasses a dragon soldier and the magic ability that surpasses typical combat wizards. The small number of magic that Skull could use was somewhat its weakness, but it was still more than enough to be used in battle.


    Skull had been reborn as a deceptive all-weather wizard warrior with strong attack power, high defensive abilities that could ignore typical magic but use its own attack magic.


    Despite that, Skull was hoeing humbly in the field. No matter how powerful it was reborn, Skull was still a skull.


    Scathach clicked her tongue then turned to Yong-ho again. He was half asleep at the moment.


    She asked, "I know you overworked yourself these days. Then you didn''t sleep at all last night? Tell me honestly. You didn''t sleep properly for the past several days, right?"


    Yong-ho flinched at her questioning. Then Lucia cut in as if she had been waiting for this chance until now.


    [You''re right!]


    [Scathach, just listen to me!]


    [You''ve got to spread this gossip everywhere!]


    [I''ve got one thing to tell you.]


    [Whispering.]


    [Whispers.]


    "Oh my God! How indecent!"


    Scathach screamed with both hands on her cheeks.


    But Yong-ho shouted, "Lucia, you didn''t hear anything except for the whispering, right? I just kept working! That''s all!"


    [Really?]


    [Are you sure you just worked, doing nothing else?]


    [You disconnected the communication link with me, who''s cute, pretty, poor, and miserable, and just kept working for several days?]


    [Are you sure?]


    [Really?]


    As if she was really disappointed in him for the past few days, Lucia pressured him a lot. Burying himself in the blue liquid, he cleared his throat and said, "Well, let me exercise the right to remain silent."


    He felt it fortunate that Ophelia was not here at the moment. Catalina was asleep, wrapped in blue liquid across from him. If she had been awake and seen this, she would have been very embarrassed.


    Scathach burst into laughter. After soothing Lucia with kind words, she said, "You''ve got nothing to be ashamed of. It''s natural, and you''re the King of Greed anyway."


    Then she lifted his blue watery eyes and looked a little further away.


    She continued, "I want to make more money. I want to have a woman. I want to be strong. I want to grow a dungeon. I want to evolve dungeon spirits. All this is ''greed.'' There is no such thing as a high or low greed because it''s hope and wish. It''s what everybody really wants."


    Staring in the air, she turned her eyes back at him and earnestly said like his mother, "Greed itself is not bad because it is the driving force of our life and development. So, just desire it as much as you want. Just keep wishing for it. Don''t be shy. Your strong wish will be your strength in no time."


    She made a beautiful and brilliant smile. Yong-ho, who unwittingly looked at her, enchanted with her charming smile, seemed to understand why she had the power of "life".


    ''Come to think of it...''


    There was something that came to his mind.

 158 Libra Elune 2

    Yong-ho asked right away, "Scathach was ''life'' and Baphomet was ''death'', right? Is the power of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon like that? Isn''t it something like ''concept'', not attributes such as earth, fire, or wind?"


    Scathach clapped her hands to hear it and said, "How discerning you are! You''re right. Most of us 12 Spirits are using ''concepts'' as our power, which can be said to be the result of the intellectual activity of the lives with their own will and emotions."


    "Then, what about Gusion?"


    He asked it instinctively, but the more he thought about Gusion, the more curious he was because he could not think of any "concept" that suited Gusion.


    She waved her hands and said, "Ask him directly. My sweetheart has the power suitable for him perfectly. Ah, it''s not something like ''cuteness''. I almost gave you a correct answer!"


    "Well, I don''t think he isn''t even close to ''cuteness''..."


    "Uh? Why? You will never know how cute he is when we are alone. So much so that I want to tell others how cute he is."


    She said, blushing, but he tried not to imagine his being cute to her.


    He felt goosebumps at the thought that Gusion was acting cute to her when they were together.


    "What is Elune''s power?"


    He didn''t mention it just to change the topic. Checking it out was important to him because he was planning to start attacking the third floor of the Labyrinth of Greed today.


    "Well, it''s the power that suits Elune the most. But at the same time, it is also a very ambiguous force. Depending on who has her power, the strength and weakness of her power will be very different. But I believe you can use her power as well as anybody else."


    It seemed that she didn''t want to answer his question fully.


    After he got out of the blue liquid, Yong-ho summoned Skull and the dragon soldiers. He also ordered Lucia to call Eligos and Ophelia.


    About 30 minutes later Yong-ho was done preparing for the attack and left the Garden of Life. He headed for the Labyrinth of Greed on the 3rd floor, the realm of Elune.


    ***


    Dragon Fear, it was one of the several powers that the descendants of the great Dragon Lord that inherited the vein of fantasy fully.


    It was an overwhelming power.


    Its existence itself caused others instinctive fear.


    Reborn as a Dragon Bone Knight, Skull could exert power similar to Dragon Fear. It was a powerful force that could not even be compared with the fear of death that the ordinary undead induced to the living. So much so that a road was opened the moment Skull stepped forward. Wendigos, the dungeon monsters that resembled a monkey, who were in charge of controlling the entrance to the 3rd floor, couldn''t even dare to approach Skull''s party. The only thing they could do was to scream in anger while shuddering.


    Since Bucephalus had been promoted to "Nightmare Vanguard" after the bloody battle with the Death Knight, his showy marching was quite a view.


    Looking back once, Bucephalas snorted hard. It seemed meaningless to others, but Salami took it differently. Shaking its head as if it was upset, Salami kept signaling to Yong-ho with its eyes. Yong-ho understood Salami''s feelings. That was why he gently got off Salami''s back and waved his hand. He looked at Eligos, who was gleaming with a strong desire to win, promoted by Skull''s pompous behavior then gave him a brief order.


    "Kill them."


    There were hundreds of Wendigos. But it didn''t take long for all of them to collapse.


    ***


    "It looks like the third floor is a gambling hall," said Ophelia, looking around.


    Since the battle was not over yet, she was still in combat mode, and her voice was more excited than usual because of that.


    After getting rid of hundreds of Wendigos in the room at the entrance, Yong-ho continued to move inside. Just like the other floors of the Labyrinth of Greed, the third floor was also full of dungeon monsters piled up over a thousand years, so the battle never ceased.


    Yong-ho stepped back and watched in order to get the dungeon spirits'' evolution EXP. He then looked around like Ophelia. He asked Ophelia puzzlingly, "Did you say this is a gambling place?"


    The third floor was more like "indoor" rather than the first or second floor. The first entrance room''s ceiling was so high and spacious that Salami could even fly there, but it wasn''t after that. There was a series of corridors, so he felt like he entered a large dungeon.


    Currently, the place where Yong-ho and his party stopped was a space that could be called a gathering place. There was a towering path in the middle of the square-shaped room, and a wide staircase was connected to the floor about 1 meter low. Since the stairs were connected to the whole road, it could be said that the central passage was made of stones stacked in a pyramid shape on the flat ground.


    Although there were several long grooves in the stone ground, that was it. So, he felt like it was a square rather than a gambling hall.


    Ophelia explained, "It seems to be a traditional slime stadium. Those stairs look like seats, and there are slimes racing along the grooves on the ground. Originally, things like partitions should be stretched along the grooves, but they seem to have been broken with the passage of time. I can see quite a bit of debris around. Probably they might have bet money over there and got the dividend."


    She seemed to have a point. Recalling the racetrack he went with his father, he imagined the slimes crawling hard along the rails one after another. They didn''t move vigorously, but they looked pretty cute, he thought.


    "I found some traces in the room where we first entered, things like dice and gambling chips.


    Probably they might have gambled at several small tables in that room, just like they did in my tavern."


    "Uh? Wasn''t the second floor the gateway to the Labyrinth of Greed? Gambling room right next to the door?"


    "Well, they could express their confidence like that because this is no other than the Labyrinth of Greed. And in my opinion, it seems that the third floor is a space to support the entire load. I mean ''magical load'' rather than a physical one. That''s why the room or passage is narrower than the first or second floor, and the ceiling is low."


    "In other words, it''s a multi-purpose room, right?"


    "Yes, I think there is a good chance that a real luxury gambling house was built on a deeper floor."


    At that very moment, thunder crashed. It was the sound of Skull hitting the head of the one-eyed giant standing at the exit with a battle hammer. The head of the giant, nearly six meters tall, literally shattered into pieces.


    Instead of watching Salami and Eligos, who were fighting hard, Yong-ho kept asking Ophelia.


    "By the way, is a gambling room an essential dungeon facility?"


    He asked because the gambling room here was about the size of a racetrack. So, he did not understand quickly because she mentioned that a high-end gambling place was probably on a deeper floor.


    She knitted her brows a bit and replied, "I told you about it once before, but it is a useful space in many ways. As one of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon, I would like to strongly recommend that you install it in the Mammon House, too. How about a bar there? Just as you''re faithful to your desire, the dungeon spirits are also faithful to their own desires. They need a playing area where they can satisfy their desires. "


    "Hmm."


    Actually, she was right. Unlike young Yuria or Baduk just content with something to eat, Orcs might have various desires. Although the Free City was available as a place to satisfy their desires, it was so far away from the House of Mammon. Obviously they couldn''t go that far after their work was over.


    Although the ratio of undead spirits like skeletons was overwhelmingly high at the House of Mammon, general dungeon spirits also increased a lot in the process of Yong-ho absorbing Free City and the House of Randolt. As the owner of the dungeon, Yong-ho could not help but consider the welfare of the dungeon spirits.


    "What about other masters? I mean the masters of larger dungeons."


    Since the masters of dungeons in the southern area, especially the dungeons of those masters affiliated with Yong-ho, were weak, their dungeons were not big.


    What he wanted to refer to was the dungeons outside the southern area and the dungeons of powerful masters at that.


    Ophelia smiled brightly and said, "There are many good cases where they build huge estates outside their dungeons."


    "You mean something like a village, right?"


    "Yes. Besides, the role of an estate is not just a place to satisfy their desires. It serves as a driving force that can help them control a much larger number of dungeon spirits than a normal dungeon. Aside from the Labyrinth of Greed, it is difficult for thousands or tens of thousands of spirits to live in a typical dungeon."


    "You bet."


    Right now, the Free City was playing a similar role. It was necessary for Yong-ho to secure a space where a large number of people could stay in order to command thousands of soldiers.


    Actually he asked the question casually, so he stopped delving into it further. It would not be too late for him to devise about building an estate after occupying the third floor.


    While Yong-ho and Ophelia were exchanging opinions, almost all of the dungeon monsters in the slime stadium were wiped out. He looked back at Catalina, who was guarding him as his escort knight rather than fighting directly because she was smiling at him strangely.


    Noticing his gaze, she replied quickly, "Well, I feel the gambling place here looks good because Elune, not anybody else, is in charge."


    Libra Elune, to quote Scathach''s words, she was one of the 12 Spirits who was sincere and methodical.


    Yong-ho also naturally nodded. Her images that he remembered in his memories were far from gambling. She was strict, serious, and stern in everything.


    Like Catalina said, however, he thought she was a good fit as the manager of the gambling place.


    "Does it mean she ensures fairness in the gambling place?"


    Anybody could trust Elune, and she would not give short weight and short measure anyway.


    Catalina nodded quickly, saying that it was exactly what she thought.


    But Ophelia was different. She said with a wicked smile, "Well, what I say may sound impertinent, but her presence in the gambling place may be a sophisticated strategy for true deception. After all, a gambling house is a place where the gambling house, not the clients, wins."


    This was the statement by the former hostess of the tavern, who used to run the largest gambling house in the Free City.

 159 Libra Elune 3

    Catalina opened her eyes wide at her statement, while Yong-ho imagined a situation where he, who squandered family fortune at the gambling place, watched Yuria and Baduk crying while lying on the floor. For some reason, Salami was also crying beside them.


    Yong-ho felt he needed to think twice about setting up a gambling room in the dungeon of the Mammon House.


    "Let''s keep going anyway."


    By now, the dungeon monsters at the entrance were removed already. Yong-ho walked toward Salami bravely making the snorting mixed with sparks.


    The third floor was a gambling room, as Ophelia expected.


    Yong-ho passed several simplified arenas, rooms with roulettes, and lounges before standing before a tightly sealed door. Like the Garden of Life, Scathach''s space, the 3rd floor gambling house was structured so that he could go down to the 4th floor without having to pass by the 12 Spirits. In front of the sealed room was a large staircase leading down to the fourth floor.


    Elune, one of the 12 Spirits and Mammon''s escort knight, already died. However, Scathach told Yong-ho that Elune must have left behind her surrogate.


    For this reason, Yong-ho again ordered Skull and Salami to step back.


    He allowed only himself and his dungeon spirits to enter the room.


    At his order, Skull and Eligos opened the tightly closed door.


    ***


    The room was spacious and quiet.


    Yong-ho didn''t need to throw a lighting device. The moment the door was opened, a soft light poured down from the ceiling. It was like moonlight.


    He stopped Skull from trying to walk ahead then pulled Aamon out of the air. His greed naturally triggered as if he was breathing. Some of the colored smoke arising from him wrapped around the dungeon spirits, and the rest spread into every nook and cranny of the room.


    He took the first step. Darkness in the room and the light from the ceiling reacted to him. Every time he took one step, darkness was cleared away. The light from the ceiling illuminated the place where he stepped forward, as if to guide him.


    There was no such thing as a trap. Led by Catalina, the dungeon spirits began to follow him one by one.


    And when he finally reached the middle of the room, the door that was open wide closed smoothly. The light guiding him became stronger, while the other lights from all sides dimmed. It was like starlight that dimmed when the moonlight got brighter.


    The soft golden light became one. It formed a lump of light then took the shape of a human in no time.


    It was a blurry shape. However, Yong-ho could see it clearly.


    Golden hair and a red eye patch.


    Libra, one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    Elune who cuts the night.


    It was a beautiful scene. Standing up from the light, she breathed softly. Everything about her coincided with the woman in his memory.


    She opened her mouth, "The King of Greed, who has finally returned!"


    At that moment, Yong-ho knew that none of the previous masters of the House of Mammon could face Elune. She opened her eyes in response to his greed.


    Elune continued, "What you are facing now is a mere shadow of the old me. But don''t worry. I am obviously Elune that cuts the night. And I, standing before you now, will think and judge the same way I do."


    On the day Mammon died, Elune also died.


    Moreover, Elune died ahead of Mammon.


    So, the Elune that was standing here was her ghost. She was a kind of alter ego she had left behind right before she went out of the Labyrinth of Greed lastly.


    But it was exactly what Elune said. She could not be classified as a mere ghost.


    Yong-ho felt like he faced the very Elune in his memory. Even the dungeon spirits realized that they were facing a legend just like when they encountered Scathach and Gusion.


    In particular, Catalina seemed to have been more impressed than other spirits perhaps because she shared with Elune her unique characteristics such as an escort knight and a lover.


    Catalina looked at her with a pious expression.


    "Well, it''s a good introduction. Can you show me your face a little more clearly?" Elune said kindly. She wasn''t necessarily as sharp as a sword. She, who had loved everything about Mammon, also loved him because he was Mammon''s descendant.


    She wanted to face him kindly as if she were his mother.


    Yong-ho took a couple of steps again to get closer to Elune. Although she was wearing an eye patch to cover her eyes, Elune had a mental vision. She could easily see through anything that ordinary people could not see.


    Elune gently caressed his cheeks. A smile came to her lips naturally.


    "You look like that person."


    He didn''t need to ask who that person was. Withdrawing her hand, she took a step back.


    Once again, she took a look at him as a whole then said brightly, "You''re very attractive. I don''t know how many generations have passed, but it was certain that a person''s blood must be flowing in your body. And you seemed to have inherited the blood of the Incubus a lot. It must be the blood of the famous and powerful Incubus family."


    "Pardon?"


    Yong-ho raised his voice before he knew it.


    Elune laughed gently and said, "Don''t be too surprised. I can figure out this kind of stuff very easily."


    "How can you¡­" He blurred.


    He felt something was strange, but he thought maybe she was right. Above all, her voice was full of confidence.


    "It''s been quite a while since you became the King of Greed. I can feel gravity in you. You seem to be older than you look. And¡­"


    "Wait a minute," he said, shaking his hand quickly.


    "First of all, I''m from the human world. I don''t know my ancestors, but my father is just a normal human. It''s only been about half a year since I became the master of the House of Mammon."


    "Uh?" Elune said in a strange tone. It was a familiar scene for Yong-ho.


    "Oh no, I can''t believe my ears. You became the master only six months ago? Your blood was not mixed with an Incubus?"


    Remarkably embarrassed, Elune quickly looked at his lower body. Aside from her embarrassment, she blushed.


    He quickly covered his lower body with his hand as if he was also embarrassed.


    He was sure why this scene was familiar to him.


    ''Dang it! How can she be wrong?!''


    Ophelia murmured, narrowing her eyes. Eligos leered at Catalina while Skull looked at Catalina openly. Catalina was so shy at the moment. As if she was humiliated, she was at a loss of what to do, turning red.


    Put to shame, she lost their reverence, let alone mystery about her.


    In the same league as Elune, Catalina, who couldn''t stand it anymore, covered her face with both hands. Likewise, Elune did the same.


    It took a lot of time for the two escort knights, who shared everything over a thousand years, to regain their composure.


    ***


    "You, the King of Greed who has finally returned!"


    Her voice was elegant and beautiful. Resonating hazily in the moonlight, it was truly fantasy itself. But Yong-ho said, knitting his brows, "Wait a minute. It seems unreasonable to start over from the beginning as if nothing happened."


    Not only Yong-ho, but also the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family looked at Elune with mixed feelings such as cold, compassion, and regret, etc.


    Elune curled her lips and said, "So mean!"


    Grumbling a bit, Elune suddenly stretched out her hand then pointed to Catalina, who was feeling shy like her.


    "Hey, come over here."


    "Uh, me?"


    "Yes, you."


    Since she was singled out suddenly, Catalina blinked, embarrassed, then turned to Yong-ho as if to ask for his permission. When he nodded a bit, she scurried to Elune.


    Elune let out a long sigh. She quickly glanced at him, but he was not clear because she was wearing an eye patch. Then she put her lips to Catalina''s long ears and whispered something.


    Then Catalina showed a reaction befitting her. She flapped her ears as if startled then nodded violently, looking at him.


    He was not sure what she was trying to express to him, but it was clear that her action bothered him a lot.


    Elune smiled then whispered into her ears again. As if she agreed completely, Catalina kept nodding. This time Catalina whispered to Elune.


    "You''re right, you''re right!"


    This time, Elune agreed excitedly. Yong-ho was extremely bothered.


    After all, Elune said something very important.


    "Oh, I just feel refreshed only now."


    Elune laughed. Catalina also laughed instinctively then quickly curled her lips. Elune patted her on the shoulder and put her index finger in the middle of her lips. This time, Catalina raised her finger as Elune did then nodded.


    It looked like they wanted to keep their conversation today to themselves.


    While Yong-ho was nervous, wondering about their conversation, Ophelia clicked her tongue. Eligos shook his head because he felt sympathetic to Yong-ho, and Skull just laughed.


    With a brighter expression now, Elune looked back at Yong-ho and said, "Don''t look at me like that. What you see here is Elune''s ghost. That''s why she is more honest, simpler, and more childish. The real Elune is a beautiful and noble swordsman, so don''t worry."


    Since Elune reacted so brazenly, it was hard for Yong-ho to respond properly.


    Catalina, trying to read his mind, quickly came to him and stood where she was.


    As if on cue, Elune spoke again right away, "I think I can stop playing with you. The power of my ghost has become so weakened. It seems it took much longer than I thought for the new King of Greed to appear. Let''s get back to the main point now."


    Elune changed the atmosphere. Yong-ho felt her manner was distant now, though she looked very friendly to him a moment ago.


    "The fact that you are here means that you have been recognized by Scathach and Baphomet."


    The light in the room dimmed. The moonlight pouring toward Elune dimmed, but the starlight became brighter instead.


    "Scathach''s power is life. Baphomet''s power is death."


    The number of light increased. However, the light could not drive out the darkness. The moonlight was eclipsed, and the starlight was too little to drive out the darkness. The starlight was buried in the darkness one by one, and the darkness in the room grew thicker.


    However, no one looked away. Everyone looked at Elune. There were others right next to her, but they didn''t feel it. They felt as if there were only Elune and Yong-ho in the dark.

 160 Libra Elune 4

    "I, Elune''s power is justice. However, justice is very hard to come by, contrary to what others think about it. Just like true perfection could not exist in this imperfect world, justice could not exist. So, it is like an ideal we have to just look to."


    Elune knew that her own justice was not true justice. It would rather rightly be called an indomitable conviction.


    "My strength is like a will that never bends. It''s like the courage to take a step toward the light even in the dark where you can''t look ahead at all."


    The starlight faded now. The dim moonlight was eclipsed by the darkness.


    Elune asked in the darkness, "If you want to back down, now is the time. But that''s not an option."


    It was a pointless question. Yong-ho wouldn''t have come here if he hadn''t intended to challenge the test in the first place.


    Elune didn''t delay any further. "Okay, let''s get started."


    Silence was added to the darkness. He couldn''t see and hear anything anymore.


    He breathed. He couldn''t feel it. It wasn''t just the darkness that eclipsed the surroundings.


    What was Elune''s test? Surely, was it to endure isolation created by darkness?


    It was not. He noticed that the test began.


    The sword of light poured down. After cutting through the darkness, it cut his chest.


    He instinctively backed down, but he couldn''t avoid it. The terrible pain in his heart spread to his whole body.


    He was still in the dark. He couldn''t feel his surroundings. Moreover, it was difficult for him to even concentrate. He felt regret now. The memories that he wanted to forget, the memories and feelings that had been dulled by time, began to come flooding back to him.


    It was a shock that surpassed the pain of the flesh. It was brief but sharp enough for him to forget the pain. Elune did not stop.


    The sword of light poured out again. He couldn''t escape it again. His shoulders were split, with blood gushing out from it. Even his blood was eclipsed by the darkness.


    He could not come to his senses. Mental and physical pain alternately raged in his body. He stumbled without hearing his own scream. Elune''s ordeal, which came so suddenly, was so tough.


    [Concentrate!]


    [You must set yourself right in the dark. You must end the confusion with a strong will!]


    Aamon shouted, but it didn''t reach him. The darkness blocked Aamon''s voice.


    Yong-ho gasped for breath. The funeral came to his mind. The pain that had been buried in his heart tormented him. The little Yong-ho was crying sadly.


    The sword of light kept pouring down. He was hacked. He desperately moved his body, but he couldn''t even tell the right side from the left. All he could do was to avoid her fatal attack.


    Aamon did not stop shouting. Aamon shouted to him to stand tall in the dark with strong winds and greed.


    However, he could not produce the power of greed. It seemed that he couldn''t even think about it. He was just being hacked in the darkness created by Elune.


    Aamon felt nervous. Aamon knew Elune. Elune was different from Scathach. Elune was much more resolute and cold-hearted. He could die at the end of this ordeal.


    [Little master!]


    It was almost a desperate scream. Aamon felt that his voice finally reached him.


    Aamon was convinced that he was focusing in the dark. But it was too late.


    The sword of light cut his chest again. As he couldn''t stand it, he sank to the floor.


    Aamon called him again. He didn''t answer his call.


    He raised his head. It was so dark that he could see the sword of bright light.


    He instinctively knew it would be his last moment.


    He didn''t even know how much time passed. The time he wandered in the terrible darkness where Elune invited him was short, but he felt it was long.


    The sword of light poured out from overhead. Aamon screamed.


    Yong-ho also clenched his fist. He called only one name even at this moment when his memories and feelings were being hacked.


    "Catalina!"


    At that very moment, the darkness broke. It shattered and collapsed. The sword of light did not reach him.


    Yong-ho gasped for breath. He lifted his head, sweating.


    Elune, grasping the sword of light, was standing in the bright moonlight.


    Catalina was standing behind her back. She was aiming at Elune''s neck with the sword of black mana.


    Moreover, it wasn''t just Catalina. Skull was standing before him.


    "Kuhuuuuuh."


    Yong-ho laughed beyond the wreckage of the shattered darkness. All the wounds inflicted by the sword of light were fake, but the mental shock was real. Because of that, he felt the pain as if he had been cut by a real sword, but he still smiled.


    "Uh¡­ How could you...?" Elune asked in confusion.


    She asked Yong-ho, not Catalina who was aiming at her neck.


    The purpose of this ordeal was to strengthen the will of the successor of the House of Mammon. Overcoming extreme confusion and darkness with strong conviction was the model answer.


    But Yong-ho didn''t do it like that. The reason Elune stopped her sword was not because he overcame her ordeal. It was because Catalina, who was supposed to not know what was happening to him, aimed her sword at Elune.


    The darkness eclipsed not only Yong-ho but also his dungeon spirits. Of course, there were differences. Unlike the darkness that eclipsed Yong-ho, it only blocked their movement.


    The dungeon spirits should not have known what was happening to Yong-ho. In fact, except for Catalina and Skull, the other spirits were only looking at Yong-ho and Elune alternately as if they didn''t know what had happened.


    "How could you¡­?" Elune asked again.


    Wiping his cold sweat, he replied, "Scathach told me I should fight you with dungeon spirits."


    Of course, Scathach didn''t say it to him, with Elune''s test in mind. In fact, he didn''t recall Scathach''s kind reminder from the beginning. Even now, he could reply like that because the fight was over.


    When he was in the dark, he lost himself. As Elune intended, he drifted in confusion and fear.


    But at the same time, he could feel it when he was thrown to the floor and in terrible isolation by the darkness. At that moment, he felt he was not alone. He knew that even in this darkness, there were his dungeon spirits, who got connected with himself.


    What came next was totally his own world. He couldn''t hear Aamon''s voice, but he focused.


    In the midst of being swept away by the drift of emotions, he never let go of his touch with the dungeon spirits, who were connected with him like a lifeline.


    And he finally moved.


    He conveyed a simple but strong will to Catalina and Skull. It was Catalina who responded first. The escort knight became a sword to protect her master. She broke the dark veil that Elune had unfolded. And Skull became a shield for its master.


    Elune opened her lips. Yong-ho couldn''t specifically explain what he had done, but Elune already understood it. That was why she didn''t withdraw her sword right away.


    The Elune standing here was her ghost. In other words, she was a replica that the real Elune had left behind just before she left the Labyrinth of Greed.


    Because of that, her emotions and memories were the same as hers back then, which synced with Yong-ho and made Elune silent.


    Some time passed after that.


    When he began to feel nervous, Elune withdrew the sword. She felt a bit dispirited, but she smiled kindly.


    "It wasn''t the model answer to my test, but you have overcome it anyway."


    The moonlight pouring from the ceiling became stronger. Yong-ho instinctively lifted the magic field on his left arm. It was giving off a golden gleam, next to blue and purple.


    Catalina and Skull naturally stepped back.


    Elune politely showed due manners to Yong-ho.


    She ended the ritual by transferring her power to him.


    ***


    "Power of anguish again! Last time Gusion and Kaiwan said that the source of the master''s power is an incredibly powerful desire for lust."


    "Ah, no, that''s not true!"


    "Oh, it looks like a weak denial, not a strong one. Then, is it really true?" Ophelia said, hurriedly covering her chest with both hands. Why the hell did she cover her chest while talking about it?


    Yong-ho looked around as if asking for help, but there was no one who could help him.


    Eligos gently cleared his throat, and Catalina didn''t turn to Yong-ho at all. As always, Skull just laughed.


    "Skull Skull!"


    Yong-ho and his dungeon spirits left Elune''s room. They headed back to the upper floor with Salami and Skull''s unit on standby.


    After saying goodbye to Yong-ho''s party, Elune watched them leaving quietly.


    Since she transferred her power to him, she couldn''t sustain herself anymore.


    Along with the dimming moonlight, her body turned more and more gray.


    [Elune.]


    The flames of the red lotus arose near Elune, who was now almost translucent.


    Aamon also overworked itself. But Aamon couldn''t help but see her last moment.


    Although it was nothing but her ghost, it was still Elune.


    Elune did not ask about what happened after she died because she already knew the answer after learning about the current status of the Labyrinth of Greed and Scathach''s request to Yong-ho.


    Aamon didn''t say much. It was just content with staying with Elune. When her last moment came, it was Elune who opened his mouth first.


    "I think that person, too, must have thought of us until the end."


    [You bet.]


    Aamon knew it, too. Although Aamon didn''t see Mammon''s last moment, it remembered the moment when it got disconnected from its master.


    Mammon did not die in regret, anger, or fear. What he thought about until his last moment was his concern about the 12 Spirits and Sitri.


    "Well, I have to say goodbye to you once and for all."


    Aamon could hardly see Elune''s figure now. Elune turned to Aamon. She smiled like Mammon did and said, "I hope the new King of Greed is in your great hands, let alone the escort knight who resembles me."


    Instead of answering, Aamon nodded. Elune slowly closed her eyes and disappeared.


    The only thing left in the darkness of the night where even the starlight disappeared was the flame of the red lotus.


    [My master, the great one who saved the demon world!]


    With that faint call, Aamon also closed its eyes. The flames of the red lotus were flaring up fiercely and faded with the wind.

 161 Embrio’s Legacy 1

    The King of Pride issued a declaration of war against the King of Envy.


    There were many who wanted to stop the King of Pride.


    The King of Fury expressed his opposition by deploying troops on the shore, but he was ignored. The King of Pride knew better than anyone else that this pacifist, stigmatized as the war fanatic, would not be able to strike himself first by crossing the sea irrationally.


    One of the five directors of the Dungeon Chamber of Commerce, Orovas, called a man of Herculean power, uncharacteristically sent a gentle letter to the King of Oman. In the letter, he expressed humbly that the Dungeon Market did not want a direct war between them.


    The King of Oman also ignored this letter. After all, the Dungeon Market was nothing more than a motley of traders. They could not take a hard line to completely block their dealings with the King of Pride, for it meant that the Dungeon Market would be directly involved in the two kings'' actions. Other kings would never stand by the arrogance of the Dungeon Market.


    There was also some movement behind the scenes. For instance, the King of Envy tried to desperately stop the breakout of an all-out war that might bring about a total catastrophe.


    But all such efforts were in vain. The King of Pride made the decision. As the most arrogant king under the sky, he did not know the option of breaking his will.


    A full-out war began.


    The King of Pride was in no hurry. His offensive was slow but persistent.


    The King of Envy''s army was defeated. The dungeons at the border were destroyed and captured. But it was only a skirmish of the war. The King of Envy''s defeat was not fatal.


    Those who watched their battle didn''t think the King of Pride won decisively.


    But some of them thought the battle was already over. Among them was the King of Envy.


    The King of Lust walked across his or her harem.


    The dungeon spirits and contractor witches, exhausted from the frenzied feast that lasted for forty-nine days, were lying here and there, naked in various places in the harems.


    The King of Lust was both a child and an adult. He was both he and she, and a pure virgin as well as a madman addicted to sex. As someone who could freely choose men, women, and children, his look didn''t matter to him at all.


    The King of Lust walked alone in the palace where everyone was asleep. On the forty-ninth day, the king was a child, so today, on the fifty-ninth day, he was an adult.


    He was a handsome young man. His white skin like a marble was a sharp contrast with his black hair.


    With the horns of a lewd goat, he entered the devil king''s room in the deepest part of the harem. Unlike all the places in the harem, that place welcomed the king with constant purity.


    The King of Lust sat on the throne. It was as soft as a virgin''s skin, as comfortable as a woman''s breast, and as hard as a man''s muscle. He looked into the air with blurry eyes.


    "Hey, long time no see. It''s been almost 30 years since I came back here, right?"


    His little whispering was transmitted far away through mana. The magic, called the watcher''s eye, connected a distant being with the King of Lust.


    [Asmodeus.]


    It was an old man''s voice. The King of Lust closed his eyes and faced the images that came to his mind. He was a thin and tall old man. Both his white beard and hair were long. The clothes he was wearing were more than high-quality even from the king''s point of view. But all these things were hidden by one thing. It was the old man''s eyes. His fully raised eyes reflected ferocious emotions.


    "Alright, Leviathan."


    The King of Lust called the old man''s name.


    Calling each other''s name was unusual to them because there were few who could call the king''s name.


    The King of Envy.


    He caught his breath once. He seemed to have calmed down his hot temper as much as possible, but his voice was trembling.


    [You probably know it. That little kid, King of Pride, has attacked me. How ungrateful he is! He surely heard from his father about our special services, right?]


    Perhaps, if there had been any dungeon spirit near the King of Envy at that moment, he would have killed it. The King of Envy had terrible emotional power.


    The King of Lust asked with a sigh, "What did we do for him?"


    At that moment, the King of Envy held his breath. It wasn''t because he couldn''t remember what to say. He was upset. He sprang to his feet and cried out in anger.


    [We saved the demon world! Saved the demon world! Without our help, the demon world as it is now would not have existed. It can''t exist. Even that little king wouldn''t have been born!]


    The King of Lust laughed again and shook his head.


    "No, Leviathan. We didn''t save the demon world. He saved it. It was Mammon who saved the demon world. Absolutely, we didn''t. We are just petty cowards. Did you already forget why we covered up what we had done on that day?"


    [Asmodeus!]


    ''Did envy change you like that, or was it because you could take possession of envy?''


    That was what the King of Lust wanted to ask him, but he didn''t.


    Instead, he asked, "Leviathan, what do you want me to do?"


    The King of Envy let out a harsh breath. He barely calmed down and opened his mouth, but he spoke harshly as if he could not overcome his hard feelings.


    [Help me. Let''s defeat that arrogant little king together. We had better have him get on his knees under our feet and lick our shoes. We''re going to share all his possessions!]


    The King of Lust let his words in one ear and out the other. Then he shook his shoulders and said with a smile, "Leviathan, the war has just begun. As the person who spent that day with you, I wish you good luck. Don''t expect more than that from me. I don''t want to use my sword against you."


    Sword demon Asmodeus, he was once the greatest swordsman in the demon world.


    The King of Envy clenched his fists, trembling in anger. He couldn''t stand it when anybody despised him. But he had to put up with it. If he made even the King of Lust his enemy when he was fighting the King of Pride, everything would be ruined.


    The King of Envy clenched his teeth. However, he couldn''t help but vent out his anger.


    [You will regret it.]


    The King of Lust laughed again at his warning. It wasn''t his ridicule of the king, who was gripped by the sin of envy rather than overcoming it. It was obviously his self-mocking laugh.


    "Yes, you are right, Leviathan. I will regret it just like I did after that day."


    He would keep regretting it. But nobody can''t put back the past. It was impossible to change again.


    The King of Lust accepted his depression without suppressing it. Then he leaned over the throne. As always, he regretted what he had done in the past.


    ***


    "Ho, Hol!"


    Inside a noisy bar. Yuria, who, with her chin resting, was sitting on a high table that she could barely stand on tiptoes, shouted with a sad expression as if she was about to cry at any moment. She was already crying.


    Baduk, sitting right next to her, clenched its fists and stared at the table, with its eyes bloodshot. The bones and chicken vouchers it had collected so far were on the table.


    It was the chips piled up on the table that first attracted Baduk, but now, it couldn''t afford to look back at them.


    Ophelia looked down at the two beyond the table. She asked, waving her clenched fist gently.


    "Really? Don''t you regret it? Do you know what will happen if you lose again?"


    Ophelia was sweet enough, but cold-hearted at the same time. Yuria''s clear eyes, like glass beads, trembled without any reason.


    "Oh my¡­"


    Yuria bit her lips. She wanted to run away right now. She wished all this was a nightmare, so when she woke up, she could find herself lying on a warm and cozy bed.


    "Bark! Bark!"


    Holding her hand, Baduk barked violently. It was just barking, Yuria could understand it, which was something like this, ''You should not back down! Think about how much we lost! If you give up here, we don''t have anything left. Don''t give up! You can make it!''


    "I know, but...."


    "Bark!"


    Baduk nodded strongly. Its eyes filled with conviction gave Yuria strength.


    "Hol!"


    Yuria shouted, looking straight at Ophelia. Baduk also stared at Ophelia glaringly.


    Ophelia rolled her eyes to the side. She moved her eyebrows a few times as if she got nervous and said again, "Really? You don''t want to change it?"


    "Hol!"


    "Bark!"


    Noticing her weakness, Yuria and Baduk shouted triumphantly.


    Ophelia sighed out loud. She let her arms drop as if she was disappointed.


    Then she opened her fists in front of Yuria and Baduk that were extremely tense.


    "Okay, let me show you my card!"


    Yuria''s heart froze. Baduk couldn''t even breathe properly.


    No matter how many times they looked at it, there were only two dice on Ophelia''s palm.


    "Alright, these are all mine now, right?"


    Ophelia spoke cheerfully and picked up all five pebbles on the edge of the table.


    It was a gift that Yong-ho bought for Yuria after he returned from the human world.


    They were five pebbles with multiple colors. Actually, the gift was Yuria''s most cherished treasure in the world that she didn''t even take out even when playing with Bauk.


    Stiffening on the spot, Yuria was frozen and couldn''t say anything.


    Tears flowed down her soft cheeks.

 162 Embrio’s Legacy 2

    Ophelia smiled again. Then she sat down at her eye level, who was crying with a dejected expression and said, "Yuria, look at me."


    She faced Ophelia, but she couldn''t look at her in the face because of the tears on her face.


    "Oh my God! What shall I do?"


    Ophelia roughly wiped Yuria''s face with a handkerchief. She then let her blow her nose.


    Slipping the five pebbles in her hands, Ophelia said, "Let me return them to you, but this time only. I won''t next time. Got it?"


    She spoke to Yuria sternly. Yuria couldn''t even check the pebbles in her hand and kept bowing to her.


    "I''m sorry. I won''t do it again."


    "Is that all you want to say?"


    Yuria shook her head and bowed deeply to her. "Thank you."


    "You''re welcome."


    Ophelia, patting Yuria''s hair happily, stood up.


    At that moment, Baduk made a miserable groaning. But Ophelia was stern.


    Actually, it was Baduk that held Yuria''s hand and ran to the gambling room here.


    "I can''t forgive you."


    Baduk again groaned miserably, but Ophelia wasn''t persuaded.


    Instead of stroking Baduk''s head, she hit it gently.


    "Go back quickly."


    Looking at the bones and chicken vouchers on the table, Baduk swallowed its tears. Baduk left the table bitterly with Yuria pulling its hand hard.


    Yong-ho, who was waiting until the dust settled, let his shoulders droop and said, "What did you do to them?"


    "Well, I''ve taught them some lessons early on because gambling is a shortcut to the ruin of one''s family."


    "Hey, I don''t want to remind you of this, but you remember who asked me to build this gambling house, right?"


    "Ah, you know it''s me!"


    Ophelia smiled refreshingly and went back to her seat. Indeed, she acted professionally like the former hostess of a tavern.


    Twenty days had passed since Yong-ho was recognized by Elune.


    Yong-ho opened a bar and a gambling house on the first floor of the House of Mammon, as recommended by Ophelia. The space was more than enough because some of the major facilities including the Demon King''s room was moved to the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    News of the war between the kings in the northern area was also delivered to the southern area. But the fighting there was too far from the south. As he planned for the first time, Yong-ho took care of things in nearby places one by one.


    As Ophelia predicted, refugees from the west began to rush into the southern area.


    Yong-ho had no problem in accepting them because there was a sharp decrease in the population of the Free City due to repeated wars. It was also not difficult to establish a new order because the House of Mammon became incredibly stronger than before.


    Yong-ho no longer neglected the prey at his mercy. He began to retrieve them one by one.


    Yong-ho also cracked down on the runaway soldiers hiding in the western area.


    He crashed some of them but absorbed others to join them in the unit led by Tigrius, with Skull and Rikum reinforcing them. Now, Yong-ho thought he had a good many troops with half the Skull unit and the newly established Black Orc squadron.


    He made the decision when he bought nearly two hundred skeleton workers.


    He now aggressively used the power of evolution. By evolving the existing orc troops, he turned them into powerful heavy infantry.


    The reason Yong-ho sent Rikum to the west despite his position as the garrison captain was because he wanted to have Rikum gain evolution EXP. Yong-ho had no intention of wasting the resources of the existing dungeon spirits.


    ''I guess Baduk has become stronger than before by now.''


    Come to think of it, Baduk went through a good many evolutions. Maybe it was stronger than he thought.


    "What are you thinking about now?"


    "Well, the eastern area."


    The eastern army was strong enough to occupy the northern area.


    Now was the time for them to return to their territory in the east.


    Yong-ho had no intention of striking them first. He thought it was better to realign and strengthen his troops instead. Of course, he toyed with that idea, on the assumption that the eastern army would return quietly without making any further trouble. If they showed any sign of attacking the southern area, he would choose to attack rather than defend.


    "I think I have to tell our guys who went to the west to come back," said Ophelia.


    He nodded. The reason he needed them back wasn''t just to prepare for the attack by the eastern army. He needed Skull and Tigrius to attack the fourth floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    ''The arena, too.''


    At that moment, he suddenly straightened and took out a purple marble slightly smaller than his fist from his pocket. It was a long-distance communication device he received as a reward for challenging the 15th floor of the arena.


    "You''re no gentleman!" Ophelia quipped.


    Yong-ho smiled at her and activated the device. As if to verify his gift from the arena, the device nicely connected him to his dungeon spirits even though they were far from him.


    [Tigrius of the House of Randolt is honored to see the master of the great House of Mammon.] Tigrius''s voice, mixed with a bit of noise, came from the marble.


    [Strange rumors are circulating in the north and west.]


    "Rumor? Are you talking about other rumors than our master''s defeat of Embrio?"


    Ophelia asked, squinting her eyes.


    Tigrius replied immediately over the marble device.


    [Well, the rumor itself is about our master and Embrio. But the problem is the substance of the rumor.]


    [There are conflicting rumors about the fighting between our master and Embrio. One of them is really true, while the other one has been distorted a lot. In particular, they are divided about the Bone Dragon.]


    What Tigrius said was somewhat strange about the Bone Dragon, Yong-ho thought.


    [It is not the Bone Dragon that Embrio mobilized. It''s just a Wyvern that''s a little bit huge.]


    What Tirgrius briefed him was fairly accurate.


    Tigrius continued.


    [The mobilized force or the aspect of the fight they are talking about is also very different from the truth. If we only believe in the distorted rumors, the victory of the House of Mammon this time was not a ''miracle'', but ''a battle that can be won sufficiently, depending on the tactics.'']


    [First of all, the number of our troops was exaggerated. As for the aspect of the fight, they are speculating that our master''s forces were inferior to Embrio''s forces numerically, but ambushed and defeated them by pure luck.]


    Anyway, the fact that Yong-ho won by surprise attack was the same. However, even with the same victory, the potential of Yong-ho and the House of Mammon could be evaluated differently since the way he won was different.


    Particularly, the way they mistook the Bone Dragon for a giant Wyvern bothered Yong-ho.


    If only dozens of troops penetrated Embrio''s forces and won, it meant that Yong-ho''s combat power was excellent.


    If there was one general who can confront hundreds of soldiers alone and the other one who leads hundreds of troops and defeats one thousand troops, which general was more threatening?


    Aside from other factors, definitely, the former was more threatening in the demon world where the superman exists.


    "What is the source of the rumors?"


    [Those who claimed they''re survivors of the battle that day are responsible for the rumors.]


    [I''m sorry to say this, but it seems difficult to find the specific source because all kinds of rumors are getting around now.]


    It wasn''t Tigrius''s fault. Rumors were supposed to be spreading like that. Once they began to spread, it was not easy to control them or find out those who spread them initially.


    For this reason, Yong-ho thought of something more fundamental than the source of the rumors. Why were these rumors getting around?


    Who would benefit from these rumors?


    At last, Ophelia opened her mouth, "Which rumors do you think are more true? You put more weight on the latter, right?"


    [Exactly. Right now, they are distorting the truth. It seems that Embrio''s runaway soldiers are engaged in a disinformation campaign to make excuses for their defeat.]


    It was as Yong-ho expected.


    Ophelia said, "Well, people come to believe more of what they want to believe. In fact, the fight between our master and Embrio was too big to start in the southern area. As a result, those who haven''t seen the fight directly naturally tend to believe false or exaggerated episodes or rumors."


    She generalized about the fighting, but this kind of generalization could not explain everything.


    She continued, "But even if we take those factors into account, the current situation is strange now. There are too many survivors of the day for this kind of false rumor to be mistaken as true. It''s not easy for false rumors to replace the truth like now even if only a couple of survivors spread the rumors."


    "Do you think somebody is engaged in organized manipulation?"


    "I think it''s reasonable to think so."


    The mastermind behind the rumors, who could exercise organizational power.


    What came to his mind immediately was kings. From a commonsensical point of view, it didn''t make sense for them to put lots of effort into the deserted southern land.


    However, Yong-ho had no choice but to doubt them because he remembered Embrio''s warning.


    ''But what kind of benefits can they take?''


    Which benefit could they take from the distorted rumors about the alleged underestimated power of the House of Mammon?


    Both Ophelia and Tigrius were silent. It was clear that they had the same doubts as Yong-ho.


    When they kept silent for long, somebody cut in suddenly.


    [Master, I''ve got reports from the Dungeon Meerkats.]


    [A group of unidentified wolves is approaching the entrance of the dungeon.]


    It was Lucia''s report.


    Yong-ho said immediately, "Tigrius, get your troops back and come back to the southern area. I''ll get back to you in a few hours."


    [Yes, master. I''ll follow your order.]


    His communication with Tigrius was lost. He put the marble device into his pocket and went out of the gambling room with Ophelia. He also summoned Catalina and Eligos through Lucia.


    A flock of wolves.


    What came to his mind at the moment was just one name.

 163 Embrios Legacy 3

    The Dungeon Meerkats, which became quite a large family by having babies, shuddered. It was because of a herd of wolves roaming about 30 meters from the dungeon entrance.


    The wolves did not act threateningly. Much bigger than ordinary wolves, they were silent. Without making any sound, they just looked at the entrance to the dungeon in the House of Mammon. They also remained silent even when the dungeon entrance was opened.


    Embrio, the Demon King of Wolves, the reason he was called that was because he was with a herd of wolves anytime, anywhere. However, Yong-ho had never seen a herd of Embrio''s wolves. Even the moment Embrio was fighting Yong-ho desperately, he didn''t see the wolves.


    These wolves were away from Embrio until now.


    Why weren''t they in that place on that day when Embrio was engaged in deadly fighting?


    Were they staying out of the battlefield at Embrio''s order?


    Since Yong-ho was silent, his dungeon spirits didn''t act recklessly. Only Catalina was ready for the fighting by raising the blade of black mana.


    It was the wolves that moved first. They were now split into two groups. A gray wolf stepped up through the gap between them.


    It was especially a bigger wolf. It was so high that it almost touched a person''s chest.


    It slowly approached Yong-ho with its head slightly down, as if to show that it wasn''t hostile toward him.


    Yong-ho watched it quietly. And finally, the distance between Yong-ho and the wolf was narrowed to none. Standing right in front of Yong-ho, it raised its head high to reveal the necklace hidden in its fur. There was a red jewel at the end of the black belt.


    [Jewelry for saving information.]


    [This is a storage medium into which memories or images can be inserted.]


    Lucia said it because she was right in front of the entrance.


    Yong-ho carefully reached out and unwrapped the wolf''s necklace.


    He held the jewel in his hand and tried to inject mana on it.


    Light was emitted from the gem. It was like a beam projector. The light gathered in the air and took the shape of a translucent humanoid like Elune that he had seen on the third floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. It was what both Yong-ho and all of the dungeon spirits expected.


    [I am Embrio.]


    [If this video is being played by somebody here now, it means I''m already dead. And someone here killed me.]


    It was different from Elune. It was simply playing the saved video.


    Yong-ho recalled Mammon that he had encountered in the human world.


    [The one who killed me. The one I recognized as the new head of the herd.]


    [You may think I am meddling too much if I go to the trouble of leaving this data behind. But if the one who killed me was the same one I thought of, he would need this data.]


    As someone who talked about his own death, Embrio spoke too calmly.


    The reason he made this video was because he wanted to prepare for the new head of the wolves. He just prepared it for contingencies.


    He took a deep breath and said, [I was making a deal with the King of Gluttony.]


    [According to the deal, he would support me with reinforcements, and I would use them to unify the southern area. It was a simple and clear deal.]


    The hypothesis Yong-ho assumed the other day was correct.


    Ophelia suddenly stared at the Dungeon Meerkats that had been gathered at the entrance of the dungeon. Some of the quick-witted parents moved quickly for fear that their babies would fall on their buttocks. After taking the babies, they dug into the burrow. Some of them were running, covering their ears with their hands as if they couldn''t hear anything.


    Embrio continued.


    [The King of Gluttony was planning to rule the southern area after promoting me as a puppet. And I wanted to become a new king after unifying the southern area.]


    Then he made a self-mocking smile because his plan was just reckless.


    [As our intention was contradictory, the deal broke down as a disaster. Well, we used each other in a sense.]


    [The reason why the King of Gluttony went to the trouble of using me was because of other kings. As the one who killed me, you also know that the six kings are currently enjoying peace by holding each other in check. In other words, they don''t want any of them to be unusually stronger.]


    There were not three, but six kings who had similar power and forces. Whatever the condition of their real abilities, that was the current situation where they were in, and they enjoyed peace through mutual check and balance for over a hundred years.


    [If I died without unifying the southern area, it means that the King of Gluttony also failed. He would not promote any puppet right now because it''s too unnatural for any strong man to appear immediately after me. Perhaps, he would leave the southern area vacant for several years.]


    [But if the one who killed me wasn''t just an ordinary master in the southern area, the King of Gluttony would move, and aggressively at that.]


    [He will move not to obtain the southern area but to overthrow you who killed me.]


    The king''s move was worth it because Yong-ho had more value than the entire southern area.


    Ophelia opened her mouth and blurted out, "That''s why they downsized the rumors about the battle between you and our master so that other kings could not notice our master''s extraordinariness."


    It was because the King of Gluttony had to monopolize it and hog the treasure.


    [It is unlikely for the King of Gluttony to raise up a great army. He will move in secret. Maybe he will visit your dungeon in person so that other kings won''t notice that he has overthrown you.]


    That was the way the King of Gluttony did things. He never had his possessions taken away. He was always ready to dive into the mud for whatever he wanted.


    Rumors were circulating in the north and west. The King of Gluttony was already on the move.


    Embrio was silent for a moment.


    After moving up and down his lips as if to try to calm down, he continued.


    [Maybe there is still some time for you to prepare.]


    [If you are not ordinary, as I think, and if you are the man who has the sin of greed that has disappeared in the demon world since that great Mammon.]


    His words were mixed with self-mock and arrogance. He smiled at his conviction that he himself would not be killed in a southern area by someone who committed no sin. In the end, the fact that he had no greed made him mock himself.


    Embrio smiled very little. It was his first and last smile for Yong-ho.


    [It''s an area of ??possibilities, but I probably would not have died alone. I would have made the watcher placed by the King of Gluttony my fellow traveler.]


    [The killing of the watcher will give you some time. Maybe because of the watcher''s death, the King of Gluttony might not have exact information about you. Then, you can buy more time.]


    [At least three or four months after my death, or even half a year. If you''re lucky, it could be years before the King of Gluttony attacks you.]


    Embrio took a deep breath. This video wasn''t made just before he died. Rather, it had been made much earlier


    Embrio had thought he might be defeated. In the end, he did not turn away from the future when he could not be a king.


    So, he confessed, but he didn''t reveal his innermost intentions.


    He didn''t even reveal it right before he died. He didn''t need to babble about the reason why he wanted to be a king or tell about his past in the video left behind in case of his death.


    Embrio, the man who wanted to become a king regained his composure.


    Then he spoke to the old him.


    [Let me keep everything I know about the King of Gluttony in this jewel. You will find this very helpful because I have prepared it in case you will have to confront him one day.]


    Embrio didn''t hate the King of Gluttony that much. Rather he liked the king. He was a man with cunning and courage that befitted his ambition. Since he had the patience enough to wait for the right time and the composure that was not easily shaken, he could be called truly an ideal monarch.


    Nonetheless, Embrio wanted to take the side of the one who killed him rather than the King of Gluttony, for the one who killed him would be the very one Embrio himself really wanted to be.


    Even if he committed no sin, the one who killed him would dream of becoming a king, with the southern area as his base.


    [I doubt if you will use this video actually¡­ I think I was too much into it. Honestly, I went a bit too far because the one who killed me may not have the sin. Maybe he might be killed by a sword for no reason. If you consider the current situation in the southern area, it could really happen.]


    [But I''ve already taken the video. Even if it will never be put to use forever, I think I have to wrap it up properly because this video is for the one that I will recognize as the leader.]


    Embrio refined his expression again. As he himself said, he was absorbed in it and wanted the position of the King of Greed, he put his whole heart into it.


    [If you who killed me is truly the King of Greed, if you are the one I have longed for.]


    Embrio slowly closed and opened his eyes. He made a request to the new leader lastly.


    [Be prepared. The King of Gluttony will visit you.]


    Embrio''s figure was scattered in the air. Eligos, who was tense, gulped, and Catalina curled her lips. Ophelia closed her eyes tightly.


    The King of Gluttony.


    One of the six existing kings.


    He was coming.

 164 I’m Yours 1

    Embrio was dead. He did not exist anymore.


    However, just before he died, he chose Yong-ho as the new head of the herd of wolves.


    The wolf leading the herd¡ªherd leader. The man who was responsible for the preservation of the herd.


    It was common for the one who defeated the head of a group to become their new head. However, considering the preservation of the herd, Embrio''s choice of Yong-ho was a bit strange.


    At the time, he left behind the video, Embrio wasn''t sure of his death or the existence of the King of Greed.


    But it was different right before he died. Embrio also knew that Yong-ho was the King of Greed.


    The King of Gluttony was about to mount an attack against Yong-ho. And it meant that the new head of the group would be once again faced with an extreme crisis.


    Nonetheless, Embrio chose Yong-ho. He entrusted the herd of wolves to the new King of Greed.


    In a way, his decision was natural. Embrio decisively characterized the King of Gluttony as an enemy in the video prepared for the next leader to succeed him. He himself was thinking of fighting the King of Gluttony one day.


    The wolves dedicated their loyalty to Yong-ho, just as they did to Embrio. They didn''t even howl, much less talk, but Yong-ho could feel it.


    To Yong-ho, they were a completely different kind of connection from the dungeon spirits.


    Yong-ho himself got connected with the dungeon spirits in soul. This was possible because the dungeon spirits dedicated both body and soul to Yong-ho.


    Yong-he didn''t get directly connected with the herd of wolves in soul. It was like the members of the herd were connected to a mental network created by magic.


    Strong bond. Exchange of opinion. Sharing of senses.


    The herd of wolves was a group that had been around for hundreds of years. They were one of the several survival guides made by ancient shamans in order to survive in the demon world where the law of the jungle dominated.


    As the new leader of the herd, Yong-ho knew that fact. He could also faintly feel the moment Embrio became the herd leader.


    There were also some additional effects. His physical strength and endurance became stronger. A new sense that should be called ''wildness'' was added to his existing senses, and the ability to regenerate his body, which he did not have before, was also created.


    Of course, it was not a deceptive force like Embrio''s superhuman ability to regenerate.


    It enabled Yong-ho to heal wounds twice or three times faster. But this was enough.


    Yong-ho had a quick recovery rate thanks to his physical evolution. It was obvious that he would benefit from it during battle.


    Yong-ho gently accepted the herd of wolves. By doing so, he understood Embrio more deeply. He could read the traces Embrio left behind in the herd.


    Yong-ho ordered Tigrius, Skull, and Raccoon to come back quickly. It would not be too late for him to mention the King of Gluttony after they arrive at the House of Mammon.


    "I don''t think the King of Gluttony will come here right away. I''m positive about it."


    Yong-ho could feel anxiety in Ophelia''s voice, who was always calm when she talked about intelligence.


    The King of Gluttony, one of the six kings who currently rule the demon world, carried gravitas befitting his name.


    Ophelia finally continued after moving up and down her lips several times.


    "The war in the north will rather help us. Because of the unprecedented all-out war between the King of Pride and the King of Envy, all the other kings except the King of Sloth are showing signs of raising up their armies."


    The king with the power of sin and Godly Energy was also the most powerful weapon.


    Naturally, he got the most attention. Exposing the king''s whereabouts itself was also a means of intimidating others.


    The King of Fury and the King of Gluttony were exposing their location. Because of this, it was more difficult for the King of Gluttony to be away from his place.


    "The King of Gluttony won''t be convinced yet that you have the sin of greed. So, he will need to verify any intelligence about your location. Embrio is right. You still have time. At least, it will take several months for the king to make the move. So, you don''t have to be impatient. You''ve got enough time to prepare."


    Ophelia began to speak faster as she approached Yong-ho. Although she was talking to Yong-ho, at the same time, she was talking to herself. ''Calm down. Do not be impatient. You still have time.''


    Yong-ho nodded.


    ***


    "It looks like he''s in a hurry today. He seems to have something urgent," Gusion, seated in the special seat, said in a low voice. Aamon also agreed. Yong-ho, fighting the floor master on the 18th floor, was more hurried than usual.


    Yong-ho became strong very quickly. Thanks to greed and the power of evolution, he quickly increased mana and stamina, but he was basically excellent in fighting.


    He knew well how to fight. He found the shortcut to victory every time without being bound by a stereotype. Apart from that, he also had a talent for martial arts.


    Of course, he wasn''t as good as Aamon or Elune. However, he was extraordinary. Although it was true that Aamon taught him how to use a spear, his spearmanship already surpassed the level that any ordinary man could reach in just half a year.


    The floor master on the 18th floor was one of the previous masters of the House of Mammon who belonged to the arena. His different name is the Demon King of Shadow. He mainly used a tactic of oppressing the enemy by using his shadow like an alter ego.


    Yong-ho was fully pressing the floor master of the 18th floor. His spear covered with the green flames tore the shadow with overwhelming power.


    ''Yong-ho would win after his fifth attack.''


    Both Gusion and Aamon thought so. Changing the way he was sitting, Gusion chewed the green grapes that Catalina brought. They were harvested from the Garden of Life.


    "Did you say it is the King of Gluttony that has our little master on edge? So, it seems to have nothing to do with the betrayers on that day because gluttony was one of Mammons'' sins."


    Mammon had greed, gluttony, and fury among the Seven Deadly Sins.


    "It''s definitely a big ordeal for our master. But if he overcomes it, he will get qualified to face the truth of that day."


    [Gusion,] Aamon said in a little voice.


    Gusion didn''t turn his head at Aamon''s worried call. Instead, Gusion replied while looking into the air, "Don''t worry, Aamon. Too many years have passed since that day. I am not obsessed with revenge as you might think. I just want to hand down the great achievements of Mammon to our little master."


    Gusion spoke with a bit of grunt. Aamon found himself empathizing with Gusion.


    Right at that moment, Yong-ho was done attacking for the fifth time.


    "Finally!"


    After burning the floor master on the 18th floor, Yong-ho was delighted with the items from the reward box, not the victory itself. His face was very bright as if he forgot all his worries about the King of Gluttony.

 165 Im Yours 2

    Aamon and Gusion turned to each other then stood up at the same time.


    "Well, I think I know what he will do next. He''s going to summon somebody with that reward."


    "Of course, it''s Kaiwan."


    Unlike the one that he obtained after breaking through the 10th floor, this time, Yong-ho obtained only a one-day minor summons with which he could summon a dungeon spirit from the arena.


    But it was enough for him. A smile was all over his face.


    Staring at him quietly, Aamon asked earnestly, [Are you trying to increase your anguish?]


    Catalina opened her eyes wide, and Gusion admired.


    Making a face, Yong-ho said, "Nope, not at all."


    "Then what are you going to do after summoning Kaiwan? And why are you summoning her? The floor master on the 18th floor is also a former master of the House of Mammon."


    Gusion asked quite sharply because Yong-ho sometimes mentioned this, ''Kaiwain, if I can''t summon another former master when I first wanted the summons...''


    [This is out of his anguish again.] Aamon was convinced.


    Gusion giggled and Catalina pouted her lips.


    Yong-ho shook his head and said while shrugging his shoulders, "Well, you will know who I summon soon. See you again next time, Gusion."


    Yong-ho looked around the stadium where Kaiwan and other former masters were sitting. He then headed straight for the exit. With Catalina hurriedly following Yong-ho, Aamon turned to Gusion. Aamon asked as if he was asking for consent, [I guess it must be anguish, right?]


    Gusion giggled once more. Instead of answering, he put a cigar in his mouth.


    ***


    As soon as Yong-ho left the arena, he didn''t go far. After taking a seat in Kaiwan''s lounge, he summoned through Lucia the remaining dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon.


    Eligos and Ophelia arrived in less than a few minutes. Both of them were sweaty as if they were sparring at the training ground.


    It was regrettable that Skull and Tigrius were not available, but it was inevitable.


    Yong-ho lined the three including Catalina side by side.


    And he stood with his back two steps ahead of the three.


    "Let me get started."


    Yong-ho tore the summons right away. Then, his mana was concentrated in the air. Kaiwan was summoned through the process that the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon had already experienced.


    "So, you''re going to make your wish come true through me this time, right?"


    Standing obliquely, Kaiwan asked provocatively, but she stopped in no time because she was distracted by the familiar and nostalgic scene of her good old lounge.


    The lounge looked like the same one before she disappeared.


    She gulped at the moment. If she let her guard down here, she felt like she would cry, recalling her brother.


    It was a situation that Yong-ho didn''t expect, but he had to control it.


    When she seemed to calm down a bit, he said with a straight face, "Kaiwan, this is my wish."


    "Sure, tell me whatever it is."


    "I want you to be my dungeon spirit."


    "Good¡­ What is it?"


    When she asked back, he already got down to work.


    On behalf of Yong-ho, Lucia proceeded to register her as a dungeon spirit.


    When he summoned Kaiwan last time, he noticed one difference.


    She was different when she was in the arena and outside the arena.


    To be precise, the arena''s dominance over Kaiwan was different. Outside the arena, its dominance was weak, of course.


    A dungeon spirit belonged to the dungeon.


    A spirit in the arena belonged to the arena.


    If so, what would happen if a spirit in the arena was made a dungeon spirit?


    It was difficult inside the arena because the dominance of the arena was too strong.


    But what if Yong-ho weakened its dominance further by releasing tremendous mana?


    The magic field and Brigada rings on his left arm and right hand respectively lit up. Not only Yong-ho, but also all the dungeon spirits erected their own horns and released mana.


    They did so, guided by Yong-ho. And now Ophelia and Eligos knew what he was going to do.


    Yong-ho literally poured out all his mana. He released much more mana than he did when he forcibly made Salami¡ªhis dungeon spirit in the past.


    Lucia screamed.


    [All the stored mana in the dungeon has been released!]


    [Please stick it out well! Master!]


    Yong-ho was kind of a vehicle at the moment. Almost all the mana of the Mammon family, including that of Yong-ho himself and the dungeon spirits was poured into Kaiwan through his body. At last, the arena''s dominance was blocked instantly. Yong-ho and Kaiwan''s souls were directly connected!


    [Master!]


    Lucia hastily stopped releasing mana.


    Catalina, Eligos, and Ophelia collapsed or stepped back because of the repulsive force transmitted through their own Brigada.


    Yong-ho released his hand from Kaiwan''s shoulder. He stumbled while stepping back. Then he roared in no time.


    A new power was surging inside him. It was something he experienced every time he obtained a powerful dungeon spirit.


    Kaiwan had four horns. Because of this, it did not bring about innovative change to Yong-ho with five horns. However, it was never insignificant. Yong-ho felt that his mana was upgraded once more. What he wanted was not an increase in mana alone.


    ''The power of distortion!''


    He felt it. His greed sensed a new power in him.


    By keeping Tigrius as his dungeon spirit, Yong-ho acquired the power of combination mana. With that power, he combined the power of life and death into one and dealt a fatal blow to Embrio.


    It was the same this time. And this was the reason why he chose Kaiwan as his dungeon spirit.


    The floor master on the 18th floor. The power of the shadow he used did not benefit Yong-ho. He could do as much by using Catalina''s black mana.


    By acquiring Kaiwan, however, he could gain the power of distortion called the absolute shield.


    Catalina, Ophelia and Eligos also began to roar. Since Yong-ho, their master, became stronger, they also experienced growth, as well. And at this moment, there was another one that was growing.


    Kaiwan wrapped her own shoulder. She screamed, sprinkling red light from her eyes.


    A fifth horn rose from the middle of her forehead. The moment she crossed the wall that had been tightly blocked for decades, Kaiwan felt she became completely new.


    And when it was all over, everyone in the room was gasping for breath. But they were all smiling. Yong-ho clenched his fist. His growth now had proven everything. He "hijacked" Kaiwan from the arena, and he succeeded in growing stronger, along with his dungeon spirits.


    Kaiwan smiled brightly. Indeed, she felt liberated from the arena after decades. The unpleasant senses that always dominated her soul disappeared.


    Instead, she had a new connection to Yong-ho. She was happy. She was never offended. Rather, she felt faithful satisfaction.


    Kaiwan licked her lower lip once. With joy in her ferocious eyes, she approached Yong-ho and whispered gently, "My master, you''re the one that I have to give all my body and soul."


    "Kaiwan?"


    He was embarrassed, but she was calm. She hugged his neck and kissed Yong-ho.


    Although it was short, her kiss was much more passionate than before.


    She withdrew her lips from his. He looked at her blankly, and she laughed mischievously as if to provoke everyone around her.


    "I am now yours."


    She winked at him after saying that. In terms of the nuance of her words, it looked like Yong-ho became her dungeon spirit.


    And the one watching this scene in the back nodded alone.


    Then he said in an inaudible voice, [It''s the power of his anguish again.]


    Aamon smiled gently.

 166 Overwhelming Power 1

    A week had passed since Kaiwan joined them as a dungeon spirit.


    She proved herself competent by actions, not words. Moreover, she showed her competence not in combat but in other areas.


    "Even at a glance, the dungeon has grown so big suddenly. I think I have to take care of lots of stuff in it."


    In fact, she was once the master of the House of Mammon before she was a powerful spirit of the arena. She was the legendary master that transformed the House of Mammon on the verge of collapse into a powerful one that other masters were afraid of.


    Accordingly, her know-how about dungeon management was unrivaled, dwarfing Yong-ho. She had as many as ten years of experience in managing a dungeon.


    Moreover, she was extremely efficient. She served as the master in a harsh environment where she could not waste even small resources. Any items that would be considered trash to others were valuable resources for a great use.


    Ophelia also admired the way she took care of her work flawlessly. Ophelia was also a pretty good manager, but a dungeon was different from a tavern. Obviously, the way Kaiwan managed the dungeon was more efficient.


    Yong-ho humbly accepted this unexpected result. Honoring his father''s advice that the president didn''t have to be an expert, which his father used to tell him when he went out for chicken delivery, he had Kaiwan¡ªa de facto dungeon manager.


    In his opinion, he felt he made a good decision on it.


    Kaiwan was his dungeon spirit, so he didn''t need to worry about her betrayal.


    One week passed.


    Yong-ho, who welcomed back Skull, Tigrius, and Rikum, who returned from the western area, held a conference in which all the key members of the Mammon family participated.


    The meeting place was the room of the Demon King, which had been moved to the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. On the left and right of the large table in front of the throne were the vassals of the Mammon family.


    Right next to his right side was Eligos, the butler, and Ophelia, the manager of the Free City. And next to them were Tigrius, the manager of the Randolt dungeon, and Rikum, the garrison commander of the House of Mammon, and Burgrim, the chief of the workshop.


    Yong-ho looked to the left. Catalina and Kaiwan were seated nearest to him. With her long ears drooping, Catalina was at a loss what to do, and Kaiwan was gently hugging her as if she was so cute.


    It was a familiar scene for Yong-ho. Before he knew it, he recalled Elune and Sitri that he had seen in his memories of the House of Mammon. He smiled bitterly and rolled his eyes when he also recalled Ophelia''s reminder that he was the demon king.


    Seeing Catalina and Skull next to her, he felt relaxed somehow.


    "I think it is the most important thing to increase the dungeon''s soul, namely Lucia''s control, in order to take over the fourth floor, our new target."


    It was Kaiwan who first presented her opinion. Normally, she talked informally to Yong-ho, but in a public place like this, she always used honorifics.


    The fourth floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    Among Mammon''s 12 Spirits, "eight-handed Baruna", which was Cancer, passed away a long time ago like Elune. Besides, she did not leave her surrogate behind like Elune.


    Because of this, Yong-ho could take her recognition for "free," like Scathach said, but it wasn''t necessarily good for him. Since he didn''t get Baruna''s recognition through a legitimate process, he could make his Godly Energy near perfect, but he could not properly use her power.


    The power of "eight-handed Baruna" was that of creation. According to Scathach, Baruna used the power of creation to work miracles, such as creating something from almost nothing. It was the power befitting the builder of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    When a dungeon spirit to succeed Baruna''s position emerged someday, she would be able to revive the power of creation again, just like Skull and Catalina succeeded Baphomet''s death and Elune''s justice respectively. Because of this, Yong-ho could put aside his lingering affection for the power of creation for now.


    The reason Kaiwan emphasized the need to take control of the 4th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed was because of the facilities there.


    The fourth floor of the Labyrinth of Greed was a workshop. Moreover, it was truly huge. Since it was a semi-automated factory, it was possible to mass-produce high-quality equipment as long as there were enough materials.


    "The facilities on the 4th floor are amazing."


    "If you can use those facilities, I bet you can make weapons that are several times better than now."


    "It will be possible to produce traps that are more powerful than the existing ones. There are lots of blueprints left behind."


    Burgrim wrote down those sentences on the board in an enthusiastic handwriting style.


    His eyes were shining as if he was very excited, but it didn''t last long. Recalling the problems that engineers faced all the time, Burgrim presented his own opinion timidly.


    "If you can increase the budget and the amount of essence a little more..."


    Yong-ho couldn''t answer immediately. So, he heard the opinions of the next dungeon spirit. This time, Rikum said, "We need to purchase additional battle wagons and various equipment. If we can add specialized troops, such as large-sized warrior horses for transportation, we can greatly increase our military strength."


    In fact, when very powerful masters started a war, they usually deployed various kinds of dungeon spirits. For example, a Mountain Giant, which played the role of a turret by throwing huge rocks, a giant golem that could be called a tank itself, or a large flying spirit that could carry dozens or more at a time.


    Although Yong-ho had the power of evolution, it was difficult for him to raise large-sized spirits in a short time. This matter was a little different from training the skeletons that made up the skull unit.


    Instead of answering immediately, Yong-ho heard another dungeon spirit''s opinion.


    Eligos said a little timidly, "It would be nice if we can add a working golem to the silver mine in the dungeon of the Abigail family."


    He used the expression ''it would be nice'' instead of ''it is necessary.''


    It was because he took into account the fact that Yong-ho would need a significant budget to handle the requests that they already made.


    Yong-ho finally looked at Skull. Skull also presented its opinion with a sincere voice.


    "Skull Skull."


    \u003cIt''s necessary to obtain essence to grow Lucia. Besides, the budget and resources to make equipment and improve dungeons were insufficient\u003e


    Yong-ho nodded at Skull''s message. Other dungeon spirits didn''t make the mistake of asking him what Skull just said to him.


    Yong-ho knew he had a way to solve all these problems at once.


    Although his action plan was different from the original one he had in mind, he had to change it because the situation changed.


    At first, he thought it was the best way to attack the arena and the Labyrinth of Greed, but it wasn''t. Since the price for it was fascinating, the risk was also big, so it took a considerable amount of time to attack the two places.


    Where could he confront the King of Gluttony and his soldiers?


    The location should be a dungeon. Even at the risk of damage, this time, he needed to fight in the dungeon of the House of Mammon. And Yong-ho was thinking of using not only the House of Mammon but also the Labyrinth of Greed.


    A demon king was the strongest when he fought in his own dungeon. He could use the mana of the dungeon through dungeon souls, and he could make use of the geographical advantages available through various traps installed in the dungeon.


    So, Yong-ho needed to get ready to fight in the dungeon. To do that, he needed to refurbish the dungeon.


    There was only one way for him to get both the budget for a stronger dungeon as well as the experience of the dungeon spirits in a short time.


    Yong-ho said briefly and clearly, "We''re going to attack the eastern area."


    **


    Stravadi, one of the two masters that divided the eastern area, claimed to be a strategist.


    He was a Nagaraja with a snake''s eyes and heart. Just like any Nagaraja, Stravadi was cool.


    His brave decision to divide the eastern area was motivated by his cold-heartedness.


    Through his expedition to the north, Stravadi strengthened his friendship with his rival and his most powerful ally, Sargatanas. Sargatanas was no longer a stranger to him. He was the husband of Stravadi''s only daughter, and the heir to inherit everything from Stravadi one day.


    The eastern area was no longer two. It was one. Besides, he obtained a huge amount of loot in the process of occupying the northern area. He also took the essence of the northern masters to his heart''s content.


    Embrio died, and the western and northern areas were devastated. Agares, who ran wildly in the areas, was not seen any longer.


    But there was only one problem. It was the House of Mammon in the south.


    It was a very simple situation. If he defeated the master of the House of Mammon, there would be no enemies in the southern area. It was also possible to unify the area for the first time since that great Mammon.


    However, there was one thing that made him anxious. He could not evaluate the power of the House of Mammon properly.


    He kept an eye on the clash between Embrio and the Mammon family.

 167 Overwhelming Power 2

    Since Stravadi did not know that the Bone Dragon''s broad breath burned the spies, he had no way of knowing the exact situation, which made him very frustrated.


    After all, Stravadi was forced to put together all the intelligence and rumors available to make an educated guess.


    Since there were many survivors of Embrio''s army, it was not difficult for him to gather some information.


    However, there was also a problem here. Totally contradictory rumors were spreading among the people.


    Which rumor should he believe?


    Should he trust the ridiculous rumor, assuming the worst scenario? Or should he trust the more commonsensical and reasonable rumor that lots of people were now believing?


    ''Rumors about the Bone Dragon just don''t make any sense.''


    If Embrio had such a card, why didn''t he use it in his attack of the western area?


    Embrio struggled very hard in his fight against the Western Masters'' Alliance.


    He had to spend as many as several months to defeat the Western Masters'' Alliance.


    Besides, he had to use the extreme military method to destroy most of the dungeons and the city in the western area.


    What would have happened if Embrio had turned to the Bone Dragon in his fight against the Western Masters'' Alliance?


    If so, the situation would have been completely different, and the Western Masters'' Alliance would have been devastated much earlier.


    And there was a decisive problem from the beginning.


    Nobody could buy monsters like the Bone Dragon just because they had money. Did Embrio buy the Bone Dragon with all the money he collected from the occupied northern and western areas? From whom? At the Dungeon Market?


    To purchase a Bone Dragon there, they had to go through the auction process. Those who could purchase this kind of monster without an auction were extremely limited, and of course, Embrio was not included in that limited number.


    Considering other elements of the rumor except for the Bone Dragon, the rumors that a Wyvern appeared in Embrio''s fight were more reliable.


    Stravadi watched closely the Mammon family''s expedition to the western area.


    Although he was not sure of the exact situation because he got the intelligence from his moles, the number of skeleton soldiers and warriors exceeded one hundred, getting close to two hundred.


    Examining the rumors about the Bone Dragon, the forces of the House of Mammon were utterly shabby. Given that Embrio devastated the western area and that there were so many survivors of Embrio''s army that the Mammon family could not acquire lots of loot even after the victory, it was also unlikely that they bought new undead monsters after the battle. There were too many undead monsters for that.


    ''But the guy beat Embrio.''


    No matter which rumor he believed, he had to admit it.


    Embrio was a monster that smashed the Western Masters'' Alliance by himself. Given that he absorbed all the essences of the defeated masters there, it was reasonable to think that Embrio had five horns.


    ''Let me assume that even the master of the House of Mammon has also five horns. Since he defeated Embrio, it''s certain he absorbed his essence.''


    Stravadi closed his eyes. He kept it in mind that the upcoming battle would not be a combat between the masters, but a war involving the mobilization of the army.


    After all, even a five-horned master was made of bone and flesh. This meant that he could be ambushed and killed by a sword anytime.


    ''Let me reduce the variables. If my own forces are not enough, let me get some help outside.''


    He had no enemies other than the House of Mammon. Even if he squandered all his financial resources in the eastern area, it would be okay if he won, for he would obtain the whole southern area anyway.


    Bought by a sudden optimism, Stravadi looked at the map of the battlefield.


    The troops of the House of Mammon were marching toward the east.


    ***


    [Hey, Yong-ho. Do you know something like najibamjo (win in the day but lose in the night)?]


    He cleared his throat when Kaiwan''s voice transmitted through the communication device on his neck.


    What the heck was she talking about now? Apart from its meaning, was there such a word in the demon world?


    "Me, me too! I want to do najibamjo, too!" Catalina also said quickly, pricking her ears at Kaiwan''s voice.


    He cooled the heat on his face with a fan. Obviously, Catalina didn''t know what it meant, but she was pretty much conscious of Kaiwan now. He stroked her hair and said over the device, "Stop the nonsense and watch out for your surroundings well."


    [Our master is watching me anyway from above. I trust you, so I hope I''m in your great hands!]


    Laughing cheerfully, Kaiwan cut off the communication. It was good for him to see him cheerful, but he was embarrassed at the time because she was so different from when she was the former master.


    But this might be her real image, Yong-ho thought. If she had not become the master of a crumbling family at an early age, her eyes might have been gentle rather than ferocious like now.


    Four days after Yong-ho made the decision to storm into the eastern area, the troops of the House of Mammon led by the Skull unit were advancing smoothly toward the east.


    There were not so many troops mobilized. The main forces consisted of 250 members of the Skull unit and 100 members of the Black Orc unit. And the rest were some transport units and about two hundred other troops serving as escorts and reserves for the transportation unit. Since about half of the troops were the undead who did not need meals, the cargo of the transport unit was very light compared to the size of the unit.


    As the number of troops mobilized was small, they had to rely on the power of the commanders, so all the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were mobilized again this time.


    Eligos, who was confused about his identity as the butler or the assault leader these days, took command of the 1st Independent Task Force with Ophelia. Unlike its impressive name, the task force consisted of only two, namely Eligos and Ophelia.


    Skull and Rikum commanded the Skull and Black Orc squadrons, respectively, while Tigrius was responsible for the transportation unit in the rear.


    Kaiwan, the leader and only member of the 2nd Independent Task Force, ran a horse beside Skull. She had served as the master for many years, but she had rarely commanded large-scale troops, so her fighting alone like Eligos or Ophelia was more efficient.


    Salami, carrying Yong-ho and Catalina, fluttered its wings high in the sky. Since Salami wasn''t simply evolved but promoted to ''Fire Elemental Dragon'', it was quite different from before.


    First of all, it got bigger, and its wings and tail also got longer. Its head that looked like a lizard or a salamander in the past was added with a hard shell, which made it look like a dragon a lot.


    But Salami was still Salami. Its handle on the back was still the same, and the way it shook its head after listening to the conversation among Yong-ho, Catalina, and Kaiwan was the same.


    The reason that Yong-ho was on Salami''s back in the sky was not simply to play the role of a vanguard. It wasn''t only the eastern army that he was concerned about.


    What concerned him was the minions of the King of Gluttony who attempted to manipulate rumors about him in the west and north. It was highly likely that they were hiding somewhere in the east and south to watch the fight. Since he had already shown his strength in the fight against Embrio, he didn''t think of being absent from the battle at all, but he had no intention of revealing all his strength fully to the enemies.


    Unlike the southern area, there were lots of huge strange rocks, mountains, and canyons in the east. Because of this, he couldn''t look far away even though he was overlooking from the sky.


    ''But if I think the other way...''


    It meant that not only the place to fight the enemy but also the place to hide his troops were too obvious.


    Using the communication device, Yong-ho ordered the dungeon spirits to be cautious because the shape of the strange rocks and bizarre stones in the surrounding area was unusual.


    A huge hill was blocking them in the front, and a forest and strange rocks were located on the left and right respectively. It was a terrain where hundreds or thousands of troops could easily hide if they put their mind to it.


    Salami also narrowed its eyes as if it noticed something. Kaiwan, who was riding a horse at the forefront, raised her hand and stopped Skull and the others. But Tigrius urged the transportation unit to quickly catch up with the main forces.


    The eastern army, ambushed on the hill in the front, appeared. A group of troops poured out from the forest on the left. Instead of rushing to Yong-ho''s troops, they moved slowly as if to form a siege, trying to attack the transportation convoy and rear guards led by Tigrius.


    Yong-ho couldn''t afford to count the number of the eastern army. Salami suddenly turned to the strange rocky area on the right. An earthshaking rumble overwhelmed everything.


    Yong-ho also saw it.


    A huge monster that rushed recklessly as if to destroy the strange rocky area burst into an angry cry. Then it charged straight at Yong-ho''s forces.


    Stravadi, sitting on a hill with his elite soldiers, smiled in satisfaction. Everything was going well, as planned. He could make the most of the battle battlefield in his favor because the master of the Mammon family innocently marched his troops straight into the treacherous enemy terrain.


    Stravadi knew well how the master of the Mammon family fought Agares. It was a very clever and wonderful operation that the master deployed a Land Worm into the battlefield and confused Agares''s forces.

 168 Overwhelming Power 3

    So, Stravadi used the same strategy. He called a more heinous and terrible beast into the battlefield than the Land Worm.


    Chimera, it was a terrible monster that lived in the east since long ago. This beast, which had the body of a bear with scales on its 3 heads¡ªa lion, a griffon, and a drake. Its tail was a snake, which was huge and violent. With its shoulders nearly ten meters tall, a Chimera could easily eat even a fully grown Land Worm at one gulp. Based on the standards of the Dungeon Market, it was a monster that would be ranked 5-star.


    It was a huge task for Stravadi to wake up the Chimera sleeping soundly in its nest for this battle.


    In order for the Chimera to intrude at the right moment, he had to do some really meticulous calculations and sacrifice a large number of dungeon spirits.


    At the end of the day, he made it. All he had to do now was to wait for the outcome of the Chimera''s attack.


    He expected that the Chimera would destroy the House of Mammon''s troops completely. Of course, he didn''t expect that the battle would be over with the Chimera''s attack alone.


    The moment the Chimera was killed, he planned to advance his troops in the frontline and in the rear. Then he would siege and annihilate the forces of the House of Mammon, who was severely wounded by Chimera.


    Stravadi''s troops were numerically superior to Yong-ho''s forces. The number of his troops in the front and in the rear was close to 2,000. By any standards, it was impossible that Stravadi would be defeated in this battle.


    The Chimera roared again. Not only Stravadi, but also Sargatanas next to him laughed happily. The Chimera, which was making an earthshaking rumble, tore away Stravadi''s dungeon spirit that angered it. As if it was still upset, the Chimera stared at the forces of the Mammon family stationed right in front of it.


    Excited, the Chimera kicked the ground. Stravadi clenched his fist.


    Then a huge storm of mana raged in front of them.


    It was a phenomenon that occurred as tremendous mana was opened simultaneously.


    A red beast jumped up toward the Chimera that jumped into the air. The muscles of its red upper body covered with gray fur expanded as if it was bursting. Its fist, fully pulled, could be called a hammer.


    Something incredible happened.


    The red beast''s fist struck the Chimera''s upper body hard. Hit by that punch, the Chimera, which would weigh at least dozens of tons, was thrown down on the floor. The red beast that pulled its punch could not overcome the repulsion of his punch and bounce off into the sky. It was truly a herculean punch beyond one''s imagination.


    There was one more red beast. Much smaller and quicker than the first one, it soared into the air. Then it cut through the blood sprinkled by her whip sword. A lightning strike struck Griffon''s head. Its power was also as mighty as a thunderbolt.


    One of Chimera''s three heads was still intact. However, it did not dare to stand up. The red beast kicked Drake''s head in succession, and the woman with gray hair wielded the whip sword to tear the snake''s tail to pieces.


    The Chimera couldn''t devastate the main forces of the Mammon family. It didn''t even approach them. With Yong-ho''s main forces only ten meters away, the Chimera was almost dead and fell on the floor.


    It was impossible to imagine the beast of fear dominating the eastern area being mangled by another beast.


    Stravadi''s calculation proved wrong. He had to stop the operation now!


    "Father-in-law!" Sargatanas urgently shouted.


    Startled, Stravadi, who had been staring at the Chimera blankly, looked straight ahead.


    Yong-ho''s main forces were rushing toward his troops stationed down the hill!


    "Skullkull!"


    A black beast that could not be called a horse anymore howled in anger. A skeleton knight with black armor on swung a long ivory hammer made with a spear. The energy of purple death arose like flames.


    "Rush! Surround them!" Sargatanas urgently cried.


    Stravadi shook his head. He momentarily lost his mind because of the imposing posture of the rushing undead unit.


    Reasonably, it was right to form a siege. However, rationality did not exist on this battlefield.


    Skeleton troops charged toward them like a storm. They were too fast. Normal skeletons could not move as fast as them. Moreover, the convoy at the rear was also strange. Rather than preparing for the enemies in the rear, they quickly followed Yong-ho''s main unit as if they were in a race.


    It seemed that they didn''t even worry from the beginning that the mix of their friendly forces would result in the great confusion of their formation.


    Stravadi again felt confused. But he soon understood that the irrational attack by the Mammon family''s forces was actually based on rationality.


    The eastern army, which collided with the skeleton unit, was literally smashed. The skeleton unit''s combat power was unusually high. It was not just the strength of one black skeleton knight at the forefront. Anybody would believe it even if the knight would be called Skeleton Warrior or even Skeleton Knight''s army.


    It wasn''t simply because of the power of evolution. There was something that Stravadi could not imagine in the overwhelming combat power of the Skull unit.


    Synchronization of power through the herd?


    Yong-ho paid attention to the mental network that Embrio''s wolves formed among themselves. With the help of Tigrius and the wolves, he copied the network itself then formed a new group network consisting of skull troops.


    Since the skull unit had a faint ego, Yong-ho could include more than two hundred skulls in the group.


    Since Skull alone had to be responsible for almost all of the mana that maintained the group, it was worth the effort.


    First of all, Skull and its unit were in sync. The Skull unit copied some of Skull''s combat functions through the mental network and shared combat experiences with each other.


    The hardware itself was the same. But the software was literally revolutionized.


    Their combat power expanded rapidly. Skeleton soldiers were almost as good as a Skeleton Warrior, and the warrior equaled the knight. The Skeleton Knight and dragon soldiers also experienced their power expanding greatly. Moreover, as they shared experiences with each other, their accumulation of evolution EXP was several times faster than before.


    The Skull unit devastated the eastern army. The eastern army collapsed even before they, who got around the forest, could even attack the transportation unit led by Tigrius from behind.


    As things stood now, Stravadi''s siege plan went nowhere. Moreover, the synchronized Skull forces showed a speedy movement that Stravadi could never imagine.


    The transportation unit led by Tigrius passed by the Skull unit. They then disrupted the formation of the eastern army with the Black Orc unit.


    The Skull unit turned. As if hundreds of them were merged into one, they changed the direction of the attack in unison. Then they made a dreadful reverse rush toward the eastern army that ran to complete the siege.


    While witnessing the crazy fighting scene, Stravadi did his job based on his reason. He realized that the red beast, a wild beast, and the gray-haired woman would soon join those crazy skeleton squads and go after the remaining eastern army.


    The eastern army was still numerically superior. Several times as many as them. But Stravadi felt his numerical advantage was meaningless. He needed to do something powerful to turn the tide.


    Sargatanas and he himself had to lead the reserve and join the fighting. The eastern masters commanding their units on the battlefield alone were not enough to defeat Yong-ho''s forces.


    His reason told Stravadi that he himself and Sargatanas were strong because they had five horns after taking the essence of all the northern masters.


    "So, you can make it. You can do it!"


    Sargatanas shouted again. The moment he heard it, Stravadi realized one thing.


    There was one that he had to be most wary of among the Mammon family''s forces.


    Nevertheless, he completely forgot this man because of what was going on before his eyes.


    Stravadi raised his head. He saw the sky.


    And right there the green sun was blazing down intensely! It blazed down toward Stravadi and his reserve.


    ***


    It was obviously big and intense.


    The moment the green sun hit the ground, the surrounding area turned into a superheated hell.


    Based on Yong-ho''s standards, the current sun was smaller and weaker than the sun of the green flames he created in the fight against Embrio. It was because the absolute value of the time he gathered mana was only about one-third of the time, although he became stronger by using Kaiwan as his dungeon spirit.


    However, this kind of factor did not have a big impact on the situation. Stravadi''s reserve army was burned. Stravadi fell into confusion amidst the green flames that engulfed everything in the surrounding area. The painful screaming of the soldiers, who were burned to death, tormented him.


    Stravadi instinctively released mana to drive away the green flames threatening to devour him.


    To protect himself from the heat, he created a curtain of mana. His mana with the attribute of chill not only repelled the green flames but also calmed him down.


    Stravadi asked himself, ''Is it possible for him to make an ideal retreat by realigning his troops in this situation?''


    ''If he and Sargatanas join his forces, can they turn the tide?''


    As soon as he thought it was impossible, Stravadi came up with the next plan rationally.


    The moment he devised it, Stravadi shouted, "Sargatanas!"


    "Yes, father-in-law!"

 169 Overwhelming Power 4

    The chill embedded in his mana broke apart the green flames and opened the way. Stravadi saw Sargatanas defending himself by releasing mana just like himself. Five horns were towering above the head of this purple-skinned giant. Given that his muscles were wriggling, it seemed that he was prepared for the fight. But Stravadi thought he should not fight. So, he reached out and grabbed Sargatanas instead of shouting at him.


    "We''re going to retreat."


    "Father-in-law?!"


    Their eyes crossed. Sargatanas'' eyes trembled greatly. He was inflexible, but not stupid. He clearly understood why his father-in-law mentioned retreating.


    "We''re going to desert the entire eastern army on the battlefield. Only two of us will run away."


    Sargatanas opened his mouth wide at his sudden proposal. Although he could not persuade Stravadi, a smooth talker and strategist, he wanted to say anything. The total number of the eastern army soldiers on this battlefield exceeded 2,000. Dump them here? It was something he could not think of. He could not follow his father-in-law.


    Sargatanas stopped breathing for a moment. Stravadi looked straight at him without saying anything. There was no more time. Stravadi already began to feel the presence of the man with terrifying mana, the master of the House of Mammon, approaching him beyond the green flames.


    Sargatanas clenched his teeth. Stravadi activated his power.


    Stravadi''s nickname was the Demon King of Jump.


    The two men jumped over the space and disappeared amid the green flames.


    ***


    Salami, trying to dive into the green flames while burning Stravadi''s reserve army, suddenly fluttered its wings again. Then it instantly changed its direction and increased altitude.


    Yong-ho also felt that Stravadi and Sargatanas disappeared because Sargatanas''s mana, who opened all his five horns, evaporated before his eyes.


    Yong-ho thought of several possibilities of his disappearance. He could have made a short-distance leap as Tigrius did in the past. Or he could have simply hidden his mana and gone into hiding nearby.


    ''I guess he has at least five horns,'' Yong-ho thought.


    Sargatanas released mana very shortly. But Yong-ho was extremely good at detecting the opponent''s mana. Given the size, color, and properties of the mana that arose among the green flames, it was clear that Sargatanas was a demon king with five horns.


    Just because one had the same number of horns, it did not mean that even the strength and weakness of the mana owner were the same. And the range of a mana''s strength and weakness within the same number increased as the number of horns increased.


    Sargatanas''s mana was a little stronger or similar to that of Kaiwan, who barely produced five horns. Given that Stravadi also had five horns, it wasn''t easy for Yong-ho to deal with two demon kings with five horns.


    ''But.''


    Catalina, who was prepared to jump in the green flames and have it out with the two leaders of the eastern army, looked at Yong-ho curiously when Salami changed direction. In his right hand, he held a moonlight sword he inherited from Elune instead of the dagger he used until now.


    It was a silver sword that looked like a crescent moon.


    "It looks like the two ran away. Let''s wrap up the fighting first."


    Yong-ho, who stroked Catalina''s head, ordered Salami to turn back.


    Stravadi had hundreds of reserves, and only a few of them were struck by the green sun, but Yong-ho didn''t care anymore. Now that their main forces broke up, there was only one option for these soldiers who lost their commander.


    As Yong-ho expected, the reserve soldiers started running away instead of joining their main forces on the battlefield. They were living witnesses who would convey the overwhelming defeat of the eastern army everywhere.


    Salami fluttered its wings again. It squinted to see Bucephalas striding down the ground with Skull.


    Just as Salami was promoted to "Fire Elemental Dragon," Bucephalas was also promoted to "Nightmare Lord". With a mane made of green flames and a pitch-black body, which was more than twice as large as a normal warhorse, Bucephalas was now powerful enough to dwarf the ordinary Phantom Steed, so much so that the eastern army soldiers were so scared of its glaring green eyes as to drop their weapons.


    Quietly watching Bucephalas fighting on the battlefield with its owner Skull, Salami nodded its head slowly. Looking at Bucephalas''s glaring eyes, it seemed Salami was quite satisfied with its fighting posture.


    There was a massacre, not a battle, happening on the battlefield.


    If the two large armies fought head-on, the death toll was surprisingly small, generally speaking.


    However, when the formation of any one army collapsed, it was a different story. Besides, when they started fleeing with their back against the other party, the number of their deaths increased dramatically from then on. That was why the loser in many of the historically famous battles incurred an enormous number of casualties, compared to the winner. In other words, the army that lost its formation and ran away was just helpless against the opposing army''s attack.


    The overwhelming destructive power of the Skull unit broke the formation of the eastern army from the front. Skull, teaming with Bucephalas to sprinkle death in all directions like Baphomet, was a disaster for the eastern army.


    However, it was because of Eligos, Ophelia, and Kaiwan joining them when they decisively smashed the formation of the eastern army.


    Out of the trio, especially Kaiwan clearly knew what her role was on the battlefield.


    The general role of a general was to command his soldiers. However, the roles of the three dungeon spirits, named as Independent Task Force, were different.


    Kaiwan considered herself an assassin, rather a sniper.


    "It''s time for you guys to be punished!"


    Kaiwan''s whip sword wrapped around the waist of a struggling eastern army commander.


    Even before he could resist her attack, she wielded the sword violently. He instantly fell on the ground. She swung the sword in succession, making him hit the ground several times.


    She fought very splendidly. Bursting into a thin and high-pitched laughter, she drew the attention of the eastern army soldiers. Her targets were simple¡ªthe one riding a horse, the one fighting well, the one shouting, the commander, and the one supporting with mana in the rear.


    In other words, she attacked only those who served as a sort of commanders who made numerous individual soldiers move as one group. It was much more beneficial to kill a single commander than defeating dozens of rank-and-file soldiers.


    Eligos, who made his brutal nature explode, could not control his anger precisely, but Ophelia didn''t. Soon she understood Kaiwan''s intentions and acted the same as she did.


    The absence of the commanders soon resulted in the collapse of the entire eastern army.


    Losing the will to fight, the eastern army soldiers began to run away, which soon led to the start of their massacre.


    The eastern army commander, who was thrown to the ground several times by Kaiwan, could not gather his senses. Fever came all over his body as if all of his bones were broken. He could hardly exert his power because of extreme pain.


    Kaiwan approached him and withdrew her whip sword from him. Since it became clear who was the winner of the battle, she did not kill him thoughtlessly. She tapped his cheeks, who still didn''t get back to his senses.


    "Let me save your life."


    Smiling brightly, she straightened and looked at the sky. Then she shook her hand toward Yong-ho, who was getting on Salami.


    ***


    Stravadi used his power in succession. If he was fully focused, he could jump up to 600 meters instantly. So, if he used it in a row, he could escape from Yong-ho as far as several kilometers in an instant.


    He used his power exactly ten times. Landing on a strange rocky area about 6km from the battlefield, he took a deep breath, gasping for breath. Depending on how he used it, he could really reveal deceptive abilities, but this space jump didn''t have only an advantage all the time. Since he exhausted his mana and stamina together, excessive use of it caused a rapid loss of his combat power.


    For this reason, Stravadi always used space leaps, based on his rational calculation.


    Accordingly, he didn''t use his power ten times in a row impulsively.


    Sargatanas opened all five horns and quickly turned west. The battlefield was now 6 km away from him, and the strange rocks around him obstructed his vision, so he could not see the battlefield well


    "Oh my God."


    He sighed, almost losing his mind. It was natural that he showed such a reaction, given that he dumped in the battlefield the eastern army of two thousand soldiers, who had attacked the northern part with him.


    It was a very shocking defeat to him. The power of the House of Mammon far exceeded his expectations.


    What should he do now? Should he fight to the end or save his life by letting Yong-ho''s forces occupy the eastern area without any resistance?


    Sargatanas turned with a heavy heart. Then he looked at his father-in-law as well his ally Stravadi, who already led him to the right way after they decided to join hands to defeat Yong-ho''s forces.


    "He is strong. We cannot win with the method we have taken until now," Stravadi said calmly, as always. Even at this moment, Stravadi didn''t stop thinking. He deduced from the battle the strength of the master of the House of Mammon and his dungeon spirits and drew one conclusion.


    "Father-in-law?"


    Stravadi nodded. With his back straight, he faced Sargatanas, who was in great confusion.


    He got his face closer to Saratanas to say something important.


    He whispered in a calm voice, "Listen to me, Sargatanas."


    Sargatanas gulped. He just remained silent and listened to him respectively as he did when his father-in-law led his army to break through the east and devastate the northern area. Then he opened his mouth and groaned. He looked at his father-in-law putting his hand on his chest.


    Sargatanas had no time to be astonished by his action. Stravadi did not tolerate his resistance at all. The moment Sargatanas raised his head again, Stravadi busted his heart with one hand to the heart of Sargatanas in one hand.


    He screamed silently. Stravadi covered his mouth with the other hand. At the same time, he released mana as well as magic power that would never fall behind him. He even nullified Sargatanas''s desperate struggle, who lost his heart before he knew it.


    Even though his heart was busted, this mighty demon king didn''t die immediately. He glared at Stravadi with resentment and anger. He tried to squeeze his voice to say something.


    But Stravadi tightened his hand that covered his mouth.


    As always, he explained it calmly, "Two of us, who are weak, can''t deal with this strong man. Even if you and I join hands together, we can''t defeat the House of Mammon. What we need right now is one absolutely strong man. We have to stop him with the dungeon-style fighting, not a battle like this."


    Sargatanas''s eyes trembled. His body stiffened, and he quickly lost the warmth of his body.


    "Goodbye, Sargatanas. It''s sad for me to part with you like this."


    He was serious. It wasn''t a lie.


    Stravadi carefully laid down the dead Sargatanas with his eyes open. After closing his eyes with the hand that covered his mouth, he sensed his dungeon spirits were coming to him. It seemed that all of them got out of the battlefield as he ordered. Everyone seemed to have left the battlefield as directed.


    Stravadi no longer talked sentimentally. He swallowed Sargatanas''s essence.

 170 Dungeon Breakthrough 1

    It was an overwhelming victory for Yong-ho.


    The Mammon family''s casualties were only about 30. On the other hand, nearly half of the eastern army soldiers lost their lives, and hundreds of those who survived were injured.


    Unlike Embrio''s army, whose frontline commanders mostly survived, the command system of the eastern army was smashed. Therefore, there was no leadership for the defeated soldiers.


    Since they were completely shattered, they were no longer a threat.


    The battle was completely over. However, the battlefield was still full of vitality because Yong-ho''s forces were absorbed into capturing booty from the dead eastern army soldiers.


    The armaments of the eastern army soldiers, who gained wealth through their northern expedition, were quite excellent. It was clear that just recovering various armaments and armor would generate a considerable amount of money. Moreover, some of them possessed quite expensive items.


    But Yong-ho was not greedy for small things. He planned to distribute most of the items obtained from the battlefield to his rank-and-file soldiers. Actually, he had already made the announcement about it before the battle. He took the measure to raise the morale of the soldiers of the Free City who were out on an expedition at his order.


    Fluttering its wings, Salami landed on the ground. Salami landed in front of the Skull unit that maintained its ranks in an orderly fashion even when other soldiers were to acquire the spoils of the battle.


    Bucephalas was the first to pretend to know Salami. Its face was soulful when it neighed cheerfully. It seemed to ask Salami something like, ''Didn''t you see me fighting well? Wasn''t I cool?''


    Salami snorted, but only for a moment. Instead, Salami appreciated Bucephalas, its arch-rival and bad friend, with a pleasant smile.


    "Skull Skull."


    Skull, the Knight of Death, who could now be said to be the pride of the Mammon family, expressed due respect to Yong-ho by erecting its hammer spear. When the two hundred members of the skull unit, who had yet to break their synchronization with the end of the battle, bowed to Yong-ho in unison, they created such a spectacular scene.


    Yong-ho was really happy. He seemed to know why it took so long for the principal to make a long speech whenever he took the podium when he was in elementary school. Hundreds of skulls fixed their eyes on him. He felt a great thrill at that moment.


    Behind his back, he heard Catalina flapping her ears and tail cheerfully. She was as much thrilled about the skulls'' spectacular greeting as he. Indeed, the shabby little House of Mammon on the verge of collapsing was the thing of the past.


    ''Man, they''re back to their old selves!''


    The two hundred skulls, who behaved themselves so politely only a minute ago, were fully relaxed and began to wander around in place. Some of them sat down on the floor like Skull or even rolled around on the floor. It seemed that it was not just their combat skills that were delivered through the synchronization.


    Yong-ho also lightly tapped his left chest to get out of the consciousness that had been gripping him throughout the battle. At the moment, he felt a tingling pain in his chest, but he soon felt comfortable.


    The heart of the Demon God.


    Mammon''s legacy, which was left behind in the human world, was not an ordinary Brigada. Know-how on how to deal with greed was just redundant for him.


    The seven fragments stuck in his left chest. The heart of the Demon God was different from the Godly Energy of greed that was created through the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon.


    It was an object that existed for only one ritual, namely bringing the owner''s spirit and body closer to the Demon King.


    Of course, it wasn''t permanent. It was just a temporary doping. But the effect was absolute.


    When one fragment was triggered, they called it one demon. When one demon was activated, one''s consciousness started working since the fragment penetrated deep into the heart.


    Bragada''s fragment directly stimulated the essence, which could be called the center of the mana, so that it could make the flow of mana stronger and faster. It forcibly opened up the potential of the body through insinuation, which would not normally be opened up, It was like overclocking a computer.


    It was also thanks to the activation of the demon that Yong-ho managed to create the green sun, although he couldn''t have enough time to concentrate mana, compared with when he did during his fight against Embrio.


    There were seven fragments that made up the Demon God''s heart. Naturally, the stage of consciousness existed up to seven demons.


    When the consciousness progressed one step further, it was supposed to increase the power, so it was hard to imagine how powerful it would be when all the seven demons were fully released. Perhaps, as the name suggests, Yong-ho might reach the level of the Demon God.


    Of course, it was dangerous. Even activating one demon exposed one''s body to severe stress.


    Moreover, starting with the stage above four demons, the method of amplifying the power itself was not as simple as one demon. It demanded more than stimulating essence with Brigada.


    The reason why Yong-ho learned about the heart of the Demon God even belatedly was because he made Kaiwan his dungeon spirit.


    He came to know roughly about its usage and danger through Mammon''s remaining mana left in Brigada. Probably, it seemed to be a kind of artifact that wouldn''t trigger at all if the owner''s mana did not reach a certain level.


    It was indeed Mammon''s way of securing his surrogate, which was consistent with many experiences Yong-ho went through until now.


    After deactivating one demon, Yong-ho faced the dungeon spirits more comfortably.


    "The captured commanders are here. They are at your mercy, master. You can either grill them or kill them."


    Kaiwan unleashed one of the captured commanders that she dragged to the floor, bound by her whip sword. Then Eligos and Ophelia also laid down the eastern commanders they had carried or bound.


    All of them were in bad shape. Those with one of their arms or legs broken were the least injured, while most of them were severely wounded.


    In the battles of the demon world, especially the battles among the masters of houses, there were few cases in which prisoners were released for ransom.


    The masters could grow their power only when they took the essence of their opponents.


    Moreover, the death of the masters meant a sharp decline in their dungeon defense. Because of this, it was a big advantage for the winner to capture and kill them.


    Nevertheless, there were some reasons why the master of a house was taken as a prisoner.


    First, when he was highly valuable as hostages.


    Second, when the winner wanted to make him a subordinate.


    Third, when the winner wanted to gather information from him.


    The eastern masters-cum-commanders taken as hostages, who fell on the ground, generally had three horns. They had four horns at most, but the level of their mana was the nascent four.


    Since there was such a gap between the level of his mana and theirs, Yong-ho would not get much benefit even if he took their essence.


    It was for the second and third reasons that the eastern masters were captured alive.


    "I will set up a temporary prison and torture room right now. Please allow me to take the task of interrogating them, so they can leak everything about the eastern area. I''ll force them to confess anything they know," said Eligos with his eyes glaring sharply this time.


    Although his whole body was stained with the blood and flesh of his enemies, he seemed to be even more muscular and powerful than before.


    Catalina narrowed her eyebrows, and Yong-ho smiled bitterly. Though he witnessed it several times, he could not get used to the way Eligos enjoyed his hobby of tormenting their enemies.


    ''Well, let me give him a pass since he does it only occasionally.''


    In fact, Eligos needed it. Since he didn''t catch Stravadi and Sargatanas, the heads of the eastern army, in this battle, he had to gather all the intelligence to prepare for the next battle.


    Even Ophelia made a horrible expression at Eligos''s request, but Eligos was all smiles on his face and got ready to interrogate the captured eastern commanders.


    Right at that moment, somebody shouted, "No, you don''t have to interrogate us."


    One of the least injured among them opened his mouth. He was a master from the Nagaraja race that was said to have a snake''s heart and tongue.


    "I will tell you all. Let me tell you anything that you want to know, no matter what."


    He didn''t say that because he was resigned to his miserable situation. There was resentment in his voice. Eligos urgently clenched his fist.


    "How dare you try to trick us?"


    "Stravadi and Sargatanas abandoned us first! They betrayed us!"


    The Nagaraja master shouted quickly. The resentment in his voice was not directed against Yong-ho, but Stravadi and Sargatanas.


    He was right. Stravadi and Sargatanas did not appear while the eastern army was being annihilated. The Nagaraja master knew what their disappearance meant. It meant that the two leaders of the eastern army fled after making them scapegoats on the battlefield without even fighting Yong-ho''s forces.


    The Nagaraja master stared at Yong-ho desperately.


    Kaiwan, who was silent all along, stepped out to second his opinion.


    "It doesn''t sound like he is telling a lie. I don''t think he has any reason to stay loyal to his bosses who ran away."


    "I agree. Moreover, this guy is from the Nagaraja race that allegedly has a snake heart. It is unlikely that he will keep his loyalty when the eastern army has collapsed, and he himself was betrayed by his bosses," Ophelia seconded this time


    Then she made eyes at Yong-ho slightly, suggesting she was ready to test him if her master wanted.


    Catalina didn''t say anything, but given that she flapped her ears and tail, she seemed to be on the same page with Kaiwan and Ophelia.


    "Alright. Let me listen to your story."


    Yong-ho gave him the go-ahead. The Nagaraja man let out a breath of relief, while Eligos became sullen, with his shoulders drooping.

 171 Dungeon Breakthrough 2

    [We''re going to take over the dungeon now. Please wait a moment.]


    It sounded a bit far away, like a cell phone call with a poor signal, but it was definitely Lucia''s voice.


    One day passed after Yong-ho''s army defeated the main forces of the eastern army.


    Yong-ho, who kept making an inroad into the eastern area without a hitch, took over the dungeon of the Nagaraja master who had surrendered and used it as a forward base.


    The number of the eastern masters also dropped significantly amid the turbulence caused by Embrio. According to the Nagaraja master, there were only two eastern masters under the command of Stravadi and Sargatanas.


    And the number of soldiers that the eastern army could mobilize again was about a thousand or so. Given that even if all the soldiers left in the north or scattered in various dungeons were mobilized, it would be no more than 2,000, so Yong-ho didn''t have to worry about confronting the enemy with a huge army beyond his imagination.


    The intelligence that the Nagaraja master provided was better than expected. He even knew the power of Stravadi and Sargatanas.


    Stravadi''s power was short-range space jump, while Sargatanas''s power was strengthening of the body.


    Both were good at close combat, but Stravadi of the Nagaraja race also seemed to be good at spelling magic. In some respects, they might be tougher than Yong-ho thought.


    Yong-ho sat down on the throne engraved with a serpent''s head and pondered over how to deal with the two. He drew a map of the eastern area in his mind. The current dungeon was located in the south within the eastern area. Moving a little further to the northeast, he could find Stravadi''s dungeon.


    Tigrius, Rikum, and Ophelia said in unison that the next battle would be a dungeon battle, not a battle in the open field like this. Their opinion was reasonable. Actually, Yong-ho himself thought of fighting the King of Gluttony at the dungeon fight instead of a battle. It was when the master was fighting at the dungeon that he became the strongest.


    Thanks to the Dungeon Market, the concept of supplies in the demon world was different from what they used in the human world. As long as they could secure a dungeon with access to the virtual space of the Dungeon Market and enough funds, they could deliver supplies even into the heart of the enemy camp, though incompletely.


    Yong-ho had no intention of letting Stravadi buy his time. He intended to devour the eastern area quickly like lightning.


    The current situation was different from when he defeated Agares.


    Back then he was pressed for time. He had to hurriedly take the essence of the dungeon''s heart and leave the eastern area while guarding against other masters in the surrounding areas.


    But it was different this time.


    The dungeon''s treasures and resources, dungeon spirits, and the essence of the heart.


    Really, he would do it, just like the King of Greed!


    [Takeover of the dungeon was over.]


    [Are you going to access the virtual space of the Dungeon Market?]


    The energy of greed arose. The greed that grew much bigger and more abundantly than before engulfed Catalina and Kaiwan, standing next to the throne. It did not stop there and spread widely.


    Yong-ho closed his eyes and accessed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.


    ***


    [Recognition number: 009]


    [Descendants of the man.]


    [Yong-ho Cheon, the current master of the House of Mammon.]


    [Recognition has been completed. Welcome.]


    As soon as he arrived in the all-white virtual space, the letters of light spread in front of his eyes amid a woman''s hard voice.


    Since he already experienced it, he waited instead of feeling embarrassed.


    As he expected, her voice continued, [Sitree is currently taking care of her personal affairs.]


    [You can''t chat with Sitri at this time.]


    [Would you like to go back? Or would you like to trade in normal mode?]


    Yong-ho agonized for a moment. Last time, he waited for Sitri while trading in normal mode.


    But he didn''t have to do it again this time. It was true that his conversation with Sitri was pleasant, but he was not here to play in the virtual space. He came here to purchase supplies and various equipment for attacking the dungeon.


    ''It''s regrettable, but I can''t help it anyway.''


    It seemed that the war between kings in the northern area seemed to affect the Dungeon Market more than he expected.


    "Let me trade in normal mode this time. I want to buy supplies and equipment for attacking a dungeon."


    [Okay. We will provide you with the relevant catalogs.]


    A white chair soared behind his back. He, seated in place, reached for it in the air.


    Then, he came to grab two catalogs.


    ''What I need most, above all, is food and lighting devices for the dungeon. By the way, is it a woman?''


    Feeling something all of a sudden, he looked a little further away. Since both the sky and the earth were pure white, a new being appeared in an all-white world where even he could not identify the horizon.


    Her bright blonde and black wings made a strong contrast. Her neat and active suit reminded him of a career woman in the human world.


    Although she was at quite a distance, she was an outstanding beauty that Yong-ho could recognize at a glance. As if she was stepping down from the air, she came down but flinched momentarily. She seemed to be surprised to see him.


    ''No, She''s a little different.''


    There was no clear evidence that he could think so, but he felt that way.


    She seemed to have been surprised by the fact that there was someone in this space.


    He called a table from the floor and put the catalogs on it. Rather than rushing to act, he wanted to watch how the woman would act first.


    The woman didn''t agonize for long. She flapped her big wings once, and in no time, she narrowed her distance with him. When he looked at her up close, she was so kind and gentle despite her black wings that he immediately thought she was an "angel".


    However, it was just her look only. Her eyes that were as soft as a gentle sheep showed she was smart. Landing in front of him, she politely bowed to him, as Sitri did.


    She introduced herself with a gentle smile.


    "I am Samael, one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market."


    "I''m Yong-ho Cheon."


    Yong-ho got up from his seat and returned her greeting. And there was a moment of silence.


    Both of them quickly examined each other as if they promised to do so.


    It was Samael who opened her mouth first.


    "You must be the master of the House of Mammon. I have heard of your excellent military activities in the south. It is an honor for me to meet you like this."


    She once again appreciated him politely. It seemed that during that short span of her greeting him with a nod, she obtained some information about him at the Dungeon Market.


    Yong-ho also succeeded in recalling her name.


    ''Dungeon Merchant Auction House.''


    She was its manager there. Yong-ho once participated in the auction with Sitri.


    Why did she come here? Why was she showing interest in him?


    In the human world, Samael could be called an executive of a world-class multinational company, and a top-ranking executive overseeing business in Europe at that.


    But Samael was now looking at Yong-ho with curiosity, who was the master of the House of Mammon in the abandoned southern land.


    Of course, his situation in the southern land was not the same as before. He built up power enough to be comparable with that of the very powerful demon kings of the demon world.


    So, even if she was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, it would be hard for her to look down on him. However, there was a difference between her looking down on him and her looking at him with lots of interest and curiosity.


    Why? For what purpose?


    "I came here to see Sitri, but I unexpectedly met a nobleman here. Are you usually doing business with Sitri like this?


    As if to read his mind, Samael quenched his curiosity readily. She was now showing interest in Yong-ho because of Sitri.


    Yong-ho pondered over her question, namely her question about him doing business with Sitri as usual and the way she behaved when she appeared in this space first. And he could discover why she was surprised when she knew he was in this space.


    It was never uncommon for Sitri to deal directly with her client.


    So, Samael wanted to know the reason why Sitri wanted to face Yong-ho in person.


    "Samael."


    Somebody, not Yong-ho, called her. Samael turned back to the voice naturally.


    "Sitree!"


    Wearing a nightgown, Sitri let out a long breath. She concealed her fatigue and said to Yong-ho, "Dear client, could you wait a minute? Please!"


    Samael looked back at Yong-ho. Instead of answering, Yong-ho responded with a nod.


    Then Sitri and Samael disappeared. And within a few seconds, Sitri appeared again.


    "What about Samael?"


    When Yong-ho asked instinctively, Sitri frowned a bit. Then she curled her lips and approached him.


    "I sent her back for now. Did she act rudely?"


    "No, not at all."


    When he replied, Sitri sighed again. She seemed uncomfortable just like she did when she was caught recalling the memories about the House of Mammon the other day.


    But shortly afterward, she made a smile again and gently pressed her chest. In the blink of an eye, she took off the nightgown and put on the dress she usually wore.


    "Do you know that your pupils got big a moment ago?"


    Instead of answering, he cleared his throat at her mischievous question.


    Sitri made a hearty laugh as usual.


    "Now, what kind of deal do you want today? Let me provide a little more service than usual because I feel sorry for being late."


    She winked at him right at the moment when she mentioned ''a little more'' then sat down on the chair that soared before her and leaned against it. Yong-ho also sat down.


    He started striking up a deal with her, as she wanted.

 172 Dungeon Breakthrough 4

    Yong-ho''s transaction in the virtual space was over. His connection with it was also lost. Instead of opening his eyes right away, he thought of something that he put off as an afterthought.


    Samael used honorifics when speaking to Sitri. And Sitri sent back none other than Samael in a few seconds, one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market.


    ''Is Sitri also one of the five directors?''


    If so, Sitri''s usual joke about describing herself as a "big guy" at the Dungeon Market was true.


    Well, it was natural if he came to think about it.


    Sitri was Mammon''s lover, the King of Greed. This meant that she was one of the giant dungeon spirits that lived for over a thousand years. There was nothing wrong with her even if she was called one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market.


    So, Yong-ho didn''t bother much because his ties with her wouldn''t change anyway even if Sitri was one of the five directors or not.


    ''Five directors¡­ At least Samael doesn''t know Sitri''s relationship with Mammon. And Sitri wants to hide it¡­''


    Although there were some assumptions in his thinking like that, his conclusion was quite reasonable. He thought about one more thing.


    A master''s frequent meeting with Sitri. How would it affect his deal if it was known that a master meets Sitri often?


    ''Am I too worried?''


    Maybe it was meaningless. If something urgent really had happened, Sitri would have sent him back, not Samael.


    ''But.''


    It was clear that he was bothered by Sitri''s action. He even felt that he was attracting Sitri''s unnecessary attention.


    ''Whatever.''


    Yong-ho opened his eyes. He gently shook his head to put it out of his mind. The immediate task for him was to occupy the eastern area.


    "Are you back?"


    "Did you buy a lot of cheap stuff? What about my gift?"


    Catalina and Kaiwan asked as if they were waiting for him. Instead of replying, Yong-ho looked for Eligos and Ophelia to discuss some practical matters.


    Two days later, Yong-ho started to attack Stravadi''s dungeon.


    There were two ways to attack the dungeon.


    One of them was to just blindly dispatch a huge number of troops to neutralize the traps inside the dungeon and take over it.


    The other was to properly attack the dungeon by infiltrating the elite force.


    Most of the masters preferred the first option compared to the second if they could afford it, even if their damage was heavy.


    Attacking a dungeon was completely unpredictable to any attacker. On the other hand, a dungeon was the ultimate home ground for the defenders.


    For this reason, the attack on the dungeons in the demon world was often carried out in the following ways¡ªthey send a large-scale force of low quality to neutralize the defenders'' traps and collect information on the inside of the dungeon. After that, an elite force could pass through the incapacitated trap zone, destroy the defenders'' force, and occupy the dungeon.


    Generally speaking, when attackers devised tactics, the defenders also prepared their own tactics. But the attackers changed their tactics too often, so the defenders changed the dungeons accordingly.


    As for the traps, those with a wide range of effectiveness and specialization in slaughter were preferred to those with high power and accuracy. And the structure of the dungeon was changed in a way that was easier to deal with a large number of attackers rather than a small one, so they could trap them all at once.


    But there was one thing that didn''t change.


    What was the most annoying and difficult thing when attacking a dungeon?


    Yong-ho, who had not much experience in attacking dungeons, could easily answer that question. It was because anybody could easily answer it if they thought about the PC games they used to enjoy during their middle and high school days.


    The answer to this question was getting lost in the dungeon. In other words, the attackers keep wandering about in the same place because they couldn''t find the right way.


    Demon King Aurpasso, who was famous for making dungeons in the past, said, "The best and worst dungeon is the labyrinth."


    Stravadi, always reliant on rational thinking, turned his dungeon into a labyrinth.


    His dungeon was huge, above all. It was large enough to hold three to four dungeons, compared with a typical dungeon in the southern area. Moreover, the passages inside were complicated. They were not just a motley of crossroads. Stravadi could change its internal structure in real-time.


    Of course, due to more variability and more complicated passages, the durability of the dungeon wall could be problematic for the dungeon owner. But Stravadi solved this problem in a very simple way. He expanded the dungeon site. If the dungeon site was wide enough to create a complex passage with walls of sufficient thickness and strength, he would not have to worry about it.


    It was only Stravadi, the designer of the dungeon, who perfectly understood the dungeon structure. The dungeon spirits knew no more than the zone assigned to them.


    Stravadi, located in the Demon King''s room in the deepest part of the dungeon, believed in his dungeon, a labyrinth that he built with utmost efforts. So, as always, he devised a rational and simple strategy.


    The House of Mammon was now the only enemy to Stravadi. If he defeated its master, he would achieve everything. That was why he spared no time and effort to win in this battle.


    His strategy was to reduce the combat power of the House of Mammon and wear them out. He was ready to use all his available dungeon spirits and traps for that purpose.


    A true labyrinth didn''t allow for the attackers'' entry but also their exit. So, once the attackers were lured into entering the dungeon, half the battle was already over.


    Stravadi intended to lure the master of the House of Mammon and his dungeon spirits into his dungeon and kill them slowly.


    That was his plan, which he had to carry out, and by all means at that!


    "But how could they break through it?"


    Stravadi asked in a low voice. Instead of expressing anger, he gave it a serious thought.


    He tried to understand the unreasonable situation unfolding before his eyes right now.


    Stravadi''s dungeon spirits, who were called the four knights of the east, also could not hide their embarrassment. What was happening in the dungeon map that the souls of the dungeon opened in the air were completely beyond Stravadi''s expectations.


    The infiltration troops of the House of Mammon were advancing straight ahead inside the dungeon. Straight, without any hesitation or wandering, they were advancing through the shortest route straight.


    Even the structural change of the dungeon itself, Stravadi''s pride, was not functioning. When he changed the route by manipulating the forks and part of the passage, the infiltrating force of the Mammon family changed the route accordingly.


    The four knights did not fully understand the structure of the dungeon. However, they partly knew that there were limits to structural changes. Moreover, the Mammon family''s infiltrating forces found and destroyed the core structures that were subject to change.


    By doing so, they gradually reduced the room for Stravadi''s changing the dungeon itself.


    Stravadi''s dungeon was no longer a labyrinth. It was just a simple one-way dungeon.


    Moreover, that wasn''t the only problem.


    Yong-ho did not dispatch a large unit into the dungeon. He sent a relatively small number of only 40 members there. Besides, it wasn''t just ordinary dungeon spirits that attacked at the forefront. Each of them was the dungeon spirit of the Mammon family with tremendous power.


    Neither the traps nor Stravadi''s dungeon spirits could not stop them. The passage, which was inevitably narrow because it was a labyrinth, rather empowered the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Stravadi''s dungeon spirits had to confront the enemies they couldn''t deal with properly. They could not make use of anything like a numerical advantage in this fight.


    Of course, to prepare for this kind of situation, there was always supposed to be a "gathering place" in the dungeon, along with a "special force" specialized in destroying the enemy''s elite force.


    Stravadi''s special force was strong. Trained only for the purpose of fighting at the gathering place, they could defeat any outside attackers, who were twice as strong as they were.


    But there was one problem.


    The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were strong and too strong at that. It was no exaggeration to say that they were strong enough to be called the Masters'' Alliance, rather Strong Masters'' Alliance.


    Stravadi''s labyrinth was neutralized. The traps and dungeon spirits there were incapacitated. He could stick it out if only one of them was functioning because he had sized up the power of the House of Mammon early on. But when both of them proved useless before Yong-ho''s forces, he could do nothing to defend against them. Even this time, his combat calculations went wrong. Stravadi opened his eyes. Once again, he repressed his anger and stood up from the throne. The risk of his next strategy was high because he failed to wear down the Mammon forces, contrary to his expectations, but he had to carry it out. He had no other choice.


    "We''re going to destroy them one by one. Everybody, stand by in your position!"


    At his order, the four knights swallowed in extreme tension then hurriedly got out of the demon king''s room.


    Under his plan, he intended to capture each of the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family then kill those powerful enough to equal the head of the masters'' coalition to weaken the master of the House of Mammon while growing his own power.


    ''First of all, let me get rid of that gray-haired girl.''

 173 Dungeon Breakthrough 5

    The white-haired dark elf moved too fast. Moreover, she always stayed with the head of the Mammon family as if she was his escort knight.


    The red beast and wild animal always paired to attack the enemy. As they moved in sync with each other, it was difficult to catch only one of them.


    The wizard that dismantled the traps did not go forward. Like the dark elf girl, he also did not distance himself from the master of the Mammon family.


    The Skeleton Knight was also threatening. The essence of the undead with the energy of death could not be absorbed in the usual way. So, given the priorities, it was the last one.


    In terms of elimination of the enemy, what was left now was the gray-haired girl. Apart from it, there were many more reasons to single out the girl with gray hair.


    She always took the lead in the attack. Because of the way she attacked splendidly in many ways, she often distanced herself from other dungeon spirits. Besides, her mana was powerful. If one ate it, one could expect a significant increase in horsepower.


    Stravadi once again communicated with the souls of the dungeon.


    He looked straight ahead and activated his power.


    He jumped through space.


    ***


    "Combination magic! Gust of Ice!"


    The fierce wind caused by Tigrius struck low on the floor. It pushed away not only the energy of dark green poison that leaked out of the wall but also froze the whole thing.


    Eligos and Ophelia ran around side by side. Although the gathering place was quite spacious, it was a disaster for Stravadi''s dungeon spirits because it was indoors. They could not escape anywhere from the beasts running wild to attack them right before their eyes.


    Yong-ho stood in the rear of the gathering area and watched his dungeon spirits fight. He was refraining himself from trying to do anything other than finding the right passage with the power of greed. He needed to save his energy to confront Stravadi and Sargatanas, who were likely to exist in the deepest part of this dungeon.


    Catalina, too, did not get into the fight for the same reason. Skull was also on standby in the rear, just commanding his unit.


    Among the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family, only three were currently actively fighting: Eligos, Ophelia, and Kaiwan. And in fact, it was difficult to say that even they were doing their best.


    "Hey, make my day! Come on if you dare!"


    Shouting loudly, Kaiwan wielded her whip sword. The sword, which was only stretched long enough to reach the ceiling of the gathering place, tore everything caught in its blade. It was safe to say that the blade was like a whirlpool.


    While the terrible massacre was going on, Stravadi''s special force didn''t lose their fighting spirit. Since they went through repeated brainwashing, they were never afraid of death.


    A series of big explosions continued here and there in the gathering area. It was suicide bombing by Stravadi''s special force.


    Eligos and Ophelia, who were fighting the special force in close range, hurriedly moved their hands and feet to protect themselves from the explosion. Tigrius, once again, caused a strong wind to push out the flames and heat of the explosion.


    Kaiwan was also caught in the explosion. She wasn''t injured a bit because she quickly opened the barrier of distortion, but she couldn''t help it when her vision was instantly blocked at the explosion.


    Kaiwan momentarily hung her sword loose to catch her breath. She waited for the dust ahead to scatter at the wind caused by Tigrius.


    Right at that moment, she breathed out long, Catalina yelled at her suddenly like lightning.


    "Kaiwan!"


    It was because she sensed that something threatening was approaching Kaiwan.


    However, her warning rather backfired. The moment Kaiwan instinctively looked back at Catalina, her blind spot became even bigger. After all, she allowed the opponent to attack her.


    Stravadi jumped over space. At the moment Kaiwan and Catalina''s eyes crossed, he already landed behind Kaiwan''s back. As soon as he snatched her waist, he opened up his mana.


    It was a silent roar. It resonated throughout the whole gathering place. Stravadi''s harsh mana suppressed Kaiwan.


    "Stravadi!" Yong-ho yelled.


    Catalina hit the ground. Kaiwan looked at Stravadi''s arms around her waist.


    And Stravadi also looked at the point where he started. Then he activated the power of jump!


    The power of jump was not invincible. Although he could jump as long as 600 meters, he had a decisive weakness¡ªthe place within his vision. He could only make a space jump only toward that place.


    Catalina''s moonlight sword cut through the air. Stravadi, who appeared from the exit of the gathering point, activated his power in succession without delay. By changing the dungeon terrain through the soul of the dungeon, he secured his own vision while blocking the Mammon forces'' vision.


    He jumped through space exactly seven times.


    When his space leap was over, Stravadi was standing at the last gathering point on the third floor in the basement. Kaiwan, who was exposed to his space leap without any consideration, felt dizzy severely.


    And he made the eighth space leap. Stravadi appeared four meters away from the place where Kaiwan twisted and swung her whip sword. Stravadi saw Kaiwan who turned lightly and crashed on the floor according to the law of gravity. He immediately came up with the next move.


    The souls of the dungeon injected mana into the gathering place. Then, a powerful curse of magic was activated from the gathering place. The four knights, who had already arrived and waited in advance, also strengthened the power of the curse by activating their own magic techniques.


    It was the most basic, and therefore the most effective curse of weakening the opponent.


    Kaiwan shuddered. Although she thought she had to open up her mana to release the curse, her mind had a way of its own. It was because the poison of Nagaraja spread all over her body. Perhaps, she was poisoned when Stravadi held her back. Moreover, Stravadi didn''t put Kaiwan down anywhere. It was no exaggeration to say that the spot where she fell was a poison pool.


    Tall and skinny, Stravadi was a man like a snake. With an intelligent-looking face underneath a brownish blonde, he made a light smile for the first time since the dungeon battle began.


    All five horns protruding above his ears trembled slightly. His overwhelming mana that he increased dramatically by taking the essence of Sargatanas filled the inside of the gathering area.


    Kaiwan bit her lips. She managed to open her horns then immediately activated the power of distortion. As if a turtle was hiding in a house, she protected her entire body with a hemispherical shield of distortion. It seemed that she was determined to give up fighting and stick it out.


    Stravadi clicked his tongue and shook his head. He thought her action was truly useless.


    He felt that her action could buy her only a little time. And he could tear the weakened shield apart with his powerful mana.


    "Let me devour you, b*tch."


    Instead of cursing at him, Kaiwan kept concentrating. She was not sure how many times she would be able to withstand Stravadi''s attack, but she needed to buy some time by all means. Stravadi drew a small sword and struck the shield of distortion with all his power from the beginning.


    Exactly three times, Kaiwan vomited blood with a painful groan because the shield of distortion that she barely maintained was broken. Nagaraja''s poison injured her intestines.


    Stravadi acted rationally. He wasn''t going to waste his time harassing Kaiwan needlessly.


    He trampled all over her abdomen with his shoes on. After fixing her so that she could not move, he aimed at her chest with his sword.


    At that moment, the ceiling exploded.


    The flow of mana flowing in the gathering ground was cut off. The curse was destroyed.


    The four knights screamed in horror, looking at the broken ceiling.


    Stravadi also turned around. He couldn''t stand it anymore.


    He became irrational and shouted at the opponent in anger, "What the heck happened!? How could you chase me like this!? How!?"


    The gathering site was supposed to block the flow of his mana from leaking outside.


    And it was impossible for Yong-ho''s forces to chase him with the mana released from his dungeon spirits.


    Did he find out the passage? It was also impossible. It wasn''t through the proper path that they moved from the basement on the second floor to the 3rd floor. Obviously, they could do it by reversely using Stravadi''s own power to leap to a space in a strange place.


    But how could they chase him and in such a short time at that?!


    Yong-ho looked ahead before answering. The smoke of greed, tied in only one strand, engulfed Kaiwan in the gathering place densely. Kaiwan smiled in pain, and Yong-ho spoke a little brazenly, "Well, it''s because she is mine."


    "What did you say?" Stravadi asked back blankly.


    Instead of answering, Yong-ho stretched out his right hand into the air.


    Then he grabbed Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus.


    He instinctively moved on to the next step. The moment the spear of flames appeared in the air, Stravadi left the place by exercising his power. It was the right decision. The sword of a dark elf girl, not the master of the Mammon family, flew like a beam of light and pierced the air.


    Stravadi, who jumped to the end of the room at once, summoned the four knights through ritual, not words. Armed with full plate armor, the four knights quickly gathered next to Stravadi and prepared for defense against her attack.


    The dark elf girl held the gray-haired girl in her arms and left the place. And their void was instantly filled by the master of the Mammon family and his two dungeon spirits, namely the red beast and the wild animal.


    It happened in a few seconds. Stravadi tried to recover his reason. He suppressed his emotions and thought about this attack.


    There was only one answer.


    "Stop the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon."


    He spoke low. In fact, he made the decision from the moment he decided to have it out with the House of Mammon at the dungeon battle. Although the battle unfolded very differently from what he had intended in the first place, he didn''t care because what mattered to him was the results he had in mind.


    The dungeon was Stravadi''s own territory. The souls of the dungeon informed him about the situation around it. Not all of the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family came here for the fight.


    The wizard and the skeleton knights had yet to arrive at this room. Only the red beast and the wild animal stood by the master of the House of Mammon. The dark elf girl, presumed to be his escort knight, was moving toward the wizard and the skeleton knights with the severely injured gray-haired girl.


    The situation wasn''t bad for Stravadi. The souls of the dungeon issued an alarm urgently. All the remaining spirits in the dungeon were about to gather here.

 174 Dungeon Breakthrough 6

    Besides, the red beast and wild animal were most heavily used among the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Although Stravadi failed to wear them down completely as he planned, it was beneficial to him to confirm that they were in their best shape now. With the help of the four knights, who became stronger like him, he would be able to hold the red beast and wild animal in check, even if he could not defeat them.


    ''It is not reasonable to defeat them in a pincer movement.''


    It wasn''t good for him to attack them with four knights through a pincer movement. It was more efficient for him to block the red beast and the wild animal and have a one-on-one duel with the master of the Mammon family.


    Stravadi thought quickly. At his order, the four knights stared at the red beast and wild animal as if they were fully determined.


    Yong-ho, the master of the Mammon family, faced Stravadi and four knights.


    Instead of wielding Aamon, he said, "You ate Sargatanas, right?"


    Although Yong-ho got suspicious when he first heard it from the Nagaraja master who surrendered, he was convinced that Stravadi really killed him and took his essence.


    Stravadi twisted his lips and said, "Yes, that''s correct. Let me show you the results of it now."


    He already opened five horns. However, this was not his best weapon.


    Stravadi took a step toward Yong-ho. He awakened Nagaraja''s blood in his body. The snake''s heart began to pound and transform Stravadi into a more combative shape. Blue serpent scales sprang on the back of his face and arms.


    Stravadi took another step. This time, the souls of the dungeon reacted to it. They instilled dungeon mana into Stravadi. But this alone couldn''t increase his mana, but it was possible to recover his mana. It was like providing Stravadi with a mana recovery tank of tremendous capacity.


    Stravadi felt greatly uplifted. With the serpent''s heart, he didn''t have any guilt for Sargatanas'' death in the first place. All he felt was something like a sense of loss and a little anger from the fact that he killed Sargatanas, whom he loved. But now he didn''t feel even such feelings.


    Why was he so obsessed with the fighting calculations? What the heck was he afraid of?


    Wasn''t he perhaps the strongest master in the abandoned southern area, with such mighty power?


    Stravadi''s mana filled the gathering place again. It was mana filled with chill.


    Stravadi laughed confidently. The four knights also admired his great power.


    But at that moment, Yong-ho opened up his mana fully.


    ***


    With Yong-ho''s five horns soaring, his mana arose like flames, and the green flames devoured the cold energy of Stravadi that was filling the inside of the gathering place.


    His fierce mana was like an explosion. Even without the battle of strength, it roughly crushed Stravadi''s mana.


    Moreover, Yong-ho''s attack was not yet over.


    Light came from the magic field on his left hand and Brigada. Two of the seven claws that made up the heart of the Demon God bit Yong-ho''s heart at the same time, and it brought out stronger power than now.


    Stravadi''s mana was just huge. On the other hand, Yong-ho''s mana was swirling violently. It was like a strong storm.


    The moment Yong-ho stepped forward instantly, the tide was turned. His fully uplifted feelings a moment ago were shattered completely.


    It wasn''t just the difference between the power of their mana.


    In terms of the absolute amount of mana, Yong-ho lagged behind Stravadi. With the advantage of the dungeon fight, Stravadi was in a much more favorable position.


    Nevertheless, he was overwhelmed by Yong-ho. Unlike the four knights who were scared of the wall that suddenly appeared before their eyes, Stravadi quickly understood why. Therefore, he experienced much more fluctuations in his emotions.


    The strength of Yong-ho''s mana was different from his.


    It also differed qualitatively, not quantitatively.


    Bang!


    There was an explosion. It was the sound of Yong-ho, Eligos, and Ophelia, rushing toward him with full force at the same time.


    Absorbed into thoughts, Stravadi could not react immediately. Besides, he even thought of something that he should have not at this moment.


    ''Can I win?''


    The gap in their fighting abilities widened further. Now it was irreversible.


    Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!


    Eligos and Ophelia struck the four knights hard. Eligos''s fists smashed not only the wall and floor but also the knight''s armor. Ophelia''s attack was much more elegant but fatal at the same time. One of the knights who were overwhelmed by Yong-ho''s mana was kicked in his chest. Since he couldn''t even stand it, he was pushed back and collided with the wall. The noise of his clash resonated through the gathering place.


    Stravadi leaped through space. Faced with a close call, he could avoid Yong-ho''s blow by exercising his power. But that was it. Stravadi moved only to escape, not avoid his attack.


    At the same time, Aamon pierced the air. Yong-ho turned. He was guided by the experiences he gained through numerous fights. He released black mana from his left arm and grabbed Stravadi, who just finished making a space jump. Then he threw Stravadi down on the floor even before the latter regained power to leap through space again.


    Stravadi moaned in pain from the shock transmitted from his back. No matter how powerful his mana was, he was bound by the body, after all.


    There was a brief pause. When Stravadi repressed his pain and opened his eyes, Yong-ho already finished taking the next step. Greatly expanded black mana blurred Stravadi''s vision and blocked his space jump.


    Bang!


    Aamon was riding on black mana, and its burning spear pierced Stravadi''s abdomen.


    An unbearable pain seized Stravadi. His strong Nagaraja body survived the shock, but his mental shock was still there. Stravadi acted instinctively. He exercised his power to escape the pain.


    He didn''t do it after some careful thinking. Because of this, he couldn''t do anything like adjusting his distance with his opponent or his location. He looked at something in the dimming darkness and threw himself into that place.


    Stravadi felt the sense of soaring in the air and falling down at the same time. Since the burning spear disappeared, he felt like a burden was lifted, though just a little bit. Yong-ho grabbed him by the neck.


    Once again, Stravadi was bumped against the floor. Moreover, this time, his head was hit first. He couldn''t open his eyes properly, and even if he did, the only thing he could see was the floor.


    Mana, magic, and power, with these three factors, Stravadi could escape the current situation. But he needed time to escape, but Yong-ho did not allow it.


    Yong-ho pierced Stravadi''s waist with his left hand. A shield of distortion spread out from the hole in the side that Aamon had already pierced.


    Stravadi couldn''t even scream. When Yong-ho''s hand bounced from the wound like a rocket, Stravadi''s belly was a mess. The wounds opened wider, and the pressed intestines were torn and crushed.


    There was no such thing as an elegant gladiator match. Even the close battle between the rival masters with equal mana didn''t take place.


    Yong-ho concentrated his magic on his right hand. Just as Stravadi suppressed Kaiwan''s mana, he instinctively blasted Stravadi''s mana, who was struggling to survive.


    The gathering place was shaken. It looked as if the whole dungeon was moaning.


    Yong-ho moved his hand again. Though the situation now was overwhelmingly favorable to him, he didn''t let his guard down.


    The dungeon was still injecting mana into Stravadi. His Nagaraja body quickly rebuilt itself even though the placenta of his intestines was crushed. That was why Yong-ho had to keep attacking.


    Yong-ho held Aamon short with his left hand. He then made a new hole by stabbing Stravadi''s back multiple times. Stravadi struggled once again but never escaped Yong-ho''s attacks. Yong-ho did the terrible thing repeatedly. After releasing Aamon in the air again, he put his left hand into the hole. Using the power of distortion, he destroyed Stravadi''s body.


    His skin with scales swelled greatly. His bones pressed down by the distortion of the shield were broken. His lung was also maimed, gushing blood. Since his heart, one of the gathering points of mana, was busted, the speed of his body''s restoration was also slow


    Yong-ho grabbed his right hand then put his left hand on his body that was devastated like a piece of rags after he crushed Stravadi''s snakelike neck. He grabbed Aamon with his right hand for the final blow.


    Stravadi wriggled. The souls of the dungeon squeezed out mana to inject it into Stravadi, but it was all in vain. Aamon, giving off extreme heat, pierced the back of Stravadi''s head and burned his head with the green flames.


    "Master!" One of the four knights shouted.


    Struggling against Eligos and Ophelia, they felt their mana drastically dwindled. Since their owner, Stravadi, was killed, their connection was also cut off.


    Yong-ho was also convinced of Stravadi''s death. Letting out a long sigh, he stopped using mana. Then he deactivated the heart of the Demon God, which was straining the spirit and body of the dungeon spirits, and took the next step.


    Stravadi died without showing his abilities properly. He didn''t properly use his mighty mana, nor did he show off his swordsmanship well known among the eastern masters. He also didn''t make the best use of his secret card of Nagaraja mana and the power of space leap.


    But Yong-ho was not interested in them. Since he fought and won, it was time for him to reap the results of his victory.


    Stravadi''s mana, which was equal to five horns.


    It could be called the combined mana of those masters who once existed in the eastern and northern regions.


    Eligos and Ophelia turned. As they were virtually born and raised in the southern area, they instinctively realized that what would happen from now on was not simply for the winning master to absorb the essence of the defeated master.


    The abandoned southern area.


    As the name implied, it was a land without an owner. It had always been divided since the times of Mammon, the great King of Greed.


    It was not abandoned anymore.


    The era of a new king would finally unfold after a thousand years of a long break.


    Yong-ho expressed intense greed. He ate all the essence that Stravadi had.


    ***


    "The king of the unclaimed territory."


    A crow chirped. Watching Stravadi''s dungeon, it contained information in its black eyes.


    Then it flew away, making a big chirping noise.


    The unclaimed land in the south was unified finally. Although he had not yet combined all the power available, he could unite the essence of mana.


    "The king of the unclaimed territory," Sitri said.


    She raised herself in the black silence. Instead of digging through old memories, she witnessed what happened now.


    What would all this change bring about, timed with the war in the north?


    Sitri shook her head. She got all her inferences out of her mind. She just followed her pure feelings now. She realized she was happy about the outcomes of the battle.


    "Mammon."


    The nostalgic name warmed her heart. She smiled brightly like a girl.


    When would Yong-ho come to see her?


    She didn''t hide her excitement. She gently pressed her chest and closed her eyes. She looked forward to seeing him.

 172 Dungeon Breakthrough 3

    Yong-ho''s transaction in the virtual space was over. His connection with it was also lost. Instead of opening his eyes right away, he thought of something that he put off as an afterthought.


    Samael used honorifics when speaking to Sitri. And Sitri sent back none other than Samael in a few seconds, one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market.


    ''Is Sitri also one of the five directors?''


    If so, Sitri''s usual joke about describing herself as a "big guy" at the Dungeon Market was true.


    Well, it was natural if he came to think about it.


    Sitri was Mammon''s lover, the King of Greed. This meant that she was one of the giant dungeon spirits that lived for over a thousand years. There was nothing wrong with her even if she was called one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market.


    So, Yong-ho didn''t bother much because his ties with her wouldn''t change anyway even if Sitri was one of the five directors or not.


    ''Five directors¡­ At least Samael doesn''t know Sitri''s relationship with Mammon. And Sitri wants to hide it¡­''


    Although there were some assumptions in his thinking like that, his conclusion was quite reasonable. He thought about one more thing.


    A master''s frequent meeting with Sitri. How would it affect his deal if it was known that a master meets Sitri often?


    ''Am I too worried?''


    Maybe it was meaningless. If something urgent really had happened, Sitri would have sent him back, not Samael.


    ''But.''


    It was clear that he was bothered by Sitri''s action. He even felt that he was attracting Sitri''s unnecessary attention.


    ''Whatever.''


    Yong-ho opened his eyes. He gently shook his head to put it out of his mind. The immediate task for him was to occupy the eastern area.


    "Are you back?"


    "Did you buy a lot of cheap stuff? What about my gift?"


    Catalina and Kaiwan asked as if they were waiting for him. Instead of replying, Yong-ho looked for Eligos and Ophelia to discuss some practical matters.


    Two days later, Yong-ho started to attack Stravadi''s dungeon.


    There were two ways to attack the dungeon.


    One of them was to just blindly dispatch a huge number of troops to neutralize the traps inside the dungeon and take over it.


    The other was to properly attack the dungeon by infiltrating the elite force.


    Most of the masters preferred the first option compared to the second if they could afford it, even if their damage was heavy.


    Attacking a dungeon was completely unpredictable to any attacker. On the other hand, a dungeon was the ultimate home ground for the defenders.


    For this reason, the attack on the dungeons in the demon world was often carried out in the following ways¡ªthey send a large-scale force of low quality to neutralize the defenders'' traps and collect information on the inside of the dungeon. After that, an elite force could pass through the incapacitated trap zone, destroy the defenders'' force, and occupy the dungeon.


    Generally speaking, when attackers devised tactics, the defenders also prepared their own tactics. But the attackers changed their tactics too often, so the defenders changed the dungeons accordingly.


    As for the traps, those with a wide range of effectiveness and specialization in slaughter were preferred to those with high power and accuracy. And the structure of the dungeon was changed in a way that was easier to deal with a large number of attackers rather than a small one, so they could trap them all at once.


    But there was one thing that didn''t change.


    What was the most annoying and difficult thing when attacking a dungeon?


    Yong-ho, who had not much experience in attacking dungeons, could easily answer that question. It was because anybody could easily answer it if they thought about the PC games they used to enjoy during their middle and high school days.


    The answer to this question was getting lost in the dungeon. In other words, the attackers keep wandering about in the same place because they couldn''t find the right way.


    Demon King Aurpasso, who was famous for making dungeons in the past, said, "The best and worst dungeon is the labyrinth."


    Stravadi, always reliant on rational thinking, turned his dungeon into a labyrinth.


    His dungeon was huge, above all. It was large enough to hold three to four dungeons, compared with a typical dungeon in the southern area. Moreover, the passages inside were complicated. They were not just a motley of crossroads. Stravadi could change its internal structure in real-time.


    Of course, due to more variability and more complicated passages, the durability of the dungeon wall could be problematic for the dungeon owner. But Stravadi solved this problem in a very simple way. He expanded the dungeon site. If the dungeon site was wide enough to create a complex passage with walls of sufficient thickness and strength, he would not have to worry about it.


    It was only Stravadi, the designer of the dungeon, who perfectly understood the dungeon structure. The dungeon spirits knew no more than the zone assigned to them.


    Stravadi, located in the Demon King''s room in the deepest part of the dungeon, believed in his dungeon, a labyrinth that he built with utmost efforts. So, as always, he devised a rational and simple strategy.


    The House of Mammon was now the only enemy to Stravadi. If he defeated its master, he would achieve everything. That was why he spared no time and effort to win in this battle.


    His strategy was to reduce the combat power of the House of Mammon and wear them out. He was ready to use all his available dungeon spirits and traps for that purpose.


    A true labyrinth didn''t allow for the attackers'' entry but also their exit. So, once the attackers were lured into entering the dungeon, half the battle was already over.


    Stravadi intended to lure the master of the House of Mammon and his dungeon spirits into his dungeon and kill them slowly.


    That was his plan, which he had to carry out, and by all means at that!


    "But how could they break through it?"


    Stravadi asked in a low voice. Instead of expressing anger, he gave it a serious thought.


    He tried to understand the unreasonable situation unfolding before his eyes right now.


    Stravadi''s dungeon spirits, who were called the four knights of the east, also could not hide their embarrassment. What was happening in the dungeon map that the souls of the dungeon opened in the air were completely beyond Stravadi''s expectations.


    The infiltration troops of the House of Mammon were advancing straight ahead inside the dungeon. Straight, without any hesitation or wandering, they were advancing through the shortest route straight.


    Even the structural change of the dungeon itself, Stravadi''s pride, was not functioning. When he changed the route by manipulating the forks and part of the passage, the infiltrating force of the Mammon family changed the route accordingly.


    The four knights did not fully understand the structure of the dungeon. However, they partly knew that there were limits to structural changes. Moreover, the Mammon family''s infiltrating forces found and destroyed the core structures that were subject to change.


    By doing so, they gradually reduced the room for Stravadi''s changing the dungeon itself.


    Stravadi''s dungeon was no longer a labyrinth. It was just a simple one-way dungeon.


    Moreover, that wasn''t the only problem.


    Yong-ho did not dispatch a large unit into the dungeon. He sent a relatively small number of only 40 members there. Besides, it wasn''t just ordinary dungeon spirits that attacked at the forefront. Each of them was the dungeon spirit of the Mammon family with tremendous power.


    Neither the traps nor Stravadi''s dungeon spirits could not stop them. The passage, which was inevitably narrow because it was a labyrinth, rather empowered the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Stravadi''s dungeon spirits had to confront the enemies they couldn''t deal with properly. They could not make use of anything like a numerical advantage in this fight.


    Of course, to prepare for this kind of situation, there was always supposed to be a "gathering place" in the dungeon, along with a "special force" specialized in destroying the enemy''s elite force.


    Stravadi''s special force was strong. Trained only for the purpose of fighting at the gathering place, they could defeat any outside attackers, who were twice as strong as they were.


    But there was one problem.


    The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were strong and too strong at that. It was no exaggeration to say that they were strong enough to be called the Masters'' Alliance, rather Strong Masters'' Alliance.


    Stravadi''s labyrinth was neutralized. The traps and dungeon spirits there were incapacitated. He could stick it out if only one of them was functioning because he had sized up the power of the House of Mammon early on. But when both of them proved useless before Yong-ho''s forces, he could do nothing to defend against them. Even this time, his combat calculations went wrong. Stravadi opened his eyes. Once again, he repressed his anger and stood up from the throne. The risk of his next strategy was high because he failed to wear down the Mammon forces, contrary to his expectations, but he had to carry it out. He had no other choice.


    "We''re going to destroy them one by one. Everybody, stand by in your position!"


    At his order, the four knights swallowed in extreme tension then hurriedly got out of the demon king''s room.


    Under his plan, he intended to capture each of the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family then kill those powerful enough to equal the head of the masters'' coalition to weaken the master of the House of Mammon while growing his own power.


    ''First of all, let me get rid of that gray-haired girl.''

 173 Dungeon Breakthrough 4

    The white-haired dark elf moved too fast. Moreover, she always stayed with the head of the Mammon family as if she was his escort knight.


    The red beast and wild animal always paired to attack the enemy. As they moved in sync with each other, it was difficult to catch only one of them.


    The wizard that dismantled the traps did not go forward. Like the dark elf girl, he also did not distance himself from the master of the Mammon family.


    The Skeleton Knight was also threatening. The essence of the undead with the energy of death could not be absorbed in the usual way. So, given the priorities, it was the last one.


    In terms of elimination of the enemy, what was left now was the gray-haired girl. Apart from it, there were many more reasons to single out the girl with gray hair.


    She always took the lead in the attack. Because of the way she attacked splendidly in many ways, she often distanced herself from other dungeon spirits. Besides, her mana was powerful. If one ate it, one could expect a significant increase in horsepower.


    Stravadi once again communicated with the souls of the dungeon.


    He looked straight ahead and activated his power.


    He jumped through space.


    ***


    "Combination magic! Gust of Ice!"


    The fierce wind caused by Tigrius struck low on the floor. It pushed away not only the energy of dark green poison that leaked out of the wall but also froze the whole thing.


    Eligos and Ophelia ran around side by side. Although the gathering place was quite spacious, it was a disaster for Stravadi''s dungeon spirits because it was indoors. They could not escape anywhere from the beasts running wild to attack them right before their eyes.


    Yong-ho stood in the rear of the gathering area and watched his dungeon spirits fight. He was refraining himself from trying to do anything other than finding the right passage with the power of greed. He needed to save his energy to confront Stravadi and Sargatanas, who were likely to exist in the deepest part of this dungeon.


    Catalina, too, did not get into the fight for the same reason. Skull was also on standby in the rear, just commanding his unit.


    Among the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family, only three were currently actively fighting: Eligos, Ophelia, and Kaiwan. And in fact, it was difficult to say that even they were doing their best.


    "Hey, make my day! Come on if you dare!"


    Shouting loudly, Kaiwan wielded her whip sword. The sword, which was only stretched long enough to reach the ceiling of the gathering place, tore everything caught in its blade. It was safe to say that the blade was like a whirlpool.


    While the terrible massacre was going on, Stravadi''s special force didn''t lose their fighting spirit. Since they went through repeated brainwashing, they were never afraid of death.


    A series of big explosions continued here and there in the gathering area. It was suicide bombing by Stravadi''s special force.


    Eligos and Ophelia, who were fighting the special force in close range, hurriedly moved their hands and feet to protect themselves from the explosion. Tigrius, once again, caused a strong wind to push out the flames and heat of the explosion.


    Kaiwan was also caught in the explosion. She wasn''t injured a bit because she quickly opened the barrier of distortion, but she couldn''t help it when her vision was instantly blocked at the explosion.


    Kaiwan momentarily hung her sword loose to catch her breath. She waited for the dust ahead to scatter at the wind caused by Tigrius.


    Right at that moment, she breathed out long, Catalina yelled at her suddenly like lightning.


    "Kaiwan!"


    It was because she sensed that something threatening was approaching Kaiwan.


    However, her warning rather backfired. The moment Kaiwan instinctively looked back at Catalina, her blind spot became even bigger. After all, she allowed the opponent to attack her.


    Stravadi jumped over space. At the moment Kaiwan and Catalina''s eyes crossed, he already landed behind Kaiwan''s back. As soon as he snatched her waist, he opened up his mana.


    It was a silent roar. It resonated throughout the whole gathering place. Stravadi''s harsh mana suppressed Kaiwan.


    "Stravadi!" Yong-ho yelled.


    Catalina hit the ground. Kaiwan looked at Stravadi''s arms around her waist.


    And Stravadi also looked at the point where he started. Then he activated the power of jump!


    The power of jump was not invincible. Although he could jump as long as 600 meters, he had a decisive weakness¡ªthe place within his vision. He could only make a space jump only toward that place.


    Catalina''s moonlight sword cut through the air. Stravadi, who appeared from the exit of the gathering point, activated his power in succession without delay. By changing the dungeon terrain through the soul of the dungeon, he secured his own vision while blocking the Mammon forces'' vision.


    He jumped through space exactly seven times.


    When his space leap was over, Stravadi was standing at the last gathering point on the third floor in the basement. Kaiwan, who was exposed to his space leap without any consideration, felt dizzy severely.


    And he made the eighth space leap. Stravadi appeared four meters away from the place where Kaiwan twisted and swung her whip sword. Stravadi saw Kaiwan who turned lightly and crashed on the floor according to the law of gravity. He immediately came up with the next move.


    The souls of the dungeon injected mana into the gathering place. Then, a powerful curse of magic was activated from the gathering place. The four knights, who had already arrived and waited in advance, also strengthened the power of the curse by activating their own magic techniques.


    It was the most basic, and therefore the most effective curse of weakening the opponent.


    Kaiwan shuddered. Although she thought she had to open up her mana to release the curse, her mind had a way of its own. It was because the poison of Nagaraja spread all over her body. Perhaps, she was poisoned when Stravadi held her back. Moreover, Stravadi didn''t put Kaiwan down anywhere. It was no exaggeration to say that the spot where she fell was a poison pool.


    Tall and skinny, Stravadi was a man like a snake. With an intelligent-looking face underneath a brownish blonde, he made a light smile for the first time since the dungeon battle began.


    All five horns protruding above his ears trembled slightly. His overwhelming mana that he increased dramatically by taking the essence of Sargatanas filled the inside of the gathering area.


    Kaiwan bit her lips. She managed to open her horns then immediately activated the power of distortion. As if a turtle was hiding in a house, she protected her entire body with a hemispherical shield of distortion. It seemed that she was determined to give up fighting and stick it out.


    Stravadi clicked his tongue and shook his head. He thought her action was truly useless.


    He felt that her action could buy her only a little time. And he could tear the weakened shield apart with his powerful mana.


    "Let me devour you, b*tch."


    Instead of cursing at him, Kaiwan kept concentrating. She was not sure how many times she would be able to withstand Stravadi''s attack, but she needed to buy some time by all means. Stravadi drew a small sword and struck the shield of distortion with all his power from the beginning.


    Exactly three times, Kaiwan vomited blood with a painful groan because the shield of distortion that she barely maintained was broken. Nagaraja''s poison injured her intestines.


    Stravadi acted rationally. He wasn''t going to waste his time harassing Kaiwan needlessly.


    He trampled all over her abdomen with his shoes on. After fixing her so that she could not move, he aimed at her chest with his sword.


    At that moment, the ceiling exploded.


    The flow of mana flowing in the gathering ground was cut off. The curse was destroyed.


    The four knights screamed in horror, looking at the broken ceiling.


    Stravadi also turned around. He couldn''t stand it anymore.


    He became irrational and shouted at the opponent in anger, "What the heck happened!? How could you chase me like this!? How!?"


    The gathering site was supposed to block the flow of his mana from leaking outside.


    And it was impossible for Yong-ho''s forces to chase him with the mana released from his dungeon spirits.


    Did he find out the passage? It was also impossible. It wasn''t through the proper path that they moved from the basement on the second floor to the 3rd floor. Obviously, they could do it by reversely using Stravadi''s own power to leap to a space in a strange place.


    But how could they chase him and in such a short time at that?!


    Yong-ho looked ahead before answering. The smoke of greed, tied in only one strand, engulfed Kaiwan in the gathering place densely. Kaiwan smiled in pain, and Yong-ho spoke a little brazenly, "Well, it''s because she is mine."


    "What did you say?" Stravadi asked back blankly.


    Instead of answering, Yong-ho stretched out his right hand into the air.


    Then he grabbed Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus.


    He instinctively moved on to the next step. The moment the spear of flames appeared in the air, Stravadi left the place by exercising his power. It was the right decision. The sword of a dark elf girl, not the master of the Mammon family, flew like a beam of light and pierced the air.


    Stravadi, who jumped to the end of the room at once, summoned the four knights through ritual, not words. Armed with full plate armor, the four knights quickly gathered next to Stravadi and prepared for defense against her attack.


    The dark elf girl held the gray-haired girl in her arms and left the place. And their void was instantly filled by the master of the Mammon family and his two dungeon spirits, namely the red beast and the wild animal.


    It happened in a few seconds. Stravadi tried to recover his reason. He suppressed his emotions and thought about this attack.


    There was only one answer.


    "Stop the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon."


    He spoke low. In fact, he made the decision from the moment he decided to have it out with the House of Mammon at the dungeon battle. Although the battle unfolded very differently from what he had intended in the first place, he didn''t care because what mattered to him was the results he had in mind.


    The dungeon was Stravadi''s own territory. The souls of the dungeon informed him about the situation around it. Not all of the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family came here for the fight.


    The wizard and the skeleton knights had yet to arrive at this room. Only the red beast and the wild animal stood by the master of the House of Mammon. The dark elf girl, presumed to be his escort knight, was moving toward the wizard and the skeleton knights with the severely injured gray-haired girl.


    The situation wasn''t bad for Stravadi. The souls of the dungeon issued an alarm urgently. All the remaining spirits in the dungeon were about to gather here.

 174 Dungeon Breakthrough 5

    Besides, the red beast and wild animal were most heavily used among the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Although Stravadi failed to wear them down completely as he planned, it was beneficial to him to confirm that they were in their best shape now. With the help of the four knights, who became stronger like him, he would be able to hold the red beast and wild animal in check, even if he could not defeat them.


    ''It is not reasonable to defeat them in a pincer movement.''


    It wasn''t good for him to attack them with four knights through a pincer movement. It was more efficient for him to block the red beast and the wild animal and have a one-on-one duel with the master of the Mammon family.


    Stravadi thought quickly. At his order, the four knights stared at the red beast and wild animal as if they were fully determined.


    Yong-ho, the master of the Mammon family, faced Stravadi and four knights.


    Instead of wielding Aamon, he said, "You ate Sargatanas, right?"


    Although Yong-ho got suspicious when he first heard it from the Nagaraja master who surrendered, he was convinced that Stravadi really killed him and took his essence.


    Stravadi twisted his lips and said, "Yes, that''s correct. Let me show you the results of it now."


    He already opened five horns. However, this was not his best weapon.


    Stravadi took a step toward Yong-ho. He awakened Nagaraja''s blood in his body. The snake''s heart began to pound and transform Stravadi into a more combative shape. Blue serpent scales sprang on the back of his face and arms.


    Stravadi took another step. This time, the souls of the dungeon reacted to it. They instilled dungeon mana into Stravadi. But this alone couldn''t increase his mana, but it was possible to recover his mana. It was like providing Stravadi with a mana recovery tank of tremendous capacity.


    Stravadi felt greatly uplifted. With the serpent''s heart, he didn''t have any guilt for Sargatanas'' death in the first place. All he felt was something like a sense of loss and a little anger from the fact that he killed Sargatanas, whom he loved. But now he didn''t feel even such feelings.


    Why was he so obsessed with the fighting calculations? What the heck was he afraid of?


    Wasn''t he perhaps the strongest master in the abandoned southern area, with such mighty power?


    Stravadi''s mana filled the gathering place again. It was mana filled with chill.


    Stravadi laughed confidently. The four knights also admired his great power.


    But at that moment, Yong-ho opened up his mana fully.


    ***


    With Yong-ho''s five horns soaring, his mana arose like flames, and the green flames devoured the cold energy of Stravadi that was filling the inside of the gathering place.


    His fierce mana was like an explosion. Even without the battle of strength, it roughly crushed Stravadi''s mana.


    Moreover, Yong-ho''s attack was not yet over.


    Light came from the magic field on his left hand and Brigada. Two of the seven claws that made up the heart of the Demon God bit Yong-ho''s heart at the same time, and it brought out stronger power than now.


    Stravadi''s mana was just huge. On the other hand, Yong-ho''s mana was swirling violently. It was like a strong storm.


    The moment Yong-ho stepped forward instantly, the tide was turned. His fully uplifted feelings a moment ago were shattered completely.


    It wasn''t just the difference between the power of their mana.


    In terms of the absolute amount of mana, Yong-ho lagged behind Stravadi. With the advantage of the dungeon fight, Stravadi was in a much more favorable position.


    Nevertheless, he was overwhelmed by Yong-ho. Unlike the four knights who were scared of the wall that suddenly appeared before their eyes, Stravadi quickly understood why. Therefore, he experienced much more fluctuations in his emotions.


    The strength of Yong-ho''s mana was different from his.


    It also differed qualitatively, not quantitatively.


    Bang!


    There was an explosion. It was the sound of Yong-ho, Eligos, and Ophelia, rushing toward him with full force at the same time.


    Absorbed into thoughts, Stravadi could not react immediately. Besides, he even thought of something that he should have not at this moment.


    ''Can I win?''


    The gap in their fighting abilities widened further. Now it was irreversible.


    Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!


    Eligos and Ophelia struck the four knights hard. Eligos''s fists smashed not only the wall and floor but also the knight''s armor. Ophelia''s attack was much more elegant but fatal at the same time. One of the knights who were overwhelmed by Yong-ho''s mana was kicked in his chest. Since he couldn''t even stand it, he was pushed back and collided with the wall. The noise of his clash resonated through the gathering place.


    Stravadi leaped through space. Faced with a close call, he could avoid Yong-ho''s blow by exercising his power. But that was it. Stravadi moved only to escape, not avoid his attack.


    At the same time, Aamon pierced the air. Yong-ho turned. He was guided by the experiences he gained through numerous fights. He released black mana from his left arm and grabbed Stravadi, who just finished making a space jump. Then he threw Stravadi down on the floor even before the latter regained power to leap through space again.


    Stravadi moaned in pain from the shock transmitted from his back. No matter how powerful his mana was, he was bound by the body, after all.


    There was a brief pause. When Stravadi repressed his pain and opened his eyes, Yong-ho already finished taking the next step. Greatly expanded black mana blurred Stravadi''s vision and blocked his space jump.


    Bang!


    Aamon was riding on black mana, and its burning spear pierced Stravadi''s abdomen.


    An unbearable pain seized Stravadi. His strong Nagaraja body survived the shock, but his mental shock was still there. Stravadi acted instinctively. He exercised his power to escape the pain.


    He didn''t do it after some careful thinking. Because of this, he couldn''t do anything like adjusting his distance with his opponent or his location. He looked at something in the dimming darkness and threw himself into that place.


    Stravadi felt the sense of soaring in the air and falling down at the same time. Since the burning spear disappeared, he felt like a burden was lifted, though just a little bit. Yong-ho grabbed him by the neck.


    Once again, Stravadi was bumped against the floor. Moreover, this time, his head was hit first. He couldn''t open his eyes properly, and even if he did, the only thing he could see was the floor.


    Mana, magic, and power, with these three factors, Stravadi could escape the current situation. But he needed time to escape, but Yong-ho did not allow it.


    Yong-ho pierced Stravadi''s waist with his left hand. A shield of distortion spread out from the hole in the side that Aamon had already pierced.


    Stravadi couldn''t even scream. When Yong-ho''s hand bounced from the wound like a rocket, Stravadi''s belly was a mess. The wounds opened wider, and the pressed intestines were torn and crushed.


    There was no such thing as an elegant gladiator match. Even the close battle between the rival masters with equal mana didn''t take place.


    Yong-ho concentrated his magic on his right hand. Just as Stravadi suppressed Kaiwan''s mana, he instinctively blasted Stravadi''s mana, who was struggling to survive.


    The gathering place was shaken. It looked as if the whole dungeon was moaning.


    Yong-ho moved his hand again. Though the situation now was overwhelmingly favorable to him, he didn''t let his guard down.


    The dungeon was still injecting mana into Stravadi. His Nagaraja body quickly rebuilt itself even though the placenta of his intestines was crushed. That was why Yong-ho had to keep attacking.


    Yong-ho held Aamon short with his left hand. He then made a new hole by stabbing Stravadi''s back multiple times. Stravadi struggled once again but never escaped Yong-ho''s attacks. Yong-ho did the terrible thing repeatedly. After releasing Aamon in the air again, he put his left hand into the hole. Using the power of distortion, he destroyed Stravadi''s body.


    His skin with scales swelled greatly. His bones pressed down by the distortion of the shield were broken. His lung was also maimed, gushing blood. Since his heart, one of the gathering points of mana, was busted, the speed of his body''s restoration was also slow


    Yong-ho grabbed his right hand then put his left hand on his body that was devastated like a piece of rags after he crushed Stravadi''s snakelike neck. He grabbed Aamon with his right hand for the final blow.


    Stravadi wriggled. The souls of the dungeon squeezed out mana to inject it into Stravadi, but it was all in vain. Aamon, giving off extreme heat, pierced the back of Stravadi''s head and burned his head with the green flames.


    "Master!" One of the four knights shouted.


    Struggling against Eligos and Ophelia, they felt their mana drastically dwindled. Since their owner, Stravadi, was killed, their connection was also cut off.


    Yong-ho was also convinced of Stravadi''s death. Letting out a long sigh, he stopped using mana. Then he deactivated the heart of the Demon God, which was straining the spirit and body of the dungeon spirits, and took the next step.


    Stravadi died without showing his abilities properly. He didn''t properly use his mighty mana, nor did he show off his swordsmanship well known among the eastern masters. He also didn''t make the best use of his secret card of Nagaraja mana and the power of space leap.


    But Yong-ho was not interested in them. Since he fought and won, it was time for him to reap the results of his victory.


    Stravadi''s mana, which was equal to five horns.


    It could be called the combined mana of those masters who once existed in the eastern and northern regions.


    Eligos and Ophelia turned. As they were virtually born and raised in the southern area, they instinctively realized that what would happen from now on was not simply for the winning master to absorb the essence of the defeated master.


    The abandoned southern area.


    As the name implied, it was a land without an owner. It had always been divided since the times of Mammon, the great King of Greed.


    It was not abandoned anymore.


    The era of a new king would finally unfold after a thousand years of a long break.


    Yong-ho expressed intense greed. He ate all the essence that Stravadi had.


    ***


    "The king of the unclaimed territory."


    A crow chirped. Watching Stravadi''s dungeon, it contained information in its black eyes.


    Then it flew away, making a big chirping noise.


    The unclaimed land in the south was unified finally. Although he had not yet combined all the power available, he could unite the essence of mana.


    "The king of the unclaimed territory," Sitri said.


    She raised herself in the black silence. Instead of digging through old memories, she witnessed what happened now.


    What would all this change bring about, timed with the war in the north?


    Sitri shook her head. She got all her inferences out of her mind. She just followed her pure feelings now. She realized she was happy about the outcomes of the battle.


    "Mammon."


    The nostalgic name warmed her heart. She smiled brightly like a girl.


    When would Yong-ho come to see her?


    She didn''t hide her excitement. She gently pressed her chest and closed her eyes. She looked forward to seeing him.

 175 King of the Unclaimed Land 1

    The fight in the northern area was unfolding differently from what the King of Fury expected.


    The King of Fury initially thought that the fight in the north would soon escalate into a great war.


    But it was not. The King of Pride attacked slowly and steadily as if the only kings in the world were himself and the King of Envy. He felt like he was engaged in a one-on-one duel with the King of Envy without the third party.


    The King of Lust, whose territory faced the borders with the territory of the King of Envy, did not move in the harem at all while the two kings were fighting each other. He did not help the King of Envy to repel the King of Pride, nor did he ambush the King of Envy who was in a head-to-head battle with the King of Pride.


    The King of Fury, who led his troops and camped on the northern borders, felt frustrated. As a king with pacifist leanings, she obviously did not want a world war. But it didn''t mean that she was satisfied with the current situation.


    Although the King of Fury was often called a simplistic and ignorant warmonger, she was by no means a fool or a madman. She was just a little more naive and simple than the other kings.


    The King of Fury soon understood that the northern area was like an active volcano that didn''t erupt yet, for she realized why the King of Gluttony was watching the fight as an onlooker, aside from the King of Lust. When she found out the reason, she thought it was really unpleasant.


    "Well, I''m going to intervene only after they have been exhausted."


    The King of Fury always thought of the best scenario. And the ''best'' one she thought of was that the war in the north itself fizzled out at the beginning. That would be the least damaging to all.


    But other kings differed on this. That was why they regarded the King of Fury as a foolish king rather than a pacifist.


    According to their logic, what was important was not to reduce the damage. It didn''t matter whether it was the King of Pride or the King of Envy. What they wanted was to stop any king from dominantly accumulating any one of the three, namely essence, Godly Energy, and sin.


    The ''damage'' unrelated to this was rather an advantage to them. In other words, the damage, in this case, was that of the King of Pride and the King of Envy, not the King of Gluttony himself.


    Because of this, they didn''t care even if the King of Pride overpowered the King of Envy. They would welcome it with open arms if the King of Envy was unilaterally damaged and his force collapsed.


    So, the King of Fury thought that now was not the time to intervene. There was nothing she would gain by intervening to stop the fight. It was only when their fight was almost at an end that she would decide to intervene.


    ''Or if he enlists the help of the King of Envy.''


    And if he succeeded, there would break out a great war at that moment. It would be a war between the king, who took two Godly Energies and sin, and the other kings.


    The King of Gluttony was confident that he knew quite well about the King of Fury.


    As someone who liked to go to any battlefield, she was so straightforward and simple-minded.


    Although there were rumors that she was a warmonger, knowledgeable people knew that she had a tough time working for her people, not for her own interests.


    ''What bothers me is the King of Lust and the King of Violence.''


    These two kings would be her prime competitors when the fight between the King of Pride and the King of Envy came to a head.


    ''It''s going to be incredibly bloody.''


    The King of Gluttony smiled in satisfaction. It was not because of the looming war.


    It was because of a letter politely delivered by the half-naked Afsaras, one of the beauties of the King of Gluttony.


    The southern unclaimed land was unified. However, other kings couldn''t pay attention to the southern land since they cared about the northern territory alone. They couldn''t afford to care about the southern land that had been devastated because of Embrio''s war. Above all, it had been abandoned for a long time since the time of Mammon.


    There were no competitors there, so they didn''t need to fight each other.


    ''The only thing I have to do is to check it out once last time.''


    And if he got the result he wanted, they would see what would happen when the competition started.


    They would witness the appearance of a great king who has acquired more than two sins for the first time since Mammon, the King of Greed.


    The King of Gluttony felt a strong appetite. He beckoned to Afsaras. She hastily rang the bell and prepared dinner for the hungry king.


    ***


    "Hey, that''s mine."


    Seated on a long sofa, Kaiwan shouted, behaving like a snub. As if she felt her message didn''t get understood by the other party, she spoke again, changing the way she sat, and in the end, she burst into laughter.


    "It''s mine, you know. Oh my gosh! Yes, that''s right. I''m Yong-ho''s, Yong-ho''s, Yong-ho''s!"


    It''s been one day since they smashed Stravadi. Kaiwan was excited all day long after she was detoxified from Nagaraja''s poison thanks to the special remedy that Scathach had given her before she left for the fight.


    "I wish everyone here had seen Yong-ho''s face at that time. He was a man of perfect flames, you know. Anyway, I''m Yong-ho''s."


    Catalina, who was sitting next to her forcibly, pursed up her lips at her repetition of the same words. She let her ears droop several times and tried to balk, though timidly.


    "Well, I''m also Yong-ho''s. Don''t you know it?"


    At that moment, everybody was silent. Although Catalina tried to assert herself as brazenly as possible, she puckered her lips again when Kaiwan stopped smiling and stared at her. Blushing, Catalina let her ears and shoulders droop at the same time.


    Kaiwan glanced at her quietly then stretched out her hand. She not only pinched Catalina''s cheeks but also hugged her suddenly.


    "Oh my gosh! So what, my sister? What do I do about it now? You''re so cute."


    As always, Catalina was at a loss about her unexpected reaction, but Kaiwan didn''t care and laughed a lot, pulling even her tail.


    "Yes, you and I are Yong-ho''s. Everything here is all his, right?"


    Kaiwan asked Catalina, who was struggling to get out of her arms. Watching them quietly, Salami shook its head, while lying face down. Obviously, Salami thought about something weird. Ophelia shook her head, but with a different nuance from Salami''s. She really could not believe that this cheerful woman before her eyes was the former female ruler, Kaiwan, that her father Endelyon used to mention, the noble and beautiful woman who was like a thorny rose.


    Smiling apologetically at Catalina who signaled to her for help, Ophelia took her gaze from her and looked at her master who was absorbed into something.


    [Do you know you''re turning up your mouth now?]


    [No way¡­ I wonder if you really think you were cool like the dungeon spirit Kaiwan said when you...]


    Lucia, who took control of Stravadi''s dungeon, spoke in a fully assumed voice. Again, Yong-ho ignored her message lightly and displaced Stravadi''s dungeon information in the air by teasing his finger.


    [It''s a really big and complex dungeon.]


    [It has a long history, but it seems that it has been greatly expanded and renovated recently.]


    Yong-ho nodded. As Lucia said, it was a complex dungeon that made him feel dizzy just by looking at it. Without the power of greed, he would have wandered for several days on the first floor, let alone the third floor in the basement.


    [In my personal opinion, it''s a little regrettable to destroy it.]


    [There are many good facilities inside.]


    Just like the property of a family that built up wealth for a long time, Stravadi''s dungeon was well built. Besides, there were several facilities such as the ''Advanced Training Center for the Masters'', the ''Intermediate Magic Lab'', and the ''Reagent Manufacturing Center'' that the House of Mammon didn''t have.


    The dungeon whose heart was destroyed was supposed to perish.


    The moment Yong-ho took its essence to make Lucia grow, this huge dungeon would be thrown into the fate of inevitable death.


    Because of this, Yong-ho also thought it was regrettable to take it. He really wanted to make this dungeon the forward base of the eastern branch of the House of Mammon because it was too good to be compared with the small dungeons that he had used as forward bases.


    But he had no other choice. Actually, one of the main reasons for his expedition to the eastern area was because he wanted to make Lucia grow. At the same time, he couldn''t give up the essence of this dungeon, which was much more valuable than a mix of a few small and medium-sized dungeons.


    ''I can make Lucia grow anyway.''


    When Lucia grew, he could obtain various facilities in the Labyrinth of Greed. Given that the facilities that he could newly install would also increase, it would soon become a big dungeon like this one.


    ''Okay, let me focus on laying the firm foundation for the future dungeon now.''


    The reason he bothered to occupy Stravadi''s dungeon was not just for viewing or reference.


    His main purpose was to collect all kinds of treasures hidden in his dungeon.

 176 King of the Unclaimed Land 2

    Gold and silver coins that could be called cash were not found much, compared to other goods. However, it was only a relative evaluation. Actually, they were several times as much as the amount of cash that the House of Mammon possessed now.


    It was Stravadi''s personal safe that caught the attention of Yong-ho the most among the treasures in the dungeon. If Yong-ho and Lucia had not taken control of the dungeon, they would have never known its existence itself.


    Although Yong-ho couldn''t be sure what was inside it because he hadn''t yet visited the dungeon, just a mere glance at the list of Stravadi''s possessions astonished him.


    ''Are these pictures?''


    Yong-ho, who did not know more than five artists in the human world, could not determine the value of the booty. Besides, paintings were one of the items that were quite difficult to convert into cash. Therefore, he turned his attention to those things that he intuitively found it easy to understand.


    A fire dragon''s teeth.


    Jin''s necklace.


    Black Mamba''s armor set.


    Chantier collection no. 116, 91, 240.


    Mandarake.


    Yong-ho was silent for a moment. And he humbly admitted that he couldn''t understand their value at all. Like his father advised him, he decided to leave it to Ophelia, an expert in the field.


    When he put aside the secret safe, there appeared extravagant places such as wine cellars and enormous bathrooms. He once again expressed regret about his decision to dispose of the dungeon when he looked at its huge bathroom, but he stopped at the next place.


    He said before he knew it, "The door of space?"


    [It was not used for a long time. It looks like it was built more than a hundred years ago.]


    Listening to Lucia''s additional explanation distractedly, Yong-ho was seated on the throne.


    The reason why he momentarily stopped at the door of space was because he recalled something suddenly.


    ''Come to think of it...''


    "Kaiwan?"


    "Uh?"


    After pondering over something, he called her immediately. He looked at the sofa, which he had ignored, then flinched for some other reason. It was because he saw Kaiwan pulling Catalina''s tail with some kind of menacing look while holding her with a long face.


    Luckily, Salami''s sullen face in the back helped him wake up to the reality. He slightly turned away from Catalina''s desperate glance, which he thought was cute, then asked Kaiwan, "Why did you stop making the door of space in the middle?"


    "Uh? Oh, that stuff¡­"


    Currently, the door of space in the House of Mammon was not newly built by Yong-ho from start to finish. He finished it after picking up where Kaiwan had already built half of it.


    Why did Kaiwan make the door of space?


    She didn''t answer right away and then puckered her lips. She then leaned against the sofa.


    "Uh?"


    "Because I knew about your family. What I mean is the descendants of another Mammon family who exist in the human world."


    She hid her loneliness with a smile. Then she continued in a lively tone, "I saw it in the record. I also heard some from the previous masters I met at the arena."


    She needed help. She needed somebody she could rely on, somebody different from those trapped in the arena. She needed an "elderly" who could help her directly. Someone who will lead her, not just her deputy.


    "Well, who knows, your relatives in the human world may live well? I was thinking of getting some help from them," she said jokingly.


    Because of her mention of his family in the human world, Yong-ho could also recall some funny episodes.


    ''I guess you would have stuffed yourself with chicken there.''


    His grandfather ran a chicken restaurant. Yong-ho heard that it was the best one in his neighborhood. Fortunately, Yong-ho only thought to himself about it.


    As Yong-ho laughed, Kaiwan, who laughed along with him, touched Catalina''s tail again.


    "The reason why I suspended the construction of the door of space in the middle was simple. It took too much more resources and mana than I thought. So, I stopped the construction, thinking of resuming it sometime in the future."


    ''Good job,'' he again thought to himself.


    It took tremendous resources to construct the door of space. If the only reward she got after constructing the door so hard had been just chicken, Kaiwan would have fallen down with a fit of anger.


    Kaiwan laughed again and looked at him gently.


    "I suddenly have a bit of regret now. If I had completed the door then, I might have met you earlier¡­"


    Kaiwan didn''t finish her words because she felt somewhat out of place at the moment.


    It was as many as thirty years ago that Kaiwan served as the master of the House of Mammon. Since she had been held up in the arena during the whole period, she might feel it looked like only yesterday, but it was just a long time ago to others.


    Suddenly, Kaiwan realized there was a big age difference between them. Going by age in the human world, it would not be strange for people to call her his grandma.


    Catalina, who quickly found out why Kaiwan was now on the defensive, realized that she had a chance to strike back. She got out of Kaiwan''s arms then said a bit brazenly but timidly just like her, "Hmmm. I''m only in my late 20s and early 30s."


    Nobody knew exactly how old she was, but she was around that age. If so, she was almost the same age as Yong-ho.


    "Master?"


    The 21-year-old Yong-ho turned his eyes away from the two with an effort. Suddenly, she thought of Sitri.


    Right at that moment, Lucia changed the topic as if to save Catalina, who was tilting her head blankly, and Kaiwan, who was in confusion.


    [Master!]


    [Someone from the Dungeon Market is here.]


    [Currently, butler Eligos is going out to meet him.]


    "From the Dungeon Market?"


    Tilting his head to the side, he looked at Ophelia.


    She shook her head right away when he glanced at her quizzically as if to ask her if she bought anything.


    It wasn''t Yong-ho himself who bought stuff there. Since he accessed the dungeon of the Nagaraja master last time, he had never entered the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.


    [Eligos directly met an employee of the Dungeon Market.]


    [He doesn''t look like a courier. It''s a Mare in a black suit.]


    [He sent a letter to Eligos.]


    Speaking to him in succession, Lucia created a new screen in the air. It was a video that greatly enlarged the outer envelope of the letter Eligos received.


    Yong-ho didn''t recognize the luxurious outer envelope and the seal stamped in the middle. However, he recognized the pretty, thin letters on the bottom of the outer envelope.


    "Samael."


    She was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, who had the fastest wings.


    It was her letter.


    ***


    Since Stravadi''s dungeon structure was so complex, it took more time than expected for Eligos to return.


    Since he wanted to hand the letter to Yong-ho as soon as possible, Eligos even turned beastly and ran fanatically.


    "Thanks, Eligos. You don''t have to overwork yourself like this next time."


    Eligos deactivated his beastly mechanism and greeted him, a bit embarrassed, because he felt he made a big fuss over it.


    He had no intention of embarrassing him at all, so he didn''t say or ask him anything for fear that things might get complicated. So, he expressed gratitude to him again sincerely then headed to the sofa instead of the throne because there were a lot who wanted to know what was written in the letter.


    Kaiwan and Catalina naturally arranged a seat for him in the middle. Ophelia was already seated behind the sofa. Only Tigrius, who just returned after being summoned, was in his seat politely. Skull was also seated in the same spot but felt comfortable because it was the floor he was sitting on.


    When Yong-ho sat between the two women, Ophelia politely held out a knife. It was only for the purpose of opening envelopes.


    "Whew!"


    As he was about to open the letter, Yong-ho got a bit nervous because he felt a bit of mana inside, although the outer layer of the letter was nothing special.


    In case of an emergency, Yong-ho wrapped the envelope of the letter with mana. He could do it because of his excellent ability to control mana.


    Watching him doing so from behind, Ophelia smiled happily. There were two reasons why she did not examine the letter first this time like she did when he received a letter from Tigrius, requesting a duel.


    One of the reasons was that it was unlikely that the Dungeon Market would harm Yong-ho, and the other was her trust in him. Her owner and master of the House of Mammon was no more a green boy. He was a mighty monarch who unified the whole unclaimed area in the south. Finally, Yong-ho opened the envelope and took out the letter. It was a small black paper in the form of a card that he didn''t even need to open.


    "Special auction by the Dungeon Market¡­ Is this an invitation?!"


    While reading the golden letters on the top of the card carelessly, Kaiwan was astonished.


    Startled, she raised her upper body leaning on Yong-ho.


    "Samael, the lady with the fastest wings¡­ Oh my gosh! Do you really mean Samael, one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market?!"


    Surprise as much, Ophelia also made a big fuss over the invitation letter from Samael.


    Even the gentle Tigrius opened his eyes wide with his jaws dropping.


    "Five directors?!" Eligos responded belatedly.


    Catalina, who was embarrassed by the situation where everyone was astonished, pretended to be startled, too, because she didn''t really know what the five directors meant.


    Fortunately, nobody noticed Catalina''s awkward action because everybody fixed their eyes on the invitation in his hand.


    "Inject mana in it. I think it''s a video card."

 177 King of the Unclaimed Land 3

    Kaiwan egged on Yong-ho to do it quickly. Ophelia also nodded fiercely behind her back.


    Although nobody asked him, Tigrius explained it to calm himself down.


    "The five directors of the Dungeon Market are not just dungeon merchants. Each of them is the master of their house with their own dungeon. And apart from their Godly Energy and sin, their power is considered to be equal to the six kings."


    The difference in power caused by their possession of sin or not was very large. However, they were owners of the Dungeon Market whose five directors were said to dominate the entire commerce of the demon world. Considering their additional resources, they were strong enough to compete with the six kings in terms of their ''forces.''


    Now, one of these five directors sent an invitation directly to Yong-ho.


    Thanks to Tigrius''s explanation, Catalina now understood what was going on, and she got as excited as Kaiwan and Ophelia. Even Salami looked at the invitation in Yong-ho''s hand with twinkling eyes.


    With everyone so tense, Yong-ho injected mana into the invitation.


    [One of the five directors of the Dungeon Market and the general manager of the auction house, Samael, who has the fastest wings, is happy to greet the master of the great House of Mammon.]


    The light emitting from the end of the invitation formed Samael''s images. It was about the size of two palms put together, which seemed to be just a recorded video of her message.


    "It''s not an invitation to everybody. It''s an invitation specially sent to you, Yong-ho!" Kaiwan said in excitement.


    In fact, she could not help but get thrilled. Samael, one of the five directors, directly called him the master of the great House of Mammon.


    Eligos was moved to tears after a long time. Catalina also flapped her ears with overwhelming emotion. She had tears welled in her eyes.


    Ophelia understood Eligos and Catalina at this moment.


    At last, the House of Mammon was recognized.


    The House of Mammon had become the subject of great scorn after falling over a long period of time. As a result, nobody from the House of Mammon had been invited to the banquet of the demon kings in the southern area.


    Joining them belatedly, Ophelia''s chest filled out. Eligos and Catalina, who had experienced hard times by themselves, had a lump in their throats, deeply moved by the invitation.


    Kaiwan broke down in tears, though a little bit. Although she couldn''t make it when she was the master of the House of Mammon, she was so happy about Yong-ho''s great achievement. Besides, it was her master and lover, Yong-ho, who was formally recognized.


    Samael in the video continued, [There is a special auction scheduled to be held in seven days. I hope that the master of the House of Mammon can attend the auction by all means. ]


    After directly telling him the message, Samael gracefully showed her manners.


    Then she said goodbye with an angelic smile.


    [I look forward to seeing you again.]


    The video was over.


    Kaiwan asked right away, "Did she say she was looking forward to seeing you again? Have you met her before? Also five directors?"


    "Yeah, a few days ago."


    After answering her question quickly, he examined the envelope a little more closely.


    Indeed, there was a scroll of the same size as the invitation.


    At that moment, Kaiwan hugged his arm and brought her face closer to him. She didn''t do it to express her affection but wanted him to tell more about his meeting with Samael instead of being distracted by something else.


    Since Catalina and other dungeon spirits agreed with her, Yong-ho put down the invitation.


    Then he puckered his lip for a moment as if to choose his words then said, "Well, I met her in a virtual space by chance. She and I were waiting for Sitri at that time."


    "Sitri? That lady of the Dungeon Market?"


    Again this time, Kaiwan expressed a big interest.


    Catalina and Eligos, surprised, blinked their eyes.


    Yong-ho nodded and said, "Yes, you''re right. Sitri."


    She was the dungeon merchant who helped all the previous masters of the House of Mammon before they formally inaugurated. But she usually paid little attention to any other master than Kaiwan.


    "Maybe Sitri is also one of the five directors."


    "Are you sure? Sitri is also a director?"


    Eligos''s voice trembled. With her eyes open wide, Catalina also couldn''t say anything.


    Yong-ho hesitated for a moment because Eligos and Catalina looked so groggy at the moment.


    However, he decided to continue because he already opened his mouth.


    This time, he revealed something more surprising.


    "And Sitri is one of the women affiliated with the House of Mammon. How should I call her properly? Should I say she is my grandma?"


    Eligos was completely frozen. But Catalina sprang to her feet and shouted, "That woman with red hair! The woman who always tormented Elune... Anyway, she was a witch who was one of Mammon''s lovers!"


    Sitri also had red hair. Ophelia explained on behalf of Eligos, who lost his mind at the moment.


    "I told you about it once before¡­ Mammon had so many women. However, there were two special women among them. One was Elune, who was Mammon''s escort knight, and the other was a red-haired witch whose name was unknown."


    Yong-ho recalled his ancestor Kumiho or the nine-tailed fox, but he didn''t mention the name.


    Kaiwan leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered, "That''s why¡­"


    Perhaps, Kaiwan was thinking of her memories about Sitri. Given that Sitri called Kaiwan ''a nasty but cute girl,'' they must have a pretty good relationship.


    "Anyway, it''s the auction house, right?"


    "I heard that the Dungeon Market Auction House was not just a place for auctions. Just like the regular banquets of the demon kings held in the southern area, it is a meeting place where the demon kings, who would never see each other normally, meet and rub shoulders."


    Regaining his composure, Tigrius explained in a quiet voice.


    Ophelia also added, "It''s a place for them to relax. They can avoid conflict through direct conversation."


    "Yes, that''s right. But they were held once every few years."


    Yong-ho understood why Catalina and Eligos broke into tears.


    The former master of the House of Mammon, who committed suicide because he could not bear the shame, had been totally ignored not only by other masters but also by the Dungeon Market.


    So, it was natural that all of them were deeply moved when one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, the highest executive body, recognized the House of Mammon.


    However, it was natural that they were choked up with emotions because one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market recognized the House of Mammon. Perhaps, their sorrow buried deep in their hearts must have exploded.


    "Does it mean that the Dungeon Market is not a typical marketplace?"


    Based on the details about the Dungeon Market so far, the Dungeon Market was not obsessed with simply selling things.


    Just like a government that cared about the welfare of its people, the Dungeon Market had worked in various ways for the peace and well-being of the demon world.


    For example, they provided food at low prices or took measures of easing tensions, as Tigrius mentioned.


    "If you want to sell something, you have to have someone to buy it. Maintaining a huge society called the demon world is also beneficial to the Dungeon Market because they can sell more in that environment," said Ophelia.


    Her answer had a point. Without demand, there was neither supply nor profit generation.


    "After all, it''s money, isn''t it? Don''t we have enough money?"


    Yong-ho spoke carelessly, but Ophelia responded quickly, contrary to his expectation.


    "Well, you are not supposed to say it since you are the King of Greed."


    She didn''t say it just because of her merchant spirit. Yong-ho was none other than the King of Greed.


    "Money, woman, power¡­ These are something anybody who has desire wants to pursue. No matter how much they have, they are never satisfied."


    And that desire was the source of Yong-ho''s power. How could the King of Greed say he had got enough money already?


    Yong-ho, who nodded on impulse, felt that Catalina and Kaiwan were pulling each of his arms firmly.


    Catalina was about to cry, with her ears drooping, and Kaiwan was staring at him ferociously after a long time. Although they looked at him differently, they seemed to see eye to eye on Ophelia''s rebuke.


    ''Hey, stop it!''


    Yong-ho cleared his throat at that moment and hastily changed the topic.


    "Anyway, I think I have to decide whether to accept the invitation or not."


    He then looked at the card again.


    Tigrius said, "I think it is a great opportunity for you to broaden your knowledge. Although there was an all-out war going on in the north, I think powerful guys from the demon world will gather at the auction house because they offer special auctions this time."


    ''You bet.''


    Yong-ho recalled the time when he and Sitri attended the auction house.


    It was a good experience. Since he was exposed to a wider world back then, he could reach a higher level. Without his growth at that time, he would not have made what he is today."


    Yong-ho himself did not exist.


    ''Moreover, I got Brigada at that time.''


    There was no one against him obtaining another good item this time. Rather, better auction items might be waiting for him.


    "Okay, the only thing I have to do now is to get things done before I attend the auction house."


    In the eastern area, there were still some dungeons of Sargatanas and small and medium-sized dungeons. Yong-ho could own them easily if he decided to.


    Even if there were good auction items, he would not be able to buy them without money.


    So, it was time for him to collect all the money available to participate in the auction house.


    His eyes shone with greed, and Aamon, watching silently, was relieved.


    His greed was still strong.

 178 King of the Unclaimed Land 4

    Exactly a week after he received the invitation, Yong-ho took over the dungeons of Stravadi and Sargatanas then stood at the entrance to the dungeon of the Nagaraja master. Kaiwan and Catalina, fully dressed up, stood on his left and right side while the rest of his dungeon spirits saw him off, standing at the entrance.


    The Dungeon Market kept their time, as always. Over the sky where the sunset began to set, a flying wagon of the Dungeon Market appeared.


    "Wow!"


    Catalina, who unwittingly gave an exclamation of surprise, flapped her ears and tail because the flying wagon of the Dungeon Market was so beautiful.


    It was a white streamlined carriage resembling a shining moonlight, but what drew her interest, in particular, was the six Pegasus pulling the carriage. She felt like it was even holy thanks to the bright moonlight behind the carriage stepping down from the sky.


    The carriage safely landed on the ground. Sitting on the coach box was an incubus well dressed in a neat suit. Half the subordinates of Samael with the fastest wings were Mares, and the other half were Harpies. Those in charge of external affairs were mostly Mares among them.


    The incubus, who jumped gently from the coach box, expressed due manners to Yong-ho by deeply bowing then opened the carriage door. There was a familiar face inside the almond-like flat oval carriage.


    "Dear client, it seems you have a thicker skin now. Never did I think you would have a big shot like me come over here like this."


    Wearing an alluring red evening dress, Sitri spoke quite sharply. But she had a smile in her eyes and lips.


    Yong-ho also smiled at her and replied slyly, "Thank you for your help, Sitri."


    "Well, you''re welcome because you are my dear client. By the way, you have a cool cheek. Don''t look innocent. I liked you better when you were more fresh and cute."


    Yong-ho had nothing to say this time other than smiling bitterly.


    Even Tigrius and Eligos, who knew how to be politically correct, didn''t blame her rudeness. It wasn''t because she was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market. She was once Mammon''s lover, the great King of Greed. In some respects, she was doting on him as if he was her grandson, so they couldn''t blame her.


    "Uh¡­ Sitri?"


    Kaiwan, who was standing next to Yong-ho, carefully called Sitri.


    Although Kaiwan didn''t bat an eyelid typically, she was nervous this time, with her eyes trembling already. It was because she was worried that Sitri might not welcome her.


    Sitri saw her. Then she opened her eyes wide and opened her arms in no time.


    She said kindly, "Oh, cute client, it''s been a long time. Can I hug you?"


    Kaiwan couldn''t stand it anymore. She jumped into the wagon even before she was done greeting her. Then she hugged Sitri suddenly.


    "Sitri!"


    "You are still acting like a spoiled child."


    Sitri was like an older sister and mother to Kaiwan as a child who had been earnestly looking for an "adult" she could follow. Moreover, she met Sitri today after several decades.


    Sitri hugged her tightly as if it was inevitable then glanced at Yong-ho, signaling to him to get into the carriage quickly.


    "Okay, let me leave now. See you back at the house."


    Yong-ho was going to return to the House of Mammon right from the auction house.


    Since he got all the large dungeons in the eastern area and cashed out all the extraordinary items at the Dungeon Market, he had no reason to stay there anymore. It was important for him to develop the dungeon of the Mammon family before confronting the King of Gluttony.


    "I hope you have a pleasant journey."


    Tigrius spoke on behalf of the dungeon spirits while Eligos and Ophelia saw off Yong-ho with a smile.


    Fluffy cushions were arranged in an oval shape inside the carriage. Since Sitri and Kaiwan were sitting right across the door, Yong-ho sat with Catalina on the left side of the door.


    Kaiwan wore a black evening dress that highlighted her white skin so much that she could be even said to look pale, and Catalina wore a white evening dress as if she wanted to be in contrast with Kaiwan in costume color.


    As soon as the carriage door closed, Sitri said, "Let me tell you this for caution''s sake. Don''t leave me at this auction. Avoid using the power of greed as much as possible. Got it?"


    "Yes, I hope I''m in your good hands."


    Yong-ho answered cheerfully. It was natural he did so because she was right here after accepting his request.


    "I don''t think Samael invited you with bad intentions. She''s too sincere for that."


    He was very satisfied with Samael''s invitation itself. He was also pleased that Samael, one of the five directors, officially recognized the House of Mammon.


    However, Yong-ho did not let his guard down. Normally, he would have accepted the invitation, but the situation was different now.


    ''The King of Gluttony will visit you.''


    This was the warning from Embrio.


    The special auction organized by the Dungeon Market was attended by lots of influential figures in the demon world. It was very unlikely that the king would come to this occasion directly, but it was possible that the king''s close aide would attend.


    Yong-ho did not want to expose himself to them.


    He thought that Samael had two reasons for calling him.


    One of the reasons was that she invited him with pure motivations. The House of Mammon was no longer a collapsing small family. It was an unrivaled powerful family that they could equate any comparable family with, let alone an adversary, in the southern area.


    Yong-ho might be conceited about this, but even Sitri agreed on this point.


    And the other reason Samael called him was because of Sitri, as he thought.


    "I think she did it out of curiosity. She might have been curious because Samael, who was always stuck in her house, showed interest in a man. For example, she might think like this, ''What''s so special about this man that this big shot of our Dungeon Market has to deal with?'' That''s my guess."


    Yong-ho smiled bitterly, and Kaiwan, still held tightly in Sitri''s arms, wouldn''t move.


    At that moment, he felt a sense of floating and speed at the same time. The six Pegasus pulling the carriage began to speed up ferociously.


    "Oh my God! Make sure all of you wear this on your arms because you have to hide the power of Brigada."


    Sitri pulled out three silver bracelets from her cleavage and gave them to the three. It was a plain bracelet with the same shape as one on Sitri''s arm.


    Brigada, also called "God''s Metal," was special. However, it was only when it came into the hands of the ''king'' and his dependents that its special power was in motion.


    If anyone wore accessories made with Brigada, it was most likely that he was a king or his dependent. Brigada itself is a fairly hard and light metal, so it was common to make spears without knowing it was Brigada, but it was very rare to make jewelry with it.


    Wearing Brigada accessories was like wearing metal trousers.


    So, Yong-ho needed to hide his Brigada first in order to conceal the fact that he was the King of Greed. At first, he thought about not wearing a Brigada at all, but it was unreasonable because of the ''heart of the Demon God''. Unlike the ring, the heart of the Demon God was not something that could be worn or taken out freely.


    "If you wear this bracelet, Brigada''s performance will be weakened. So, be sure to unfasten the bracelet when necessary. Got it?"


    Yong-ho and Catalina wore the bracelets with a nod.


    Kaiwan asked, "How about you, Sitri?"


    "It will make me look weird if I don''t wear it when you guys are wearing it, right?"


    With a chuckle, Sitri pinched Kaiwan on the cheek. At first glance, it was like an older sister, and her sister was playing friendly.


    ''If I did so, she would be definitely mad at me,'' Catalina thought.


    In fact, Kaiwan liked to pinch her cheeks and touch her tail or ears, but when she tried to do the same, Kaiwan always reacted sharply. But now she just smiled shyly when Sitri touched her. She was like a cat asking for a little more petting.


    Sitri said again, "This auction is a little bit bigger than the auction you participated in the other day. In addition to the official auction organized by Samael, we have also prepared exhibition-style free auctions."


    "Exhibition-style?" Catalina asked, flapping her ears.


    Sitri responded kindly as always, "To put it more directly, I would say it''s like a market. We put several items in the auction house at the same time and sell them. If you find an item you want to purchase, you can bid higher than the maximum price of the item at that time. It is an auction style that allows the person bidding the highest price within the deadline to take the item. If you don''t want to wait until the bidding ends, you can buy the item at the seller''s price directly."


    The flying wagon jumped into space. Just like the cat carriage did the other day, this one also narrowed a huge distance at once.


    "Here are the masks I prepared."


    After peeking out the window for a moment, Sitri opened the box that was located between the cushions. Before handing them out, Sitri put on a lioness mask on her head.


    Yong-ho received a male lion mask with a mane while Catalina and Kaiwan received a dog and cat mask, respectively. Somehow, the three masks befitted them very well.


    "As you already know, since you visited here last time, there are many ways to identify the person even if you cover your face with a mask. Please keep that in mind."


    After giving them a gentle reminder, She buried her body deep in the cushion as if she had nothing to say anymore.


    Yong-ho looked out the window of the carriage. Like he did last time, he had a panoramic view of the gorgeous auction house in his eyes.

 179 King of the Unclaimed Land 5

    This time, Yong-ho entered the auction house proudly unlike the last time when he had to sneak in through the back door.


    He confidently entered the main door and felt a little joy while wearing the male lion''s mask.


    He felt different from what he did before.


    The violent mana that swirled randomly like a blind sword was still the same. It was still swirling roughly inside the auction house.


    But he didn''t feel that it was burdensome anymore. He could ignore it naturally as if he was facing a breeze.


    It wasn''t just because Yong-ho understood his own mana better than before.


    The reason was simple. His mana became strong.


    He was different from the time when he had to look up at the dark sky.


    This time, Yong-ho himself was in the sky. He could look down, and he didn''t feel the sky above his head just far away.


    Even now, after having absorbed Stravadi''s mana, he had only five horns.


    Actually, they were close to six. In other words, he reached a stage where he had to realize a new wall that he should overcome.


    Catalina, who obtained five horns after Kaiwan, felt the same way as Yong-ho. She felt a little joy in her comfort.


    "When this auction starts, it is highly likely that Samael will greet you directly. Until then, feel free to enjoy the free auction."


    Sitri''s whispering tickled Yong-ho''s ears. He flinched unwittingly then quickly nodded and moved to the free auction house. Catalina and Kaiwan followed him closely.


    The free auction house reminded him of an exhibition, as Sitri said. It looked like an exhibition with all kinds of items lined up along the wall.


    [Devil Nails]


    [Anyone who bled, hit by a devil''s nails, is cursed by a powerful devil.]


    [Anyone with a demon curse suffers from a demon''s mental attack.]


    [Not only your concentration, but also your overall physical ability decreases, and the effect varies, depending on the strength and weakness of your mental power. If you are both mentally and physically exhausted, you might be killed at once.]


    [Additionally, it''s highly likely that it will cause fear in the other person.]


    [In order to maintain the devil''s curse, you must constantly supply mana.]


    Kaiwan''s eyes glared when she was looking at a red dagger. It was very peculiar because not only its handle but also its blade was very red.


    "How about this? Don''t you think it''s going to be quite useful?"


    "Uh?"


    Yong-ho, who was looking at the area next to only two cells from the devil''s nails, responded awkwardly. When Kaiwan turned around, there was an elf spirit with a slim body for sale. Given that the elf had a chain around his neck, it looked like he was a slave from another world.


    Kaiwan narrowed her eyes wide with a long face while Yong-ho began to eagerly examine the devil''s nails.


    [Dead spirit ring]


    [It uses a nearby corpse to create a skeleton-type undead.]


    [However, skeletons created in this way are destroyed as soon as mana is not supplied anymore.]


    [If there is enough mana supplied, it is also possible to make corpses automatically undead within the range.]


    Catalina recalled a smiling Skull in her mind. Wouldn''t it be very effective if Skull went to the battlefield with this ring?


    "It looks okay, but¡­ it seems that its mana efficiency is bad. Why don''t you get a necromancer-based familiar spirit?"


    Catalina checked the bidding prices. The bidding price was not high as if its efficiency was not good enough like Sitri said.


    "Necromancer?"


    Yong-ho, who put the devil''s nails down, also intervened. Certainly, considering the recent battle he had, he felt it would be nice to have a necromancer because there were enormous corpses everywhere each time he was done with the battle.


    Of course, it was quite inhumane from an ethical point of view. However, he could not deny that it was an attractive item. The synergy effect when combined with the power of evolution seemed to be enormous.


    As the proverb said, ''Strike the iron while it''s hot,'' Yong-ho looked around to see if there was a Necromancer familiar for sale.


    Right at that moment, a surprisingly sweet scent tickled his nose.


    Not only Yong-ho, but Kaiwan and Catalina also turned their heads instinctively as if they also smelled the scent.


    The source of the smell was a sales item across from the elf spirit. There was a large pot and a small teacup there. Sitri said, pointing to the purple drink in the teacup "It''s Soma. It is a soft drink with a slight hallucination effect. Since the scent is particularly good, it seems to be a really high-quality product."


    Kaiwan swallowed, while Catalina flapped her ears violently. It looked as if she wanted to drink both of them but could not dare to ask her.


    At that moment, a woman wearing an ugly and terrifying red ghost mask elbowed her way through the clients and came to Yong-ho. The woman who checked the Soma quickly wrote the bidding price.


    Because of her ghost mask, Yong-ho could see her face, but given her figure and charming air, she was obviously a great beauty. She was wearing a colorful red suit that suited the ghost mask, but unlike her long and loose sleeves, her lower body was almost naked. Her white legs tied with a thong underneath the short skirt that revealed her thighs clearly were attractive with beautiful curves.


    Yong-ho looked at the woman. It was not because he was attracted by her stunning beauty.


    His heart was pounding, and his breathing became rough before he knew it.


    Obviously, he felt it before. This time, the way his heart trembled was different from when he first ran into Catalina and Kaiwan.


    ''The man wearing a ghost mask?''


    Someone came to his mind suddenly. He was a giant man who met her eyes the other day when she visited the auction house. ''No, it''s not that my heart is pounding.''


    He didn''t get it right back then partly because he was at a distance from the other party, and it was partly because he felt it on impulse back then. But he could understand it clearly now because he obtained the heart of the Demon God. He could distinguish it because he had experienced his heart throbbing when he met his lover several times.


    It was greed. Greed was the source of his excitement.


    Then why was his heart throbbing? Because he wants to have her? Because of his sexual desire?


    Right at that moment, he got goosebumps. And the woman turned around as if on cue.


    They looked at each other, wearing their masks. The woman, who faced him, frowned as if something was strange, and he stopped being nervous with an effort.


    Instead of avoiding her eyes right away, he stared at her for a little while.


    Her rainbow-colored eyes were shining like stars. They had an air of dignity and intensity that overwhelmed him.


    He caught his breath. He just acted like someone who accidentally met her eyes. He smiled awkwardly inside the mask then nodded at her lightly like an English gentleman in a movie he had seen one day. Then he turned around and walked on naturally.


    Sitri hugged his arm. She egged on him to see the next auction items quickly. As if she read his intentions, Sitri led him away from that woman.


    Catalina and Kaiwan also acted tactfully. As Yong-ho''s familiar spirits, they did not make the mistake of looking back. While moving away from that woman, Catalina''s tail became a little stiff, but Kaiwan managed it well. Catalina flinched when Kaiwan grabbed her tail tightly in a surprise, and thanks to her quick-witted action, it looked like they were playing pranks on each other like close friends.


    The distance between Yong-ho and the woman increased further. The auction crowds filled the place they left.


    Even after Yong-ho''s party left and the auction was going on here and there, the woman was standing still in place as if fixated on it. She stared at him for a while, then tilted her head only after he completely disappeared. Then she bit her lips out of frustration.


    "What the hell is it?"


    She didn''t murmur it to herself. Actually, she was talking to a woman with a bear mask who caught up with her belatedly. With a strong build and lots of muscles, she was big enough to fit in the bear mask. She also looked at the direction the woman was gazing at. There was nothing special over there, so she tilted her head and asked, "What''s the matter with you?"


    The woman did not answer right away but just closed her lips once. Then, crossing her arms, she said, standing a bit stiffly, "It''s definitely my first time seeing that man. But why was my heart throbbing as soon as I made eye contact with him? My breathing was also rough."


    At her serious question, this woman with a strong build blinked her eyes.


    Then she expressed her opinion mixed with embarrassment and expectations.


    "Because you fell in love with him at first sight?"


    "No way. How can I love him only by looking at his eyes on the mask?"


    "You must have checked out his figure, let alone his impression, right?"


    She puckered her lips again at this strong woman''s response.


    Obviously, she liked his build quite a lot. She was also happy about his height.


    "No, it can''t be. And he was a weird guy. Even when he made eye contact with me, he wasn''t agitated at all. Rather, he nodded at me in a composed manner. He must have smiled even inside the mask."


    "Have you stared at him with your jewellike piercing eyes?"


    Asking the question, this strong woman got embarrassed.


    Then the other woman apologetically replied as if to make excuses, "Well, I did before I knew it. I just looked at him. That''s all."


    "Hmm, it looks like you were clearly attracted to him. There are few men who remained calm even after encountering my master."


    The woman''s eyes were the eyes of a king. Because of this, anybody without extraordinary courage and boldness didn''t dare to encounter her.


    "Do you think so?"


    "Yes, you might have taken a liking to him."


    The strong woman asked with more interest this time.

 180 King of the Unclaimed Land 6

    ''No, it doesn''t make any sense.''


    The woman shook her head again, getting such a possibility out of her mind. It was because of her toying with the idea of loving a man just didn''t make any sense in reality.


    Of course, she felt several times that her heart pounded when she met other kings. But it was when she was in battle, and in a fierce battle with other kings at that. If her heart had not pounded in such a situation, she would have looked very weird.


    Her fury back then was roaring itself. It synced with other sins and roared against other sins.


    But it was different now. She felt something she couldn''t explain. The only thing she could express at the moment was that she felt something intense the moment she encountered him.


    "Oh my¡­ Did I really fall for him at first sight?''


    At that moment, the woman blushed in embarrassment, and her attendant and faithful friend, Yacha woman grinned inside her bear mask. She visited the auction house with her master suffering from ever-growing depression for a change, so her surprising response after meeting a masked man was an unexpected pleasure.


    "If you see him again, you will find out if you are really hooked on him. If your heart is pounding again, I think you must love him. Right?"


    The auction just started. So, she still had lots of time to hang around before the official auction began.


    She again looked at the direction where Yong-ho disappeared. This woman called Dhritarashtra, King of Fury, nodded slowly and tapped her chest once for no special reason.


    ***


    ''She must be the owner of the sin.''


    Yong-ho was convinced. He couldn''t even think of any other possibilities.


    One of the six kings visited the Dungeon Market auction house. If so, who was it? Which sin belonged to this woman who ran into Yong-ho?


    "You''re okay now."


    He suddenly regained his sense of reality upon hearing Sitri''s words. He found himself already out of the crowded free auction house. He was in a secret room where he once stopped by when he had first visited the auction house.


    Catalina and Kaiwan first took off their masks, perhaps because they were freed from the embarrassment and tension beyond their understanding. Yong-ho also took off the male lion''s mask and buried himself on the sofa.


    Sitri said again, "Probably, she is the King of Fury."


    Catalina and Kaiwan were startled. On the other hand, Sitri combed her hair casually after taking off her mask. She sat on the sofa across him and said, "As I said first, the only thing that you can cover with a mask is your face. There are many factors with which you can identify the other party."


    He just listened to her instead of expressing his opinion.


    Sitri listed the reasons one by one and counted on her fingers.


    Gandharva was a race with an overwhelming number of men, compared with women. There were not so many Gandharva women even in the vast demon world ,who had the status high enough to access the auction house.


    The King of Fury revealed herself directly in numerous battlefields, and as a result, there were lots of things identified about her look. Everything Sitri just mentioned coincided with the King of Fury''s look.


    "And the decisive evidence that she was the King of Fury was your hunch. You seemed very surprised to meet her."


    Sitri then pointed to the silver bracelet. The bracelet that hid the power of Brigada also had the effect of sharing status information among its wearers.


    Yong-ho covered his face with both hands.


    Then he said in a much calmer voice, "Well, it wasn''t just a resonance between sins."


    Although he didn''t have any specific evidence of it, he was convinced of it. As she said, it could be called his hunch. Sitri did not disagree with him.


    Rather, she nodded and said, "Because you have that woman''s legacy."


    The heart of the Demon God.


    The legacy Mammon, the King of Greed, left behind in the human world.


    At that moment, Yong-ho raised his head suddenly and replied immediately, "Greed, fury, gluttony."


    They were the sins that Mammon possessed in the past.


    Yong-ho felt he could understand it now. It wasn''t just something like resonance.


    The heart of the Demon God that he had was a replica of the one owned by Mammon, the King of Greed, in the past. However, that did not mean it had low quality. Since it was a perfect replica, it shared the memory of the original owner.


    The heart of the Demon God did not forget the sin of Fury. He missed the sin he had once cherished.


    "It is less likely that the King of Fury recognized me."


    Yong-ho made a conclusion like that before he knew it. Although he himself had the heart of the Demon God, the King of Fury did not. She had never harbored any other sin than fury.


    "Probably. But¡­ she must have been strongly impressed by you. I mean her heart must have throbbed when she saw you."


    Yong-ho also understood it. It wasn''t just because of the fact that he made eye contact with the King of Fury. He had a similar experience.


    ''A man in a ghost mask.''


    He was farther away from that man than when he faced the King of Fury. His power of greed was also much weaker than now.


    However, Yong-ho knew that his feelings then and now were fundamentally the same. His greed that united with the Demon God''s heart made him convinced of it.


    Then, who was the man in the ghost mask?


    Which Sin did he have?


    What Sitri said about it helped Yong-ho find out the clue. Besides the mask, there were many clues about the masked man.


    For example, the tips given by Embrio. Yong-ho already knew all the tips.


    He came up with an answer naturally. There was only one possibility of his identity.


    "The King of Gluttony."


    Yong-ho had an adversary in front of him now. He had already met the king.


    ***


    "Then I will close the deal today."


    Samael laughed softly. The King of Gluttony, who was facing her with a desk in between, nodded with a satisfied expression and said, "It was a good deal, too, this time."


    "Thank you for visiting us, as always."


    She exchanged pleasantries with him. She had made several secret deals with the King of Gluttony, but that was it. Their interaction could never be called a special relationship.


    His deal with Samael wasn''t a perfect secret deal. The five directors of the Dungeon Market knew what and how Samael traded with the King of Gluttony.


    Samael simply played the role of a terminal. This transaction was between the Dungeon Market and the King of Gluttony, not between Samael as an individual and the King of Gluttony.


    Other kings also made secret deals with the Dungeon Market. And any information about their transaction was also shared by other directors during their meeting.


    "The auction house is still booming. It seems that many people participated this time," said the King of Gluttony.


    His words were only perfunctory, but given their unusual position in the demon world, their conversation carried some significance.


    Samael replied with an angelic expression, "Because the war in the north is not the end of the world."


    Depending on who interpreted her words, it had various implications.


    The King of Gluttony laughed heartily and said, "I''ll see you at the main auction."


    "See you then."


    The King of Gluttony wore the ghost mask and stood up. Samael got up from her seat and saw him off in person.


    Both of them didn''t say any further after parting there. They didn''t reveal their innermost thoughts to each other.


    When the door of the secret room was closed, Samael let her back wings droop.


    Her face-to-face dealing with the King of Gluttony always exhausted her. As if to show off the fact that he was a king, he showed his desire without hesitation.


    ''Does he want to be the king of the unclaimed land? Is it what he hides in his fiery desires?''


    It was hidden in the King of Gluttony''s craving for her, namely his incredible gluttony. Normally, she would not have noticed it because she was blinded by other intense desires, but today she knew it.


    Samael was sincere like Sitri said. She did a lot of research on the Mammon family. And she discovered that rumors in the south, to be precise, about the fight between the Mammon family and Embrio, the King of Wolves, were artificially twisted.


    The unclaimed land in the south was the realm of Sitri, the highest among the five directors.


    So, Samael didn''t think about it deliberately.


    But now the situation had changed.


    The unclaimed land was virtually unified. Moreover, the method of unification was very violent.


    It was not a one-sided unification. The warlords who rose up the army in various places attacked each other as if they were playing a tournament. As a result, the deserted southern land became more desolate, but on the contrary, there were some things that became stronger.


    The demon king was supposed to grow big when he took the essence of someone equal to or stronger than himself.


    It was not efficient for him to take the essence of someone weaker than himself.


    The tournament-style fight that took place in various places brought about the effective concentration of essence. If someone had unified the south unilaterally, he would have preserved the dungeons and their masters, but he would not have achieved the concentration of such a huge power like now.


    The king of the unclaimed land.


    Why did the King of Gluttony covet him? Did he simply wanted the essence of the unclaimed land? Or was there anything else that Samael herself didn''t know yet?


    What if things happened as Samael speculated?


    Samael stopped thinking. Trimming her tired wings, she left the secret room.


    It was time for her to face the king of the unclaimed land.


    The King of Fury stepped forward, looking around. Maybe because of the Yacha woman chattering beside her, she felt her heart beginning to pound again even when she could not find the man with a lion mask.


    He walked leisurely. However, contrary to his slow movement, his sin of gluttony was in full active mode. He constantly expressed hunger.


    The main auction time was approaching.


    Kings and other influential figures began to gather in one place.


    Another king started to move among them.

 181 Extraordinary event 1

    Yong-ho''s decision was as fast and simple, as always.


    "Let''s go back."


    Catalina pricked her ears. Kaiwan regrettably put down the catalog of the free auction house she was reading earnestly, but she did not object because he was right.


    The resonance between the sins was confirmed. Moreover, the King of Fury was staying in the auction house.


    It was highly likely that the King of Fury did not recognize that Yong-ho was the King of Greed. However, it was just a probability. If the king ran into him again, he might think differently this time.


    ''The King of Gluttony.''


    It was the King of Gluttony that Yong-ho had to avoid more than the King of Fury.


    The King of Gluttony had already participated in the auction, wearing a ghost mask. Even at this moment, it was highly likely that the king might be rummaging through the catalog somewhere in the auction house.


    "We gained a lot here, didn''t we?"


    "Well, that''s correct, but¡­"


    Pouting her lips, Kaiwan pulled Catalina''s tail, who was sitting next to her. Flinching a bit, Catalina hurriedly glanced at Yong-ho for help, but he ignored it, pretending not to have noticed it because he found her frowning cutely rather than trying to check Kaiwan''s mood.


    Although Yong-ho''s party didn''t buy anything at the auction house, they gained a lot like Yong-ho said.


    Yong-ho learned about the resonance between the sins and recognized the feelings of the King of Fury and the King of Gluttony. Now he could recognize the two anytime, anywhere.


    Yong-ho also confirmed the growth of his power. He could roughly size up his place in the demon world.


    ''Well, Kaiwan had an opportunity to meet Sitri here¡­''


    Nodding at once, he looked toward Sitri without hesitation.


    Well at ease, Sitri said, "Are you going to leave right away?"


    "No, I may encounter them on the way to the carriage. Let me leave when the main auction ends."


    It was obvious that he would be noticed if he left in the middle of the auction.


    Sitri smiled softly as if she liked his answer.


    "What a good judgment befitting my dear client! Okay, let''s do that."


    After pausing for a moment, she got up from her seat and approached Kaiwan and Catalina.


    "Cute client, do you have any item you really want to have?"


    "Sitri?" Kaiwan asked in confusion. It wasn''t because of her question. It was because she could infer a certain fact from her question.


    Sitri sat next to Kaiwan and pointed at herself elegantly.


    "I''m going to stay here at the auction house. I can meet and talk with Samael. As you know, I''m a big shot of this Dungeon Market."


    Sitri was not from the Mammon family. So, she had no reason to go back with them. Even if she stayed here and encountered the king, she would have no problem at all.


    Sitri again drew their attention to the auction items. Kaiwan and Catalina looked at Yong-ho before responding right away.


    Yong-ho approved with a nod, "Choose it one by one."


    Kaiwan yelled in delight quietly and opened the catalog. Then she pointed to one item.


    "Okay, let me choose this one."


    It was the devil''s nails that she had been fidgeting with at the free auction house.


    Slightly narrowing her eyes, Sitri said, "Hmm, you have to get close to the other person and even hurt him with this, but the more demanding the conditions are, the stronger the curse becomes. Sounds like a good choice."


    "You agree, right?"


    As if she was happy about Sitri siding with her, Kaiwan was so excited. Catalina, who was waiting for her turn nervously, also opened the catalog.


    "I want this one."


    It was a pendant in the shape of a ghost face. It was impressive because it was gray like a piece of plaster.


    "It''s an item that strengthens the attributes of darkness. I think this is also a very good thing for our escort knight girl, but¡­"


    She blurred at the end of her words, then turned her eyes at Yong-ho. With her shoulders drooping, she said, as if to blame him a bit, "Dear client, I just wonder what the hell you did to these beautiful ladies because they wanted only combat tools like this. As you know there are lots of beautiful accessories here, too."


    Kaiwan just grinned at that, while Catalina signaled to Sitri with her eyes that he didn''t do anything wrong to her.


    Instead of making any excuses, Yong-ho read her thoughts and said duly, "Sitri, can I have one, too?"


    "Don''t beat around the bush. Please answer me."


    A little smile was on her face. He spoke without opening the catalog like Catalina or Kaiwan.


    Not all items for auction here were displayed in the catalog.


    "I would like to obtain a wizard-based familiar spirit capable of necromancing."


    "What? Don''t you want an elf spirit?"


    "Sitri!"


    Sitri laughed heartily again. She replied by burying his back on the sofa, "Hmm, great. If you can''t get one at this auction, I''ll recommend one from the Dungeon Market catalog. Maybe you like the undead series, right? Like Lich."


    "Well, yes as long as I have the funds."


    The combination of Death Knight and Lich, which he had been longing for for a long time.


    Even if it was impossible, the necromancer was useful in many ways. It was a familiar spirit that was worth obtaining even with more money than expected.


    At that moment, there rang a soft bell. Sitri wriggled her charming eyebrows at the sound echoing from quite a distance.


    "It''s time for the main auction to start. Shall we move now?"


    Sitri reached out to Yong-ho without getting up. Then Kaiwan pulled Catalina''s tail to make her sit down again, who was about to get up casually, then looked at Yong-ho like Sitri did.


    "Let''s go."


    For peace in the family, Yong-ho did not escort anybody, and Sitri burst into laughter.


    ***


    "It''s impossible he went back already¡­"


    Although the soft ringing of the bell was beautiful, she didn''t feel that way.


    Yacha woman Kirtimuka, who was the right-hand woman and friend of Dhritarashtra, King of Fury, looked around again sharply. She could not find the man with a lion mask anywhere in the auction house.


    "No problem, Kirtimuka. I just ran into him by chance anyway."


    "But you still¡­"


    Kirtimuka bit her lower lip and looked down at her master, King of Fury.


    Although she couldn''t see her master''s expression because of that ugly ghost mask, obviously she must have been quite disappointed. Just a few minutes ago, she looked around more earnestly than Kirtimuka.


    Kirtimuka felt really regrettable about it. Of course, she didn''t really expect anything from the masked man. Although Kirtimuka teased her by saying she fell in love with him at first sight, it was just nonsense in the first place.


    What Kirtimuka wished was just her master''s slight deviation from her daily routines. She just wanted her master to get clear of the mess for a moment because she was overly concerned about everything due to her thoughtful and warm-hearted personality. In other words, all she wanted was just a little happening that could make her master reminisce over it with a smile.


    Finally, even the bell stopped ringing. Shortly afterward, the main auction began.


    Those who were talking to each other in the dark auction house stopped talking to each other and fixed their eyes on the stage.


    "Let me get out for some fresh air. If they auction Soma or Amrita, you must buy it."


    The King of Fury acted exactly the opposite. After telling her attendant not to follow her, the king left the auction house.


    ''No, he is not here, either.''


    She rolled her eyes again on her way out, but she could not see him.


    The King of Fury pouted her lips. It seemed that she was unconsciously expecting to meet him again a lot.


    ''Well, he made me feel better anyway.''


    She didn''t murmur it just to comfort herself. When she came out to the balcony and breathed in the cold night air, she felt like that before she knew it.


    When did she think of a man like this for the last time? Wasn''t it the first time since she admired the magnificent figure of the King of Fury when she first saw him as a child?


    The more she thought about it, the funnier she felt about her own behavior before the start of this auction. She could not understand why she was disappointed not to see him again.


    The King of Fury took off her mask. It was the rule to use a mask in the auction house, but since everyone entered the auction house to participate in the main auction anyway, she didn''t have to worry.


    Her white, soft cheeks protected under the mask were exposed to the cold night air. She felt even refreshed because of the cold sensation on her skin.


    When she returned after the auction was over, she would be faced with an extreme confrontation. She had to bide her time, watching closely how the battle in the north unfolds or how the King of Gluttony acted. It was something she really hated. She wished they just started a war.


    ''Oh, no, what am I thinking now? Take it easy, Dhritarashtra. You can''t kill so many innocent people just to satisfy your frustration.''


    Rebuking herself like that, she got the complicated thoughts out of her mind and looked up at the night sky. Her heart was pounding.


    "Uh?"

 182 Extraordinary event 2

    She blinked her eyes. At that moment, a flying wagon pulled by six Pegasus horses soared into the sky. It was fully reflected in the King of Fury''s eyes.


    It wasn''t like the king of flight slightly passing over the balcony. She was at some distance from the carriage, but this woman, the king of Gandharva and the King of Fury, was possessed of extraordinary physical skills. She looked at the carriage and noticed the face of the person looking out the wagon window. She made eye contact with him.


    It was a very brief moment.


    His greenish-black eyes, black hair, and well-defined features.


    The Pegasus flew up, and the flying carriage quickly faded away. Naturally, the man''s face was also out of her sight.


    And again a few seconds passed.


    The King of Fury raised her hand and pressed her chest hard. Her heart was still pounding, though not as hard as she first saw him.


    Startled by her own reaction, she was embarrassed. Even before she knew it, she said clearly, "Oh my¡­ Did I really fall for him?"


    At that moment, her cheeks blushed quickly. At the same time, there was a loud noise from behind her back.


    "Master! Master!"


    "Is it Kirtimuka?"


    Wearing the mask again hurriedly, the King of Fury, turned back. Kirtimuka took off her mask, contrary to the King of Fury. She said with a rigid expression, "By Heavens!"


    ***


    It was when only the first item was listed for sale after the main auction began.


    However, the King of Gluttony left the auction house. The King of Gluttony was chewing the bones of the small devil Imp that delivered him urgent news.


    Still, he could not suppress his anger. Although he was patient enough normally, there was something like the last straw for him. Once he got upset, he could not calm down easily.


    The beauties of the King of Gluttony shuddered for fear that they would be eaten, too. Eating man was by no means taboo to the King of Gluttony.


    As soon as he arrived in front of the huge wagon that could be called a moving palace, the Afsaras moved quickly. They hurriedly moved the food stocked in the wagon to the table.


    The King of Gluttony devoured the food ravenously. He even chewed the plates and twisted the neck of one of the poor Afsaras in the end. The rest of Afsaras struggled to refrain from screaming. Even with trembling hands, they carried food more hurriedly. They were grateful that the woman who just breathed with them a moment ago was not eaten alive. It was so miserable.


    ''The king of the unclaimed land.''


    The fruit was ripe. The fruit that absorbed various nutrients must be truly sweet.


    If the fruit was truly greed, it couldn''t be better. Even if it wasn''t greed, it was worth eating if it was the king of the unclaimed land.


    So, the King of Gluttony thought about the harvest.


    But everything was messed up now.


    It wasn''t because of the king of the unclaimed land. If the king had taken measures to protect himself, the King of Fury would not have been as angry as he was now.


    The king of the unclaimed land in the south was the one he hated most as well as a pain in the neck.


    The King of Gluttony broke the long silence. He deployed the troops to the borders with the southern land.


    The king who didn''t possess the sin.


    Nevertheless, he was a monster that succeeded the throne of a king.


    And he was the most powerful dragon in the demon world.


    The King of Violence.


    Finally, he moved. He messed with the King of Gluttony''s occupation plan.


    ***


    Since the times of Mammon, the great King of Greed, those kings who ruled the demon world had always had their own names after the sins¡ªpride, envy, lust, gluttony, fury, and sloth.


    They could not avoid getting away from such names because none of them who didn''t possess the sin could obtain the power and forces strong enough to be called a king.


    It was an old unwritten rule. It was a sacrosanct fact that nobody could dare to ignore.


    However, there was a man who denied that fact totally.


    He didn''t possess the sin. But his strength was comparable to those kings with the sin.


    His forces were more than enough for him to build a kingdom on his own.


    He was the owner with the largest build in the demon world as well as the most powerful mana in the demon world.


    The kings were pleased with his presence. The King of Envy declared that his very existence was a blasphemy against the kings. Other kings expressed sympathy for his declaration.


    The demon world was a place where the law of the jungle ruled.


    Power meant justice in the demon world.


    Finally, one of the kings rose up in revolt. He started a war to punish this man who was called a king even though he didn''t possess a sin.


    The former King of Gluttony.


    Also known as the King of Flies, he attacked the territory of a nameless king with a legion of several millions of locusts. Their attack was so overwhelming that it seemed to destroy the whole demon world. Not only the kings but also various lords of the demon world expected Beelzebub''s victory.


    But the results betrayed everyone''s expectations. Beelzebub was ridiculously defeated.


    The army of colored dragons that ruled the sky and the earth destroyed the army of gluttony made up of locusts.


    Beelzebub was killed by the nameless king. Thanks to the mana he released as a last desperate resort, he didn''t lose the sin of gluttony and Godly Energy to this nameless king, but that was it.


    The news about Beelzebub''s defeat shook the entire demonic world. Given that the man who didn''t possess the sin defeated those kings with the sins soundly, it was only natural that the whole demon world was shocked. It was an extremely extraordinary event that the demon world had never experienced during the past thousands of years.


    By now, the whole demon world had no choice but to recognize the victor. It was only secondary for the kings with the sins who didn''t like him to approve of his existence.


    The nameless king got a name of his own.


    There was only one name suitable for him, who smashed the King of Gluttony and his army with overwhelming power.


    The King of Violence.


    The demon world called him so, and other kings eventually recognized his existence.


    And that happened more than two hundred years ago.


    For more than two hundred years since then, the King of Violence had remained silent.


    He never left his land. Even when he defeated Beelzebub and his army, he did not cross the borders.


    A new King of Gluttony and the King of Fury emerged. The King of Pride also succeeded his predecessor. Even during this turbulent period, the King of Violence alone stood tall like a mountain.


    At that time, the King of Gluttony thought that when the fighting in the north reached its peak, the King of Violence would also be his rival. To him, the King of Violence was only a variable. Even the King of Gluttony, who was the wariest among the six kings of the King of Violence, did not think the latter would intervene in the war among the other kings.


    But the King of Violence moved, contrary to their expectations.


    He ordered the army of colorful dragons to advance as if to scorn at their evaluation and guesswork.


    Of course, he didn''t start a war. The legion of dragons was still within the territory of the violent king. He only deployed his troops at the borders with the territory of the King of Gluttony.


    But even that was a big threat to the King of Gluttony, who had never seen such a gathering of his troops along the border in the last two hundred years.


    Upon hearing Kirtimuka''s report, the King of Fury blinked her big eyes. Though momentarily, she wondered whether Kirtimuka, her faithful friend and loyal subordinate, made a reckless joke. Her report was so shocking to the King of Fury.


    "Did you say the King of Violence really moved his troops?"


    She asked again to confirm it. Kirtimuka nodded fervently.


    "Yes, that''s right. A legion of dragons gathered on the border with the territory of the King of Gluttony. Oh my god¡­ it really makes you feel the goosebumps to hear the news about their gathering."


    Kirtimuka shuddered then approached the King of Fury a little closer and activated the golden bracelet on her arm. Then a small image unfolded in the air above the bracelet. It was a scene of her troops patrolling the borders.


    Dozens of dragons covered the sky and the ground. Thousands or tens of thousands of monsters under the control of the dragons were with them, so their menacing posture was terrifying.


    The King of Fury took a deep breath. Even though she knew that the legion of dragons was heading for the King of Gluttony, a cold sweat broke out on her back.


    "Master, the King of Violence is our ally, right?"

 183 Extraordinary event 3

    Even Kirtimuka, a valiant Yacha warrior, could not hide her fear.


    The King of Fury nodded slowly and even tolerated her question, which was even somewhat rude, for even the king felt scared, though for a moment.


    "Yes, that''s right. We have a secret alliance with uncle. There will never be any occasion for us, gods of arms, to fight the legion of dragons."


    The king not only reassured Kirtimuka but also herself about it. She took a deep breath to calm down.


    ''It''s okay. We''ll be alright because we have an alliance with the king. Actually, uncle helped me several times.''


    The relationship between the King of Fury and the King of Violence was so good that other kings could not imagine it. That was why the King of Fury called the latter ''uncle'' openly.


    To the King of Fury, the King of Violence was an adult whom she could trust and follow. He was an adviser who helped her make the right decision all the time.


    The King of Fury bit her lips once. Because of the King of Violence''s reluctance to fight, she had never talked with him about politics or military affairs. Most of the advice the King of Fury himself sought from him was limited to her personal matters.


    Nonetheless, the King of Fury regarded him as an ally. She believed that he would definitely come to her rescue whenever she was involved in a war with other kings.


    To be honest, the King of Fury had some grievances against him. How did he not inform her in advance about such a large-scale military action?


    ''No, that could not be true.''


    Probably the King of Violence had some reason for that, she thought. Maybe even at this moment, an envoy sent by the King of Violence was running toward her own palace.


    Besides, it was a national agenda of grave importance.


    Even now, it was necessary for the King of Fury to build a proper alliance with him based on their awkward friendship.


    The King of Fury tapped her on the cheek lightly. Then she focused on her immediate task.


    The King of Violence had a bad relationship with the King of Gluttony. However, their relationship was rather one-sided.


    The King of Gluttony hated the King of Violence. The relationship between the two kings was usually bad in the first place, but the former showed extreme hostility to the latter.


    There were several rumors about their relationship. Some said they had a bad relationship because of Beelzebub, the former King of Gluttony. Others said the King of Gluttony didn''t like the King of Violence because the latter didn''t possess a sin. Some also cited the inherent inferiority that the King of Gluttony felt toward the King of Violence as the main cause of their bad ties.


    The King of Gluttony was originally a Preta, the lowest level demon. But he was well known as a self-made king who persistently climbed to his current position through the power of the sin.


    Of course, the King of Gluttony was born with a sin when he was born, so he was the same as the King of Violence in terms of their special birth. Nonetheless, there was a difference. For the Preta, the lowest level demon, the sin was like a pearl necklace on the neck of a pig. Nobody could even imagine how much the King of Gluttony suffered before climbing to the position of a king.


    ''By the way, I thought the King of Violence was in a sleeping mode now.''


    It was the real reason why the King of Violence remained silent even in the midst of the turbulent war in the north. Thanks to this, the King of Fury met the King of Violence in recent years.


    "Good. I won''t solve the problem by just agonizing over it anyway."


    "Master?"


    The King of Fury again put on the ghost mask. He just did it ceremonially rather than just for any reason. As if to reassure Kirtimuka, she stretched out her hand and tapped her shoulder larger than hers.


    "Let''s go back too. I think I have to send an envoy to uncle. Just in case, I''m going to see him."


    No matter what the King of Gluttony was doing at the moment, he would be desperately struggling. It was clear that he wasn''t going to act recklessly, but the King of Violence already showed he could be unpredictable. Nobody knew whether the King of Gluttony would act recklessly.


    "Okay. I''ll get ready to go back right away."


    Kirtimuka, who finally felt reassured by her trustworthy master''s action, spoke with a nod.


    She hurriedly showed due manners to her master then left the balcony to gather the servants, who were scattered throughout the auction house, and prepare a wagon.


    The King of Fury, who was about to follow Kirtimuka, stopped. She stepped back and turned around for a moment.


    "Yeah, later, not now."


    Even if it was true that her heart pounded when she saw the masked man, now wasn''t the time for her to dwell on him.


    Since she saw his face, that was enough for now. If it was meant to be, she would see him again. The King of Fury turned back again. Not as an innocent virgin, but as the king of a country, she stepped forward.


    ***


    When the King of Fury pulled herself together, Yong-ho was in agony.


    ''Did she find out my identity?''


    He made eye contact with the King of Fury. Although he was at a distance from her, he was sure she did.


    ''Why?''


    It was when the main auction started that he saw her. So, there was no particular reason for the King of Fury to appear on the balcony where she could see the flying carriage clearly.


    Of course, there was something like "coincidence" that could be the reason in any situation, but there was a fat chance she came out to the balcony by chance.


    If the King of Fury was looking for him and as a result saw him for the second time, it was possible in the worst scenario that she might have found out that he was the King of Greed.


    ''No, I hope not.''


    It wasn''t just his mere optimism. He could feel it when his eyes met hers, though very briefly.


    Embarrassment. Surprise. Heart beating fast.


    ''Dang it. Did she completely figure out my identity?''


    If she was also confused and surprised to know that Yong-ho was the King of Greed, all the puzzles would be put together to solve all the unanswered questions.


    ''Ah, I don''t know. I don''t think so. It''s unlikely she has recognized me.''


    Above all, the King of Fury did not have the heart of the Demon God. Besides, she encountered him at a longer distance than when he faced her in the past. So, it was unlikely that she might have noticed his identity. Even if she had noticed him, the King of Fury would not have sat idle, just looking at him blankly in such a situation.


    ''Anyway, my visit this time paid off because I saw the bare face of the King of Fury.''


    She was a fresh and beautiful girl whose nickname ''fury'' didn''t suit her at all.


    Yong-ho closed his eyes and once again thought of her face.


    And there were two people watching Yong-ho at that moment.


    "Oh my¡­ He is now thinking of another woman, right?"


    Kaiwan, watching him coldly, whispered. Catalina quickly nodded.


    Catalina, who had a good night vision like a dark elf, also saw the King of Fury standing on the balcony. However, since the King of Fury took off the ghost mask and Catalina saw her only momentarily, she just thought the woman was a pure beauty rather than the King of Fury. Kaiwan frowned when Catalina whispered about what she had seen. It was because she didn''t like Catalina''s description of the king as a fresh beauty with dark blue hair.


    Kaiwan again said to Catalina, "Let me try to be seductive and enchanting to him, so you should try to be innocent and pure. Got it?"


    Hearing their conversation, Salami would have shaken its head, asking them what the sh*t they were talking about, but it was Catalina who listened to her seriously.


    Opening her eyes wide again, Catalina whispered something again.


    Kaiwan snorted at it by saying, "What? You''re far from sexy. Dang it! You must be a mixed succubus."


    Catalina, whose eyes grew blurry for a moment, grinned, flapping her ears and tail.


    Kaiwan said again, "Anyway, the point is you shouldn''t make him attracted to another woman, Got it?"


    Catalina nodded fervently. Then she looked at Yong-ho sharply like Kaiwan did.


    ***


    The sky of the demon world was black. However, even that darkness could not completely cover the posture of the giants positioned under the pouring starlight.


    Dragons, perfect beings as one.


    Dragons were positioned there as a group. As a legion of dragons, they watched the land of the King of Gluttony.


    The King of Violence was not with his dragon army. He was stuck deep in the Dragon Rare area, west of the demon world, as usual.


    But he stayed alert. Armed with the Godly Energy of the King of Greed, he saw the fragments of his imperfect memories. So, he roughly figured out what had happened to Mammon, the King of Greed, a long time ago.


    Unknown stories. Concealed facts.


    It was a thing of the past. Maybe it was just no more than an amusing thing of the past that had nothing to do with the present and the future, something that he should forget as a legend.


    The King of Violence did not open his eyes. However, his alert consciousness had him raise his head and look to the south.


    He felt it instinctively. Godly Energy, with which the King of Greed once dominated the battlefield, told him something.


    The sin that had not appeared for over a thousand years. The seventh king who disappeared.


    His greed has returned. He was now in the southern area.

 184 King’s Qualification 1

    Two days after Yong-ho returned from the auction house urgently, the eastern expeditionary force, headed by Skull and its units, returned to the House of Mammon in the afternoon.


    "Are you back?"


    "Sure. How did it go?"


    Yong-ho and Ophelia giggled while exchanging greetings to each other. They could feel relaxed for now because the news about the King of Violence''s advance into the south didn''t reach them yet.


    Ophelia gathered intelligence much better than when she worked as the hostess of a tavern, but she didn''t do it well enough to immediately find out what was going on outside the southern area.


    After welcoming Ophelia and other dungeon spirits back, Yong-ho got to the point even without having them take a break from their long journey. He talked about what happened at the auction house while they were moving various essences collected from the eastern area to the heart room where Lucia was located.


    "Really? You met the King of Fury?"


    "Yeah, to be precise, I didn''t meet her. I just made eye contact with her. I don''t think she noticed that I am the King of Greed."


    Ophelia didn''t respond immediately. Instead, she kept her mouth shut for some time, as if she was lost in thought, then asked, making eye contact with him, "How did you feel about the King of Fury? What do you think she felt about you?"


    "Well, not bad. I only saw her face only briefly¡­"


    Burring at the end of his words, he recalled the King of Fury. Her rainbow-colored eyes and fresh face came to his mind.


    At that moment, he turned his eyes and saw Catalina walking side by side next to him.


    In no time, he said to Ophelia again, "Well, I felt like she was like Catalina. I''m not sure what she thought of me. She didn''t know I was the King of Greed in the first place, and I didn''t talk with her in the auction house anyway."


    Catalina blinked and flapped her ears at his reply as if she didn''t know what he was talking about. On the other hand, Kaiwan narrowed her eyes as if she understood it.


    Ophelia grinned and said, "If so, I think my analysis is correct."


    Catalina became more puzzled now. Obviously, she was the main topic of their conversation, but she felt like she alone couldn''t make head or tail of what was going on.


    Ophelia said, "Someday, it will be known throughout the demon realm that the King of Greed has returned to the House of Mammon. It means the opening of the era of the six kings. When that day arrives, the King of Fury is the strongest candidate to be your ally."


    There were as many as seven kings in the demon world. With seven kings and their territories, it was natural that they formed a temporary alliance of their own because it was impossible for any king to confront other kings as a group.


    Ophelia replied immediately, "Although the King of Fury is known as the warmonger, she is exactly the opposite, if my analysis is correct. She doesn''t enjoy fighting. She only goes out to fight for the peace and well-being of her own people because it''s the fastest way to end a war."


    "Do you mean she is a pacifist?"


    "Sort of. What she wants is not to seize the hegemony of the demon world, but to bring peace and prosperity to her people. Besides, she is sharing the borders with all the other six kings. She even has a border stretching into our southern area. Nowadays, there is a big turbulence in the northern area, so I think she needs an ally badly these days."


    Ophelia spoke so fast that Yong-ho and the others found it hard to follow her, but she hit the nail on the head. Reviewing her point in his mind quickly, Yong-ho nodded. Then he said in a low voice, recalling the King of Fury''s face, "I wish I could be on her side. I don''t want to fight her for some reason."


    "What do you mean?" Kaiwan asked, cutting in timely.


    Like she did last night, her eyes were glaring sharply. Catalina gently pulled his hand as if to imitate Kaiwan''s action.


    "We''re almost there."


    Right at that moment, they reached the entrance to the heart room of the dungeon.


    Skull shouted loud as if to help Yong-ho and opened the door.


    "Skullkull!"


    [The day I have been earnestly waiting for has finally come!]


    [Pounding, pounding! Pit-a-pat!]


    [Please give me essence quickly! I feel dizzy!]


    As soon as Yong-ho entered the heart room of the dungeon, Lucia shouted, making a big fuss.


    Since they were also in the heart room of the dungeon, the dungeon spirits could hear Lucia''s voice.


    Kaiwan whispered, shaking her head, "Isn''t it right for you to follow your master when you choose words or speak in the heart room of the dungeon?"


    "Exactly."


    Tigrius replied seriously, and Ophelia grinned quietly. Yong-ho, who suddenly got embarrassed for no reason, cleared his throat.


    But Lucia was still cheerful. She shouted cheerfully without caring about Yong-ho''s embarrassment.


    [I''ve not eaten anything for the past several days, waiting for today!]


    After all, Yong-ho also burst into laughter. After receiving the essence from Eligos, he approached the heart of the dungeon. As if to reflect Lucia''s mood, he pushed the essence into the wriggling heart of the dungeon.


    "Be sure to chew it."


    [Of course, I will!]


    [Yum-yum...Oops! So delicious!]


    Lucia didn''t exclaim artificially. Obviously, she admired it sincerely.


    Lucia was not the only heart of the dungeon. It was good to say that the heart room of the dungeon was Lucia herself.


    The dungeon spirits felt unusual energy. It was as if the whole room was wriggling.


    [Please keep supplying it to me! Please!]


    Lucia shouted. But her voice was a bit weird. Her voice trembled in ecstasy as if she had drugs.


    At that moment, Yong-ho paused for a moment and looked back because he wasn''t sure if it would be okay to keep injecting essence.


    At that moment, Tigrius shouted, "Now is a good chance. Don''t stop! The efficiency rate of essence absorption has been doubled. It''s a very rare occurrence, so don''t miss it!"


    Yong-ho, who thought of the double EXP of online games, immediately began to act. He injected various essences into the heart of the dungeon at high speed.


    [Oh! So good!]


    [Wow!]


    Even though he was so embarrassed because of Lucia''s shouting in ecstasy, Yong-ho did not stop it. Finally, when the essences harvested from the eastern area ran out, a bright light was pouring out from the heart of the dungeon.


    "Wow."


    The brilliant light never hurt their eyes. Yuria, who followed Yong-ho with Baduk, innocently admired the scene with her eyes twinkling brightly.


    It was beautiful. It was a splendor reminiscent of the morning sunrise.


    Then the light disappeared. A hush descended over Yong-ho and the others.


    "Lucia?"


    [The dungeon has gone up by three levels.]


    [I have taken control of the third floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. I will immediately start taking control of the 4th floor.]


    [As the dungeon has leveled up, you can install new facilities.]


    [Intermediate bathhouse / advanced training ground / advanced workshop / advanced water and sewage facility / sleeping room / recovery room / mine with improved mining efficiency / refinery / cultivation room / arena, etc, can be installed.]


    [As the control of the dungeon increases, it is possible to manage and understand the dungeon more carefully.]


    [Found new veins]


    [One silver vein and one gold vein. Both are located on the third floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.]


    [Currently, I''m taking control of the 4th floor.]


    [When the control of the 4th floor is completed, you can use the equipment manufacturing facility of the Labyrinth of Greed.]


    [Wow!]


    [I feel the best right now!]


    Lucia, who gushed like a machine gun, kept exclaiming in joy as if she was enjoying the lingering pleasure.


    Just as absorbing the essence was the highest pleasure for the master, the heart of the dungeon also felt the extreme pleasure in the absorption of the essence.


    After enjoying the lingering pleasure for some time, Lucia suddenly realized a strange fact.


    Yong-ho and all of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were glancing at her blankly.


    Right at that moment, Yuria, who had been watching her behind Skull, walked out.


    She said, presenting the beautiful colored pebbles, her precious treasure, "Do you like playing with pebbles?"


    Lucia blinked, and she soon realized that she blinked her eyes. Through the dungeon''s perceptual abilities, she recognized herself and the heart of the dungeon that changed its shape.


    A girl with blue hair in a white dress was standing there. Since a large silver cable attached to her back was plugged into the floor, she couldn''t move far, but it was obvious that she was a humanoid anyway.


    Lucia tried closing and opening her hands. She also moved her fingers then jumped from her seat.


    [Oh oh! I can play with pebbles!]


    [Of course, I like it! From now on, I''ll love it very much!]

 185 King’s Qualification 2

    Lucia hugged Yuria suddenly, which Yuria liked, with her eyes glittering. She could not help but burst into laughter because she met friends her age for the first time at the dungeon of the House of Mammon. In fact, both of them were only a year apart.


    Everyone laughed warmly at them, but Baduk felt jealous about Yuria, who was so happy with Lucia.


    Lucia''s rapid growth resulted in more workloads of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon.


    Skull and its unit were dispatched to the construction site of a new facility. Farming, which was virtually suspended during their eastern expedition, was also urgent, so some members of the Skull unit headed to the Garden of Life. Under the command of the dragon soldiers, who were reborn as veteran farmers, the Skull unit newbies held sickles and hoes.


    Eligos and Ophelia were also busy. They needed a manager to take care of developing the new silver veins and other veins. Ophelia had to even design the water and sewage facilities.


    Flushed with excitement, Burgrim started to inspect the facilities on the 4th floor. The orc blacksmiths, who had been reassigned as Burgrim''s disciples and direct subordinates, trembled at the joy of seeing the upcoming new facilities while feeling terrible at working through the night.


    Yong-ho also had a job to do.


    Fully prepared, he headed for the arena with Catalina and Kaiwan.


    24th floor of the arena.


    Behind Yong-ho''s back lay Troll Mountain King, whose head was about a dozen meters high. The blue-skinned guy''s body was covered with various ores, so despite being naked, it boasted of his powerful defensive power as if he was wearing iron armor.


    Because of this, Yong-ho cracked the neck of the guy, which must be soft.


    It wasn''t that difficult for him to cut it because its neck was also big just like his body.


    Mountain King wasn''t just a giant with high defensive power. Like a troll, the guy had a tremendous ability to regenerate, and it was raising parasites capable of casting attribute magic.


    Since it was not enough to cut the neck once, Yong-ho went into the body of the Mountain King and burned all its internal organs. Thanks to the shield of distortion, Yong-ho could stop its attribute magic and gastric juice, but the gas in its stomach was a problem. Barely avoiding being suffocated, he took a deep breath several times.


    "Man, I almost died."


    The arena changed, starting with the 20th floor. Of course, one thing never changed, namely the appearance of a stronger floor master every time he took over a floor.


    But the penalty in case of defeat and the emergence of the floor master were significantly different from those below the 20th floor.


    And the lineup of the floor masters became more colorful. Up to the 19th floor, floor masters almost as tall as humanoid or humans appeared, but from then on, not only giants these days, but also monsters reminiscent of dragons appeared. Previous masters of the Mammon family also appeared more frequently.


    ''Well, the process is difficult, but the rewards are better.''


    Yong-ho absorbed Mammon''s mana. He didn''t feel like his mana was growing rapidly like before, but it definitely worked. Every time he absorbed one, he felt like his mana became pure.


    His mana, which rapidly increased through the absorption of the essence, was as good as rags.


    Although he devoured it with the power of greed, he didn''t digest it properly.


    But Mammon''s mana solved this problem. Each time Yong-ho got mana, it closed the gap between different essences and filled the gap.


    The clear rewards of the 24th floor was an elixir that restored all abnormal conditions and restored stamina and mana. There was golden water in a very small glass bottle, like a medicine for an eye bottle.


    "Damn it. It rips me off, man. I never expected getting an elixir on the 24th floor."


    Gusion mumbled with a happy look. Yong-ho carefully kept the elixir in his pocket then hurried to the special seats where Gusion, Aamon, Catalina, and Kaiwan were waiting.


    "So, the King of Gluttony is going after you. And I feel like the countdown has begun."


    Yong-ho nodded softly. Catalina and Kaiwan, who was next to him, were warming up to challenge the arena.


    Gusion gently patted his chin and said, grinning suddenly, "You said when you faced the King of Fury, your power of anguish grew stronger, right?"


    Catalina and Kaiwan rolled their eyes at the same time. Yong-ho quickly looked at the weapons that the two were holding. He did it almost instinctively.


    Gusion continued with a hearty laugh, "Just kidding, man. Oh my God! It''s amazing to find my dear Kaiwan has changed like this. You, too, escort knight."


    Kaiwan turned her head, a bit sullen as if she was embarrassed, and Catalina pouted her lips.


    Aamon said, [Our little master''s power of anguish has become stronger.]


    [I want to tell you it''s a joke, but that''s true.]


    Catalina and Kaiwan looked at Aamon sharply again.


    Yong-ho looked at Aamon, feeling betrayed, but Aamon was silent.


    Gusion quickly stood up and changed the topic, smiling slyly.


    "Anyway, it''s just good! I told you already that the guy who guarded the 5th floor was Sagittarius, right? I mean our inflexible knight Asclepius."


    "Yeah, you did. So what?"


    Yong-ho hurriedly responded to Gusion. Gusion winked at him slightly, and said, "The 5th floor is his armory. It''s a perfect place for him to confront his enemy."


    ***


    ''Gusion! You must be a trickster!''


    Yong-ho, who hid himself behind the wall, cursed at him. Even at this moment, dozens of arrows of light kept striking the walls ruthlessly and penetrated the passages between the walls.


    There was something special about the arrows, let alone the arrowhead and arrow shafts.


    The arrows, literally flying like light, exploded every time they collided with the wall.


    The noise of the explosion was so big that Yong-ho could hardly hear anything.


    So, he once again cursed and recalled what Gusion told him.


    "Sagittarius Asclepius, the knight of the sun. He''s a proud and honorable guy like his name suggests, though he is a bit too brusque. If he runs into you, he might express due manners to you like a noble knight."


    Actually, Asclepius was the opposite. When he ran into Yong-ho''s party, he reacted very shortly. All of a sudden, he fired arrows of light.


    "Master!"


    "Yong-ho!"


    "Block it!"


    Several voices rang at the same time. It was because the arrows, which had only been flying straight ahead, started to "turn" the moment they passed the wall.


    Yong-ho hurriedly stretched out his hands and created a shield of distortion. Catalina, who was right behind him, looked over the shield at Kaiwan on the opposite wall. Like Yong-ho, Kaiwan also protected Eligos and Ophelia by opening a shield of distortion.


    Kaaaaaakang!


    The arrows of light hitting the shields of distortion exploded in succession. Regardless of Yong-ho and Kaiwan''s efforts, the shields of distortion shook wildly.


    Yong-ho reinforced his mana and signaled to Kaiwan. Like his familiar spirit, Kaiwan immediately read his intention and nodded. Both of them signaled to each other with their eyes then hit the ground at the same time.


    It was a passage three meters wide. Yong-ho and Kaiwan created a barrier together. It would have been impossible if their relationship was just routine, but it was also possible to mix their power because both of them had a tight bond as a master and his familiar spirit.


    The large and thick shields of distortion stopped the arrows of light more smoothly.


    Yong-ho saw Centauros sitting in the middle of a large room beyond his blurred vision.


    Once again, Gusion''s words came to his mind.


    "I might speculate this, but don''t worry if he runs wild. If you obtain the fresh green armor from Mammon''s armory, you can negate most of his arrow attacks."


    ''Well, I think that must be the fresh green armor.''


    The lower body of Centauros was a nice black horse, and its upper body was a knight in green armor.


    The green armor seemed to be made of tree trunks and leaves. Thin stalks were placed all over the armor, like vines on the wall, and wide-grown leaves were stuck on its shoulders and chest.


    What Gusion told Yong-ho proved all wrong. Asclepius, the knight of the sun, was insane, and the green armor that could negate his attack covered his body.


    It wasn''t possible for Yong-ho to talk with Asclepius now. Moreover, Asclepius didn''t seem to stop being a mere threat to him. Like Baphomet on the second floor did, he tried to kill Yong-ho''s party.


    Swallowing, Yong-ho rolled his eyes. Because of the explosions caused by the arrows of light, his eyes were blurred, but he could easily see several corpses scattered throughout the floor. Most of them were probably the past dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Maybe one of them might be a previous master of the Mammon family.


    It was the moment for Yong-ho to make a decision.

 186 King’s Qualification 3

    Clenching his teeth, Yong-ho looked to the left and right with glaring eyes. Then, he conveyed his intentions to his dungeon spirits.


    "Kill him! I''m going to give up Asclepius. Kill him who became a madman!"


    Yong-ho grabbed the air with his right hand. Stretching down Aamon that arose from the flames, he stared at Asclepius over the shield. He counted the numbers deep down. He moved his hands with Kaiwan at the same time and deactivated the shields of distortion. Then he pierced in the air with Aamon repeatedly.


    There arose a strong wave of green flames. It was not for the purpose of killing him. He planned to block Asclepius''s vision with the green flames even for a moment, so his dungeon spirits could rush toward him. He could carry out such a plan because the green flames of greed could identify Yong-ho.


    The raging green flames quickly engulfed him like a beast. Eligos and Ophelia also awakened their beast nature. Kaiwan and Catalina threw themselves into the flames without any fear.


    And at that moment, the waves of the green flames were split in two. They were scattered into two groups but perfectly united as one as if heaven and earth were separated.


    Right at that moment, Yong-ho saw Asclepius splitting the green flames with the sword of the sun. He was a maniac, but at the same time, he was one of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon.


    The next moment was compressed then another moment came. Asclepius''s horse hoofs hit the ground hard. While holding the sword of the sun in his left hand loose, he took the giant spear in his right hand at the same time. Then he charged into the lingering green flames!


    It was a tremendous lance charging. Asclepius''s giant spear, which reached the highest speed when he moved only three steps, aimed at Yong-ho''s chest.


    However, Yong-ho wasn''t an easy target. It was because the moment he noticed Asclepius rushing toward him, he also started moving.


    His giant spear pierced the air. Yong-ho and Kaiwan flew on the left and right sides, not just content with merely avoiding his attack. Kaiwan twisted her body and swung her whip sword. The moment Yong-ho stepped on the ground, he twisted his body hard. Then he fired the green flames with Aamon loaded with centrifugal force, aiming at Asclepius''s exposed back.


    Kaiwan''s whip sword coiled around Asclepius''s right arm. The green flames engulfed Asclepius. Then Kaiwan floated into the air. It was Kaiwan who caught him, but it was Asclepius''s herculean force that turned her upside down.


    Kaiwan did not lose her whip sword. Yong-ho also did not attack Asclepius, who twisted after hitting the ground. It wasn''t just Yong-ho and Kaiwan who were here.


    "Skullkull!"


    "Kuuuuuuak!"


    Asclepius screamed in pain for the first time. He ran around violently and lifted the crossbow attached to his right hand. But nobody allowed for his next attack. Skull swung the hammer again, and Eligos and Ophelia also charged at him at the same time. Catalina also drew a moonlight sword and ran fast, keeping low as if she was stuck to the ground.


    Their attack synced with each other perfectly. When Skull''s hammer pushed Asclepius back again, Kaiwan stooped low on his armor and pierced between the armor with the devil''s nail. Ophelia''s sharp horn broke Asclepius''s right hind leg, while Catalina''s moonlight sword cut his left leg. Eligos punched his fist toward Asclepius''s back, who was losing his balance and collapsing. His punch that passed over Kaiwan''s head, who lay flat, showed off its terrifying destructive power.


    This time, Asclepius moaned silently. He was thrown toward the wall like a marionette that was completely broken. At that moment, Kaiwan, with her eyes closed tightly, created a wall of distortion between herself and Asclepius then blew herself away. The hand of the black giant, created by Catalina, grasped her floating in the air.


    Asclepius, flying nearly ten meters above ground, collided with the wall. The ceiling and floor shook.


    Eligos, who just blew a strong punch, let down his arms with a rough breathing. Skull turned around and glared at the wall where Asclepius collided, and Catalina hastily let Kaiwan down on the floor.


    Yong-ho took a step. Asclepius''s look was revealed as the dust disappeared. Centauros, with both legs broken, was pulling a big bow, sitting halfway down on the floor. Although his body was mangled by Eligos''s attack and Kaiwan''s devil curse, his arm that pulled the bow did not shake.


    Asclepius was a knight of the sun. However, the sun did not exist in the deep dungeon. His various divine powers, which were activated only under the sun, could not exert power.


    But he was still Mammon''s knight. Even at this moment when he was dying as a madman, he was pulling the bow without any trembling, which testified that he really was Mammon''s knight.


    Aamon whispered something to Yong-ho. Aamon did not beg Yong-ho to save Asclepius, formerly his faithful friend.


    Aamon knew that Asclepius could not be saved anymore. The faithful knight of the sun should have died that day with the king who was his sun. The king''s considerations for saving his life rather ruined his life now.


    Yong-ho grabbed Aamon. Catching his breath, he focused on the flow of mana.


    His dungeon spirits respected his intentions and stepped back.


    Asclepius let go of the bow and shot a golden arrow as bright as the sun.


    Yong-ho hit the ground. He read the flow of his mana. The moment the arrow left the bow, Yong-ho predicted the path of the arrow and ran without hesitation.


    An arrow brushed against Yong-ho''s cheek. The tip of Aamon''s spear pierced his green armor and then his chest.


    Yong-ho did not create the green flames. Asclepius''s heart, pierced by the spear, had been already broken since ancient times.


    Asclepius felt Aamon and sensed Yong-ho''s greed beyond him.


    His lips were wide open. For the first time since he met Yong-ho, he began to speak.


    He said in a squeezed voice, "You have saved the demon world¡­ my¡­ king."


    That was it. Asclepius couldn''t say anymore. The knight who lost his master and lived like a shell for a thousand years finally died.


    A new light came from the magic field on Yong-ho''s left arm. It was a brilliant orange symbolizing "honor", the power of Asclepius.


    Asclepius''s body collapsed like ashes. Yong-ho saw the images of Asclepius transmitted at the last minute.


    The king climbed the stairs alone. No one could follow him. They just had to say goodbye to him for good, who they had always followed.


    Asclepius was in despair. He cried at the fact that his king died and that the king no longer existed in this world. Contrary to the king''s intention, he died slowly in self-destruction for a thousand years.


    Yong-ho''s images of him disappeared. However, other memories emerged in his mind one after another.


    Gusion called Mammon''s name, crying bitter tears. Scathach also cried, next to him.


    Sitri said goodbye to Mammon while hugging Elune.


    Mammon chose to die alone to save everyone.


    Mammon was climbing the stairs.


    When the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon saw the king for the last time, they only saw his back as he climbed the stairs.


    What was there at the end of the stairs Mammon climbed?


    Why was the last fight involving Mammon and his 12 Spirits not known to the demon world?


    ''My king who saved the demon world!''


    [Just because he possessed the sin and wonder, can he be called a king?]


    It was Aamon''s voice, not Asclepius''s, that came out last.


    Yong-ho looked down at Aamon. However, Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus, still refused to answer. It became a ray of flame and hid itself.


    Yong-ho did not pressure Aamon. There were things that he could find out without doing so.


    Mammon saved the demon world, but that was it. His action did not affect the present.


    That was why Aamon and other dungeon spirits hid what had happened to Mammon from Yong-ho. After all, there was nothing that would harm Yong-ho himself.


    Yong-ho thought to himself that he would wait, waiting for the time Gusion mentioned to him.


    And he thought it was coming quite soon. It felt that way.


    "Skull Skull."


    He heard Skull''s voice above his head. It was laughing loud, as always. Just by looking at it, Yong-ho felt like he got a load off his chest.


    He quietly looked down at Asclepius''s relics, the sun sword, the green armor, the unknown crossbow, and the big archery. After a brief silence on the faithful knight, like Gusion said, he turned around.


    He saw his dungeon spirits. He laughed out loud on purpose.


    Then he clapped loudly and said, "Let''s go and collect the booty as much as we can."


    Skull chuckled again. Catalina fluttered her tail, and Kaiwan nodded happily.


    Eligos and Ophelia opened the door of the armory. Tigrius, who did nothing in the fight against Asclepius, lighted the dark armory with a magic light.


    Lucia said, [I will start taking control of the arsenal.]


    Mammon''s armory was now taken control of by a new master.

 187 Encounter 1

    The core of the dungeon was its master.


    So, when the master died, the soul of the dungeon also died. The dungeon, where the dungeon''s soul died, could not perform its various functions. Even if the dungeon itself survived, it dried up before long because the supply of mana was cut off.


    Therefore, in dungeon battles, it was as important to defend the master to protect the heart of the dungeon.


    It was for this reason that the master''s room was usually near the heart of the dungeon.


    The master was supposed to be protected in thorough defense against any outside attack.


    However, ironically, the master, who was protected like that, was often the strongest power of the dungeon. It meant that the master often had to hide the most powerful weapons without ever using them.


    When applied to a chess game, the master was like a mix of king and queen. Although he was the strongest horse that could crisscross the enemy line, he would lose the game when his horse died. In a way, it was like a double-edged sword.


    The king was no exception.


    The ''country'' ruled by each king could be called a huge dungeon, a collection of dozens of dungeons.


    The king was the country''s most powerful force. Compared to modern warfare, the king could be compared to a tactical nuclear weapon.


    Therefore, the movement of the kings was important. Depending on where the king was located, the situation of the war could be affected.


    In some cases, the king hid himself thoroughly like the King of Lust, and in other cases, he kept his enemies in check by engaging in the fight actively, like the King of Fury.


    The King of Gluttony used to prefer the King of Lust''s method to that of the King of Fury.


    But this time, he had no choice but to follow that of the King of Fury because the military force of the dragon legion dispatched by the King of Violence was so powerful.


    The King of Gluttony, who redeployed to the southern border about half of the troops deployed on the border with the territory of the King of Envy, exposed himself.


    The King of Gluttony''s troops led by giant beasts caused fear among lots of people just by advancing to the frontline. The people of the King of Gluttony, who were alarmed by the army of dragons that had suddenly approached them, regained a sense of stability amid fear. They even praised the King of Gluttony, saying he was the strongest king.


    However, the King of Gluttony, leading the army, was not satisfied because the size of the dragon corps was so huge beyond imagination.


    Flying monsters such as Wyverns and Drakes, which comprised most of the dragon corps, were not a problem to him. Although they numbered thousands, he didn''t feel like they were a big threat.


    What mattered to him most was the dragons. There were too many dragons.


    Faced with dragons like this, it was natural that the King of Gluttony was on edge. Of course, he had numerous minions including all kinds of monsters.


    It was not because he was afraid of the dragon corps deployed at the border. What was most disturbing to him, and what angered him the most was that he could not find the whereabouts of the King of Violence.


    Shortly after the legion of dragons began marching, Dragon Rare, the King of Violence''s land, literally became an absolute fortress. Without the King of Gluttony himself going there in person or sending his elite troops, any general reconnaissance force could not approach there to detect his exact location.


    Where was the King of Violence now after he sent the legion of dragons? Was he still stuck in his Dragon Rare? Or was he enjoying staying in the polymorph state, called the dragon''s proprietary patent?


    Hiding the king''s location was as much a powerful strategy as revealing his location. It was very annoying to face an enormous enemy in a situation where they did not know when and where the enemy would appear, and a very devastating force at that.


    Even his appetite could not soothe the anger of the King of Gluttony. Even if he ate an awful lot of delicious foods, and even if he had sex with lots of beauties including Apsaras, he could not calm down his annoyance.


    Why did the King of Violence move now?


    Where the hell was he now?


    The King of Gluttony felt a new appetite in rage.


    The southern area. The land he thought he could lay his hand on anytime if he reached out.


    But the King of Gluttony suppressed his desire. He had a little more patience.


    Now that the King of Violence was posing a threat to him, he could not move into the south recklessly. Now was the time for him to wait patiently. He needed to watch the situation a little more.


    ''The King of Violence.''


    The King of Gluttony gnawed his teeth. He stared at the south, looking forward to the day when he would bite the King of Violence''s heart.


    ***


    The King of Fury looked to the south. However, the direction he gazed at was somewhat different from that of the King of Gluttony. She looked to the southwest, the territory of the King of Violence.


    "I wonder what the hell my uncle is thinking now."


    The King of Fury, dressed in white, twisted her dark blue hair with her fingers. Contrary to what she expected at the auction house, there was no envoy or letter from the King of Violence. Like the King of Gluttony, the King of Fury could not know what the King of Violence felt inside.


    Kirtimuka kept gulping, who insisted on wearing the armor of the Yacha after returning from the auction house. With a tense look, she whispered to the King of Fury, "Wouldn''t the legion of dragons under the control of the King of Violence make a surprise attack on us?"


    In fact, most of the Yachas and Asuras, who were in charge of combat among the king''s people, had been deployed on the northern and eastern borders. In this situation, if the dragon corps located in the south marched, the King of Fury would helplessly collapse.


    It was the most terrible scenario for the King of Fury and her people.


    But the King of Fury shook her head violently.


    "No, I don''t think he will. You don''t have to worry about that. Rather, you should be prepared for the possibility that the King of Gluttony will attack us."


    She wasn''t just ranting like a child now. She believed in her own insight. The King of Violence was still her ally.


    Kirtimuka held her tongue at her resolute response. It was because she knew the King of Fury''s stubbornness, but she trusted the king absolutely.


    Kirtimuka turned the topic.


    "I am still worried because the battle in the north is not over yet."


    The King of Fury sighed. The war in the north was still dominated by the King of Pride.


    If the war went on like this, the King of Gluttony would be faced with a situation that she didn''t want.


    Just thinking about the fight in the north made her annoyed. Whichever side won, it was clear that there would be a bigger war in succession.


    The northern area was now a big-time bomb.


    As the face of the King of Fury clouded quickly, Kirtimuka realized her mistake. She urgently tried to appease the king with comforting words.


    "I think our Kalavinkas, scouting all over the place, will bring you good news."


    "That would be great, but..."


    It was like she kissed and stabbed at the same time, but the King of Fury didn''t care. Looking to the south a little more, she fidgeted with her hands habitually.


    Kirtimuka asked, "By the way, Master. What have you been drawing for some time?"


    "Huh?"


    Kirtimuka glanced at her hand, and she looked down at her own hand. She had a pencil in her right hand and a sheet of paper on her thigh. She was drawing something carelessly, and now there was a pretty good portrait in front of her eyes.


    The King of Fury was embarrassed.


    "Uh, huh?"


    The Gandharva race stood out in art as a whole. As the chief Gandarva, her painting skills were outstanding. Even though she drew it roughly, the portrait had a photographic precision.


    Approaching her already, Kirtimuka looked down at the painting.


    "It looks handsome. It''s a male face, right?"


    "Uh, yes. He is¡­"


    The King of Fury blurred awkwardly. Kirtimuka narrowed her eyes at her awkwardness, and soon she noticed that the King of Fury was mentally wandering around, looking for a place to go. Kirtimuka thought for a moment then she got startled.


    "Oops! Is this the guy you met at the auction house? Then, is this an imaginary portrait? Oh my God... I didn''t know you fell in love with him so deeply. Did you imagine your face just by looking at one of his eyes? Are you in deep love with him?"


    "This is not an imaginary portrait. I saw him directly."


    The King of Fury replied hurriedly then blushed before she knew it.


    Kirtimuka asked again, "Are you talking about his bare face without the mask?"


    "Yeah. Of course, I saw him only briefly."


    The King of Fury regained her composure. Fanning off the heat on her face with her hand, she said, "Anyway, stop talking nonsense. I just drew his portrait to kill time."


    However, Kirtimuka was still narrowing her eyes. Then she picked up the portrait. She examined it and said in a very serious voice, "The fact that he participated in the special auction means that he has a strong force of his own. Or at least his own ability is excellent. It would be nice if he was not in the control of another king... Maybe he will be a great help to you, master."


    "Do you think so?"

 188 Encounter 2

    The King of Fury pricked her ears a bit as if she was lured by what Kirtimuka just said.


    Kirtimuka laughed again at her response. Even if she lined up handsome Devana Gandharva guys in the field, her master never showed any interest in them. Given her track record like this, Kirtimuka never expected her master would show interest in a man. But her master was different this time.


    Right at that moment, a strong breeze blew through the large open window. Translucent white fabrics fluttered violently, and Kirtimuka had to close her eyes tightly, though briefly.


    But the King of Fury was different. She jumped up and greeted another friend of hers.


    "Gardimundi


    Appearing through the window was Garura-Gardimundi in red scale armor. With red feathers, wings, and bird-like feet, she traveled around the world and served as the King of Fury''s eyes and ears, apart from Kalavinkas.


    Gardimundi happily waved her hand at the King of Fury, who welcomed him so friendly and jumped from the window frame and approached her.


    Kirtimuka screamed angrily, "You''re so rude! How many times did I tell you to come through the main gate to see our master?"


    She scolded Gardimundi severely like a Yacha woman. But she just ignored Kirtimuka''s anger as if she got used to it. Obviously, the two growled at each other like cats and dogs. After all, the King of Fury quickly opened her arms to mediate between the two.


    Gardimundi knelt to pay respect to her and blinked. Even though she didn''t express due manners, she again stood up suddenly.


    "Gosh, you wretched girl!"


    "Wait a minute. Isn''t he the master of the Mammon family?"


    Kirtimuka''s cursing and Gardimundi''s voice were mixed. Quickly taking the portrait from Kirtimuka''s hand, Gardimundi nodded in succession.


    "It looks like the man in the portrait was pretty much beautified, as if painted by a woman enchanted with a man... But I think he is definitely the master of the Mammon family. Where did you get this?"


    She asked the King of Fury.


    "Master of the Mammon family?"


    "Tell me about him a little more. Do you know this man?"


    This time, the voices of the King of Fury and Kirtimuka were mixed.


    Gardimundi shrugged and said, "Sure, I know him. He''s one of the targets I went out for reconnaissance this time."


    The King of Fury opened her eyes wide. Kirtimuka began to get nervous. Both were aware of the House of Mammon. But she needed to double-check.


    Gardimundi wriggled her eyebrows several times as if she felt strange about their reaction. She then said in an exaggerated tone as if she was an actor, "Yong-ho Cheon. The current master of the House of Mammon. He is a brave man who was not just content with rebuilding the ruined House of Mammon but has unified the unclaimed land in the south."


    ***


    [Wow. Good!]


    [I think not only Skull''s unit members but also the black orc squadron members can arm themselves with these weapons.]


    Lucia, who took control of the armory, spoke cheerfully.


    The inside of the armory was very simple. A large room with a high ceiling was filled with cabinets, and various weapons were stacked up inside the cabinets. Yong-ho felt as if he entered a big supermarket.


    Kaiwan, the descendant of the Mammon family like Yong-ho, puffed out her chest broadly.


    Then she said with a bit of conceit and pride, "It''s no wonder this place is amazing because the eight-handed Baruna''s creations are stored here."


    At that moment, Yong-ho laughed, recalling Kaiwan''s armory. He gently closed and opened his eyes once to look at the mana inside the armory.


    It was so dazzling. Among the weapons that filled the armory, there really wasn''t any single item that wasn''t cast with spells.


    Tigrius, the most knowledgeable about magic among Yong-ho''s party, picked up a sword nearby. He gently pulled it out of the sheath. He looked at the blade and said, "It seems that most of them seem to have been put in the magic of sharpening or material enhancement. If they are armed with these weapons, the combat power of the Skull unit will be terrifying."


    In fact, the Skull unit surpassed normal skeletons with the power of synchronization alone. So, if all of them were armed with magical weapons, they could be a formidable force that was a match for a hundred.


    "Skull Skull."


    With a hearty laugh, Skull raised his hand and pointed to the inside of the armory. At a glance, it was a place where special items, not typical items, were on display.


    ''Armor. I need armor.''


    In fact, the composition of the current dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon was quite asymmetric because most of them were "warriors", who were good at close-range combat only.


    Comparing it with online games, it was a crude mix with no long-range dealers like a wizard or archer in the party, let alone a healer.


    Of course, Yong-ho himself or Kaiwan could attack the enemy at a distance with the green flames or a whip sword. There was also Tigrius, a wizard, even though there was only one. But it was not enough. Given that he was fighting with his dungeon spirits usually, he needed to find more long-range dealers and wizards for a more efficient party formation.


    ''Of course, I can''t improvise the dungeon spirits because of that.''


    So, Yong-ho wanted armor. Since he could not make up for the insufficient spirits immediately, he had to find a way to utilize the existing forces as efficiently as possible.


    From his perspective, Yong-ho thought that he and his dungeon spirits had sufficient attack power. But their defensive power was weak, so much so that it was just so poor. Since there was no healer he could use at the front line, reinforcing the defensive power was more desperate.


    "A dragon leotard?"


    The first thing that caught Yong-ho''s eyes was the red leather armor worn on a mannequin without limbs.


    In fact, it was armor in name only. It was so thin as to be called tights. He felt like it was even a swimsuit because it was an all-in-one with no limbs.


    However, it was armor stored in Mammon''s armory. Its mana was unusual when Yong-ho felt it.


    Kaiwan, standing by Yong-ho, looked at the nameplate on the mannequin''s neck and said with a smile, "It''s made of dragon leather, although it is for women. It looks like it suits me or Catalina. I don''t think it will interfere with my movement. Who are you going to give it, Yong-ho?"


    Catalina pricked her ears at her seductive voice.


    Yong-ho replied with a smile, "There is one more suit over there. Both of you can wear it."


    Kaiwan frowned as she got the wrong answer from him, while Catalina was happy, flapping her tail.


    Eligos raised his voice, "Oh! I found something suitable for you, master!"


    Not only Yong-ho, but everyone in the armory turned to Eligos.


    Eligos, looking very pleased, pointed to the armor in front of him.


    All of them without exception gave an exclamation of surprise. The glittering light that seemed to have melted the moonlight caught their attention.


    Metallic dragon armor.


    It was an armor made of silver dragon scales and leather, very rare among dragons.


    [I think you have a discerning eye, Eligos, as the butler of the great House of Mammon!]


    [It is the item that ranks the highest among the equipment registered in the armory.]


    [Materials are none other than silver dragon leather, scales, and bones! Besides, Brigada and various precious metals were added.]


    [The producer is ''eight-handed Baruna'', as expected.]


    While listening to Lucia''s explanation, Yong-ho''s eyes glittered. It was awesome, so much so that he recognized its value without her explanation. In this arsenal, there was no object that released more high-quality mana than the silver dragon armor in front of them.


    The silver dragon armor was worn on a mannequin like a dragon leotard. However, unlike the dragon''s leotard, it had both arms and legs. There was no exposure of the bare skin because it had silver armor on the black tights.


    Tigrius said, "Most of these types of armor have detachable magic. When you activate the magic with the starting word, the armor is automatically dismantled and then wrapped around the owner''s body and reunited."


    "Like Iron Man?"


    "Uh?"


    Tigrius narrowed his eyebrows at his question.


    Yong-ho giggled. Lucia spoke on behalf of Tigrius.


    [Since you have taken control of the armory, you are the owner of all weapons here.]


    [If you find out the starting word, you will be able to install it immediately.]


    "It is written here. Starting word."


    As if she listened to Lucia, Kaiwan opened the nameplate attached to the neck of the mannequin and showed it to Yong-ho. Under the simple and clear name, Silver Dragon Armor, there was various information in fine characters, such as type number, material, etc.


    "It''s so simple that I have to enter it again later."


    Looking at his bitter smile, Kaiwan egged on him to wear the armor.


    Standing next to her, Catalina''s eyes also twinkled.


    "Skull Skull."


    Even Skull urged him now.


    After all, Yong-ho couldn''t wait any longer. After passing the nameplate to Eligos, he took a big breath. He said shyly, "Wear me."


    At first, it was a simple voice. However, some meaning arose from that voice.


    Yong-ho, who could see the flow of mana with his eyes, could directly observe the extraordinary happenings on the silver dragon armor.


    His heart was beating. The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon nervously looked at the silver dragon armor and Yong-ho hopping on the mannequin.


    Right at that moment, they heard a strange noise.


    Paaaat!


    The clothes that Yong-ho wore were shattered into pieces with the noise. To be precise, his clothes were torn and scattered in the air.


    Yong-ho was embarrassed when he felt suddenly cold, and the dungeon spirits were even more embarrassed. It was only a second or so, but he became naked completely.


    Shortly afterward, mana was released violently in succession. The new black mana that entwined his whole body quickly became tights that stuck to his body. It was like the mannequin was wearing it.


    Only then did the silver dragon armor start to move. The silver dragon armor that was shattered into dozens of pieces quickly flew from the mannequin onto his body. Then they began to be reunited as he expected.


    Click, click. A pleasant metallic sound was heard in succession.


    Yong-ho straightened his back and soon felt a pleasant sense of bondage when the silver dragon armor tightened his body.


    "Whew!"

 189 Encounter 3

    At that moment, he let out a breath before he knew it. The silver dragon armor covered his entire body, except for the left arm armed with a magic field and his head.


    It was such a spectacle, but the dungeon spirits were still confused and embarrassed.


    Ophelia, who made eye contact with Yong-ho, gave a pleasant exclamation briefly then held up her thumb with an awkward smile. He decided not to think about what she meant.


    "That''s great."


    Tigrius, who first came to his senses, spoke. Kaiwan giggled, and Catalina flapped her ears, blushing.


    Yong-ho focused on the armor. It was surprisingly light. He felt as if he was not wearing anything.


    ''Well, I feel like I''m wearing underwear.''


    He moved his body one by one, starting with his fingers. Since he became a demon king, he had gained considerable herculean power. But it seemed that he could now exert several times as much power as that.


    ''Is it a power armor rather than a simple armor?''


    Reinforced armored suit.


    It was an equipment that not only protected the wearer, but it also reinforced his various abilities.


    In fact, there was nothing new because most of the magic armor reinforced the wearer''s abilities with magic.


    Yong-ho was surprised again when he tapped his chest hard because he didn''t feel any shock. So, he knocked it a little harder, but he felt the same.


    "Silver dragon armor disperses and absorbs the impact at the same time."


    Tigrius uncharacteristically explained in an excited voice.


    As someone who lived as a master for a long time, Tigrius had never actually seen a dragon armor, though he saw it in the old document. Seeing its performance before his eyes, he couldn''t help but admire it.


    "Wow!"


    Yong-ho again moved his body back and forth. He was surprised for the third time because he felt something weird all of a sudden.


    "Tail?"


    The big, thick tail down from the place where the tailbone was located shook lightly. It was an artificial tail made by attaching dozens of small pieces of metal in a row.


    Yong-ho tried moving his tail. As it was missing in a human body, Yong-ho might find it hard to move it, but surprisingly, he got used to it quickly. This time he moved it hard. Given that it carried his power, it seemed that he could use it as an offensive weapon.


    When Yong-ho waved his tail, it was Catalina who was the most thrilled and happy. She also flapped her tail excessively.


    "By the way, it suddenly came to my mind."


    While he was absorbed into demonstrating the functions of his silver dragon armor in front of the dungeon spirits, Yong-ho drew their attention. Turning to them, he asked, "Wouldn''t I invite the dragons'' grudge if I go around, wearing equipment made of dragons like this? I''m not really scared of their grudge, of course."


    Just as ordinary people have an instinctive aversion to tools made of human bones, dragons would most likely feel the same when humans were wearing tools made of dragons. Maybe Yong-ho might invite their unexpected grudge.


    ''The King of Violence was also called the Dragon Lord.''


    Of course, as he said at first, he wasn''t really scared. It just came to his mind.


    Tigrius and Ophelia looked at each other, and as if by an unspoken agreement, Ophelia opened her mouth, "Well, you don''t have to worry about such a problem. Dragons are complete giants by themselves. They don''t care about even their little babies where or how they live once their hatchling days are over. And their life and death after that are their own, not anybody else."


    "Well, it''s pretty dreary."


    Ophelia shook her head and said with a smile, "In a way, it can also be called ''respect'' of their own lives. But that doesn''t mean they are just cold-hearted. Although it is rarer than other races, dragons are also aware of their own race. Dragons usually react to the appalling scene that they can''t bear to see with their eyes open."


    "The reason why equipment is made with dragon bones, leather, and scales is because they are the best materials. Even the dragons don''t feel appalled at this kind of thing that Ophelia mentioned," Tigrius said, picking up where Ophelia left.


    Yong-ho once again looked at the silver dragon armor.


    "Is this in that best equipment category?"


    That was true. It was the best armor in anybody''s eyes. Nobody could make a mockery of this armor. According to Ophelia and Tigrius''s explanation, even the King of Violence would not show any reaction to Yong-ho''s silver dragon armor.


    [Overall, you''re right. But when it comes to the story about the armor, it''s a bit different.]


    A voice flowed from the red bracelet on Yong-ho''s right arm, another form of Aamon.


    Thanks to his continued strength, Aamon was able to talk to him to some extent outside the arena.


    Naturally, they turned their eyes at Yong-ho.


    Aamon whispered.


    [Young master! The silver dragon armor you are wearing is made of the bones and leather of the silver dragon Ernasaga, the dragon rod of the day.]


    "Oh oh."


    Yong-ho gave out an exclamation automatically. Although he thought it was unusual, he never knew the armor was made of the Dragon Lord''s bones and leather.


    Kaiwan clapped her hands and said, "I''ve seen it in a storybook. The fight between Mammon and the silver dragon!"


    "I know it, too. It was a tremendous showdown where the heaven and earth shook!"


    Catalina chimed in. The story of Mammon and his 12 Spirits was a legend in the demon world. All the other dungeon spirits nodded as if they also heard the story.


    [Yes, that''s right. It was a fight that lasted for three days and nights.]


    Yong-ho could naturally imagine the battle between the giant silver dragon and Mammon. It seemed that his dungeon spirits also imagined the same thing. Kaiwan even gulped.


    [After that battle, Mammon fought almost all of the remaining members of the Silver Dragon family. That''s why the Silver Dragon clan was virtually extinct.]


    "Was it the revenge of the Silver Dragon clan who lost their master?"


    [No, that''s not true. As the young master''s dungeon spirit explained, dragons seldom get even with the enemy, even if their leader is killed.]


    "Why?"


    Why did the Silver Dragon clan attack Mammon? Why did they fight until their clan was annihilated?


    Aamon didn''t answer right away. Somehow, he felt like he was hesitating for a moment then he whispered, [Mammon made bags and accessories from part of Ernasaga''s leather and presented them to Elune and Sitri.]


    [Maybe there are a few left in Elune''s room on the bottom floor. Sitri might still be keeping them even now.]


    Yong-ho blinked so did Kaiwan and Catalina. Ophelia and Eligos looked at each other.


    Tigrius cleared his throat and said, "Hmmm. Silver Dragons were a race of honor."


    Tigrius came up with a fantastic explanation.


    [Mammon also knew the cause belatedly and regretted it greatly.]


    "I see¡­"


    Yong-ho suddenly felt sorry about the silver dragon armor.


    He cleared his throat like Tigrius did then changed the topic again.


    He allowed the dungeon spirits to freely choose the equipment they liked.


    ''Shall I give the fresh green armor to Rikum? I think it would be better for Catalina to use the sun sword with her moonlight sword.''


    Yong-ho took a step back and watched them search for their items.


    After some time, Aamon, who had been silent, called Yong-ho again.


    [Young master.]


    [If you occupy the next floor, you will have half of the Labyrinth of Greed.]


    [You have already owned half the arena.]


    In a way, Aamon didn''t have to remind Yong-ho about it.


    However, there must be a reason why Aamon brought it up in this place, not in the arena, by consuming a lot of mana.


    [It seems that the day when I will call you master, and thus reveal the truths of the past that you want to know, is not far off.]


    "Aamon."


    Yong-ho felt Aamon''s smile.


    Then Aamon whispered, [The owners of the 6th floor have the exact power that you need. If you make good use of their power, you will be able to rise to a higher level with your current power.]


    "Owners?"


    [There are two owners on the 6th floor.]


    [Gemini, Yuho and Yuan of yin and yang.]


    [Their strength is ''harmony.'']


    ***


    "Please tell me a little more."


    "I don''t have any more to tell you. I just observed him. And I just gathered rumors getting around in the tavern."


    Gardimundi shrugged and rubbed her red hair. Kirtimuka didn''t like her rude behavior but forgave her for now. She quickly turned to the King of Fury and said, "Although it was despised because it was an abandoned land, you can never ignore the vast size of the unclaimed land in the south. But this man has unified the whole land there. If we can have a ''good relationship'' with him, he will surely be of great help to our people."


    The King of Fury curled her lips and responded, "Good relationship?"


    "Yes! Good relationship! Isn''t it good for you because he is not under any king now? I think we had better hurry up to have him on our side."


    Kirtimuka got his face closer to the King of Fury and said, "It seems he has a great character, given that he not only recovered the bodies of the killed in the battle but also compensated their bereaved families. I feel like he is going to be a great king."


    The King of Fury nodded on impulse but sincerely. It was no exaggeration to say that she was the only king who cared about the welfare of the killed soldiers'' bereaved families. Then there appeared another man!


    "Even though the House of Mammon collapsed, he is the master of the prestigious Mammon family with a long history and tradition, so I think he is in the same league as you. Of course, the House of Mammon has been resurrected now."


    Having said that, Kirtimuka winked at her. The King of Fury, who already read her mind well, quickly pushed her aside and said, "Hey, don''t talk nonsense anymore!"


    Contrary to her rebuke, her cheeks were burning red. Besides, her earlobes were also red, and her mouth was strangely turned up with a smile.


    Kirtimuka laughed openly, even though she fell on her buttocks. Once again, the King of Fury squeezed her lips and looked at the portrait of the master of the Mammon family she painted.


    Watching her quietly, Gardimundi thought, ''Let me hide the rumor that he is a womanizer. Its credibility is low anyway.''


    The King of Fury raised the portrait and smiled shyly before she knew it.


    ***


    The King of Violence raised his head.


    He wasn''t mentally alert now. His body, which would reach hundreds of meters in length, moved directly in decades. The giant dragon''s eyelids shook off the weight of years. One person was reflected in his golden eyes, which caused fear in those who looked at them.


    After raising his head, the King of Violence raised himself up. He looked down at the visitor from high above. Although he invited this visitor, he didn''t expect the visitor would appear.


    "It''s been a long time."


    His small and low voice was amplified. The breathing of the Dragon Lord, who inherited the fantastic vein, became magic itself. The room where the King of Violence stayed was filled with the great king''s mana.


    The visitor looked up. With his black robes letting down, the visitor looked straight at the King of Violence. The visitor acted proudly. Even though he faced one of the six kings who ruled the demon realm, he showed no fear or embarrassment.


    The King of Violence made eye contact with the visitor. With respect, he called the visitor''s name.


    "King of Sloth."


    Their eyes crossed once again.

 190 Rude Awakening 1

    The news about the King of Violence''s military provocations reached the House of Mamon.


    Yong-ho and Ophelia decided to take it as good luck. Faced with the real threat of the King of Violence right now, it was very unlikely that the King of Gluttony would attack the southern area.


    Instead of being in a hurry and impatient, Yong-ho set into motion his action plan one by one.


    He moved the entire living facilities on the first floor to the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. The original place of the facilities was filled with the dungeon defense facilities.


    He also moved the heart room where Lucia was located to the fifth floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. Although he felt sorry for Yuria, who just made friends with Lucia, who was also very disappointed, it was inevitable. The heart of the dungeon had to be kept in the safest place.


    It took some time for him to move the dungeon facilities and establish a new defense facility. In the meantime, he carried out the evolution of the dungeon spirits that he had postponed.


    The Skull unit, which brought a lot of achievements in its eastern expedition, had many members eligible for promotion. Thanks to their synchronization, its skeleton soldiers and skeleton warriors carried out excellent performance as skeleton warriors and skeleton knights respectively, so the Skull unit''s combat power greatly improved through several promotions of its members.


    In the case of general dungeons, when the dungeon grew and brought in stronger dungeon spirits, the existing spirits were usually abandoned because most of them were much weaker than their new counterparts.


    However, thanks to the power of evolution, no dungeon spirit at the House of Mammon was abandoned, for they also grew together with the dungeon.


    After evolving the goblin rangers to the point that they had little traces of goblins except for their green skin, Yong-ho stretched himself. Although he evolved hundreds of dungeon spirits until now, he had some other work to do.


    "How about taking a break without overworking yourself"


    Kaiwan sat on the armrest of his chair and put her hand on Yong-ho''s shoulder.


    He felt he was working too much like Kaiwan said, but he couldn''t delay again.


    He said, gently pushing her away, "Because time is gold."


    "Well, if you think so¡­"


    Unexpectedly, she gave up easily then stood beside other dungeon spirits. They were lined up, facing his chair.


    "Everyone can get a promotion except for Skull."


    Their promotion was overdue because all of them got promoted a long time ago.


    Regrettably, it was impossible to evolve Skull through combination magic. It was because Sitri couldn''t find a suitable Necromancer Undead.


    "Skullkull."


    "Let me do something about Catalina first."


    When Yong-ho called, Catalina, who was standing next to Skull, came along. Her current position was Shadow Mystress. Yong-ho promoted her to Shadow Queen by activating the power of evolution.


    On the surface, Catalina, who was standing at the place where the radiant green light disappeared, did not change significantly. However, Yong-ho, who could see her and her mana directly, felt a marked difference. And there was somebody who noticed a subtle difference, too.


    "Well, I wonder if that''s what Yong-ho prefers. I hope he can change me like her."


    Since she noticed that Yong-ho could change one''s appearance with the power of evolution as he wished, Kaiwan cracked jokes like that whenever she had a chance. Eligos, who was the next one after Catalina, approached him anxiously while Ophelia giggled. So, she only moved her lips to convey her intention to Yong-ho silently.


    "Well, yes. That way."


    When Yong-ho responded naturally, Eligos flinched.


    He looked back and asked, "Promotion¡­ I''m getting promoted, right?"


    "Don''t worry about it. I''ll get you one."


    With Eligos being tense and anxious, Yong-ho promoted Eligos by activating the power of evolution. Now promoted from Red Demon Tyrant to Red Demon Genocide, he had a hairy chest and wild look.


    Ophelia was happy about the outcome of her promotion. She was promoted from Red Demon Breaker to Red Demon Champion, and Tigrius was promoted from Wizard to Warlock.


    Kaiwan, who went through evolution after becoming Yong-ho''s familiar spirit, got a promotion for the first time, so she was rather uncharacteristically nervous and tense this time.


    Yong-ho, who felt the urge to tease her, put his palms on her cheeks. Then even before Kaiwan could begin to complain, he activated the power of evolution.


    Her hair when she got promoted from Sword Queen to Sword Empress turned a little more like a flame. She laughed after checking herself as a whole.


    "Oh gosh! How can I get this plastic surgery without any side effects? I think I am blessed with a man."


    Yong-ho turned away from her with an effort then pondered over whether to evolve Skull. Since they repeatedly went through evolution and promotion, the dungeon spirits'' EXP accumulation slowed down a lot. Since Sitri said she would get him Necromancer Undead within a few days, it might be better for him to postpone their evolution.


    "Skull Skull."


    As if it read Yong-ho''s agony, Skull shouted, showing both palms. It seemed Skull wanted Yong-ho to delay evolving him.


    "Okay, take a good break today, everyone. We''re going to start attacking the 6th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed right away tomorrow morning."


    Yong-ho made the announcement, and each of the dungeon spirits moved to their room.


    Instead of standing up right away, Yong-ho sat on the chair and looked at Aamon, placed in the form of a bracelet on his right arm. He recalled what Aamon said right after the attack on the fifth floor.


    ***


    "They''re really terrifying."


    The dungeon monsters that occupied the 6th floor were not comparable to those on the 4th or 5th floor. Not only the white-haired gorilla-shaped monster Lesser Demons that eat Ogres, but also Cyclops, the one-eyed giant, and Stragos, the prince of the ghouls who were not comparable with ordinary ghouls, came out in droves.


    However, when Kaiwan said it was terrifying, she didn''t refer to the dungeon monsters. She was talking about the Skull unit slaughtering the dungeon monsters after they synchronized with Skull.


    As Yong-ho expected, the Skull unit, armed with magical equipment on the 5th floor, really boasted of their tremendous combat power. They were no different from the unit with hundreds of Skeleton Knights.


    Given that they had the attribute of the tireless undead, they had a combat power strong enough to beat thousands or even tens of thousands of Skeleton Warriors.


    On the 6th floor, there were various living spaces as well as a prison and a torture room. Although Eligos strongly expressed his desire of touring the place, he couldn''t because of Ophelia who had complete control over him. Eligos knew when to restrain himself.


    With Eligos feeling frustrated, they examined the whole 6th floor for a while. Finally, Yong-ho''s party reached Yuhoyuan''s room next to the passage leading to the 7th floor.


    Since the Skull unit was in charge of the battle to take over the 6th-floor attack, Yong-ho and his dungeon spirits did not waste their physical strength at all. Skull and Eligos, at the order of Yong-ho, who signaled to them with his eyes, opened a large steel door.


    Gemini Yuho and Yuan of yin and yang.


    There was little record about the duo, in particular, among Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    Aamon said the two were already dead, just like Elune and Baruna. However, Aamon also said that the duo might have left behind their surrogates with a high probability.


    The room, which looked about ten meters wide and twenty meters long, was full of toys.


    Unlike other rooms so far, this room itself was equipped with a bed and other furniture as if it were a living space.


    Yong-ho first stepped into the room. Then, a soft light appeared on the chair at the end of the room. A pile of light that closely resembled what he saw in Elune''s room in the past became united and formed a human shape. It was a boy and a girl sitting side by side.


    "Hi."


    The boy, who looked a little over ten years old, was dressed in black. His hair was grey, and his eyes were blue.


    The girl sitting next to the boy was dressed in white. Contrastingly, her hair was black and her eyes were red.


    Both were a boy and a girl who were pretty like dolls.


    The boy and the girl opened their mouths before Yong-ho could even say anything.


    "It''s the first time anybody has come to this room with Aamon."


    The duo continued, "You even have Godly Energy!."


    Not all of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon challenged their masters with battle-related tests.


    The boy and the girl beckoned to Yong-ho to come closer.


    When he and his dungeon spirits approached them close enough, they continued, "I don''t think you need a cumbersome test"


    "If you can handle the power of harmony properly, you have already passed the test."


    The way they spoke to Yong-ho was far from childish. Both of them seemed exhausted.


    What was left in this place was the same replica of those that existed in Elune''s room.


    Yuho and Yuan beckoned to Yong-ho again and asked them to stand in front of them.


    Yong-ho stood in front of Yuho and Yuan, and the two looked up at him.


    For the first time, they made a childish smile.


    "You look like the master."


    Yuho and Yuan raised their hands at the same time and touched his Godly Energy, then transferred their power to him naturally.


    The power of Yuhoyuan was harmony.


    Aamon once told Yong-ho that it was particularly important, unlike the typical power.


    The moment he accepted the power of harmony, Yong-ho knew it.


    He seemed to know what he had to do with this power, and why Yuho and Yuan said that dealing with the power of harmony itself would be a test.


    Yong-ho exercised the power of harmony. His power was not limited locally, but he let it engulf himself. He used it for everything he had.


    It was a vast power that made him feel dazzled. He felt dizzy.


    In the meantime, he maximized his senses then he found some familiar energies in no time.

 191 Rude Awakening 2

    The power of harmony.


    Yong-ho used it harmoniously. It smoothly connected forces that had been somewhat disorderly connected until now. What was really affected was the power of the dungeon spirits, in particular.


    A space that could accept the dungeon spirits.


    Each domain of the dungeon spirits in it was in harmony with each other. The gap was filled, and the space they occupied was reduced. The area that had been expanded when Stravadi, the loser of the eastern area was defeated, had more space now.


    Now he could say that was enough. If he exerted the power of harmony once again, he would be able to get it easily.


    Yong-ho opened his eyes. He couldn''t tell how much time passed. It seemed like a few hours or only a few seconds.


    Yong-ho turned. Instead of looking at the dungeon spirits, he raised his hand. Then he held the magic spear of the red lotus in his hand.


    "Aamon."


    [Yes, my master.]


    He didn''t need to ask or reply anymore. He ordered Aamon to be his familiar spirit.


    Aamon accepted his will. One of Mammon''s 12 Spirits, Aamon, finally accepted a new master.


    And Aamon''s change began.


    A bright red flame arose from the magic spear of the red lotus. Five horns sprout on Yong-ho''s head. He released mana, roaring wildly.


    Even the dungeon spirits experienced a marked change that they had never felt before.


    They felt a flood of enormous mana.


    Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus.


    The leader of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon!


    Yong-ho reached the extreme limit at once. And he finally jumped over it. A new sixth horn sprouted on his head.


    Aamon''s flames did not stop. The flames of the red lotus soon turned into green flames, which filled the room, and surged through the dungeon spirits.


    Catalina and Kaiwan''s mana grew dramatically. A fifth horn sprouted on the heads of Eligos, Ophelia, and Tigrius, and a magnificent dragon''s power arose from Skull''s body.


    Yuho and Yuan smiled in the green flames. Looking at Yong-ho''s back, Yuho and Yuan recalled Mammon, the King of Greed, whom they trusted and followed.


    "Finally, you, the King of Greed, have come back!"


    Yuho and Yuan turned into light then disappeared. And at that moment, an enormous mana sprang from Yong-ho again.


    ***


    The King of Fury looked at the letter she wrote in person. One side of the desk was full of letters that she stopped writing and crumpled.


    "Good. This looks just right."


    It was good for her to push Kirtimuka out of her room, who was making a fuss over her letter.


    In the letter, she politely proposed to have friendly exchanges.


    ''He might be embarrassed if I ask him for a meeting suddenly.''


    The King of Fury herself would also be embarrassed in that case.


    ***


    Yuria handed out food to the Dungeon Meerkats. She was depressed because her new friend Lucia moved to a distant place, but she tried to avoid looking depressed. After all, she had Baduk nearby, and Dungeon Meerkats acting cute to her like this. She rather felt sorry for Lucia who moved to a remote place where she didn''t have any friends.


    Noticing she was in a bad mood, the Dungeon Meerkats acted more cute than usual.


    She burst into laughter loudly as the baby meerkats climbed over her neck and tickled her.


    Eventually, she forgot to give them food and began to play with them, rolling over the floor.


    Suddenly, the adult meerkats raised themselves upright. Not just one or two, but almost all of them did. The baby meerkats who were playing on her body also straightened and stared at the sky.


    "Bark, bark!"


    Baduk also pointed to the sky in confusion. Yuria quickly raised herself, and looked up at the sky, holding the baby meerkats in her arms.


    "Uh?"


    Something was flying through the sky from afar.


    A huge beast with the head of a bird, a beast, and a demon.


    They were the King of Gluttony''s forces.


    ***


    ''The King of Violence has never left his Dragon Rare.''


    It was the last message left by Tamkuruku, the king''s eighth familiar spirit, about three hours ago.


    The King of Gluttony recognized Tamkuruku''s demise because about all his communication line with Tamkuruku was cut off about ten minutes after he received the message.


    He was the king''s loyal minion man who directly infiltrated the King of Violence''s innermost hideout place and obtained the precious intelligence about the king''s whereabouts.


    Even though he knew it was a mission that actually cost his life, Tamkuruku left without complaining at all, and he finally completed the mission.


    While mourning Tamkuruku''s death, the King of Gluttony cursed the King of Violence that caused the situation as it was now.


    The death of familiar spirits was a big blow both physically and mentally to the master. However, it meant something different to the King of Gluttony.


    Each of the Seven Deadly Sins had various characteristics of its own. Just like ''greed'' allowed the king to have more familiar spirits than ordinary demon kings. The ''gluttony'' possessed by the King of Gluttony could ''digest'' whatever came in his mouth. The same was true of his increased abilities with the addition of more spirits.


    Assuming that the relative value of the lost mana was 100 when the general master lost his familiar spirits, the King of Gluttony lost only 20 to 30 mana, which was much less than that.


    As one of many abilities the King of Gluttony had, that was why he could consume or change his familiar spirits more drastically than other kings.


    Nonetheless, Tamkuruku was still his spirit. The king couldn''t help but feel so sad about his loss.


    The King of Gluttony pondered over the King of Violence.


    The King of Violence was currently staying at his own Dragon Rare.


    The dragon corps under his command were on standby at the borders.


    The King of Fury was only caring about the north and the east, as if to imply that he was aligned with the King of Violence in one way or another.


    There was a war still going on in the north.


    ''Now is the chance!''


    The King of Gluttony made the decision. He no longer thought of dragging on pointlessly.


    There were abundant harvests in the southern area. It was time to harvest the ripe fruits.


    The King of Gluttony thought of Ten Warriors among his elite force. Consisting of eight familiar spirits and two general spirits, each of them was strong enough to be called a single-man corps.


    ''Embrio was a competent guy who could be ranked at least in the middle out of the Ten Warriors.''


    Of course, Embrio had never revealed his genuine abilities. Granted his power reached the highest when he died, nobody thought he could be ranked more than the upper middle.


    In fact, even his upper-middle rank among Ten Warriors showed he had a mighty power.


    There were not many with five horns ranked in the upper middle status in the vast demon world.


    The king of the unclaimed land in the south defeated Embrio with such tremendous power.


    Since he also absorbed the essence of Stravadi, the loser of the eastern area, it was no exaggeration to say that he could be ranked in the top group of Ten Warriors.


    After he was done calculating the gains and losses of his war, the King of Gluttony fidgeted with his fingers then summoned the Ten Warriors.


    ***


    Summoner Sabnak, the leader of the Ten Warriors, faithfully fulfilled the command of his master.


    As a wizard from the alien world who crash-landed in the demon world hundreds of years ago, he was reborn as a demon by choosing to be a mummy Lich with powerful mana.


    He was the strongest and the longest living among the familiar spirits that the King of Gluttony had taken until now.


    Although he became a mummy, he still had a hooked nose, his pride. Wearing a priest''s suit adorned with gold and standing with a cane shaped like a snake, he stared at the ground.


    Seven of the ten were placed on the back of Trigon, a beast with the heads of a bird, a beast, and a demon. It was only Sabnak''s own calculation, but given the average of their combined power, it was comparable to six Embrios gathered in one place.


    Moreover, among the seven was not only the summoner himself but also the elder Lich, Bfrost. It meant that he could summon hundreds of spirits anytime, anywhere.


    Given the size of their power, the Ten Warriors were too large to be sent to occupy a dungeon. However, their master, the King of Gluttony, was not satisfied. He was thorough in his plan, as always.


    Bfrost had a scroll with which they could install the door of space leap. Due to the nature of the dungeon, which naturally blocked the flow of mana from the outside, it would take several minutes or more to create a proper space door, but that was not a problem.


    The King of Gluttony ordered them to install the door of space immediately when they felt that it was beyond their power. In that case, he said he would help them out directly.


    The king''s order was always absolute. Moreover, it was his gravest order in recent years. To be honest, Sabnak was nervous. Since he always highly valued Embrio, Sabnk was warier of the master of the House of Mammon.


    However, that was the situation when they started moving into the south.


    While they left their master''s land and flew to the borders of the south, they changed their mind.


    It was never easy to use magical power to catch a summoner moving at super-speed or to hinder his flying itself. It was natural that the typical master could not defend himself.


    However, their opponent was the king of the unclaimed land in the south. It was disappointing that they didn''t have any means to detect their flying at super speed, let alone any magic field that could stop their flying at super speed.


    They saw the Dungeon Meerkats hurriedly struggling to run away on the ground. Some were staring at them, while others hurriedly went into hiding.


    This meant that the southern people only recognized their invasion through the most basic dungeon defense system.

 192 Rude Awakening 3

    They saw a weird monster in the shape of a dog head carrying a girl on its shoulder and jumping into the dungeon in a hurry, but they didn''t care much. Anyway, the dungeon would be smashed away today.


    Trigon landed on the ground.


    The Dungeon Meerkats alerted the House of Mammon immediately.


    Rikum, the garrison commander in charge of the dungeon defense, ordered the Black Orc squadron to arm themselves immediately. The orcs, who were on a contingency standby, grabbed their weapons and ran toward their defense position.


    Assistant butler Jun ran into the hallway to command the evacuation of non-combat dungeon spirits. John, Ron, and Jon, the remaining three of the Goblin Rangers, escorted Jun.


    It happened less than a minute after the alarm went off.


    The moment when the Trigon landed in front of the dungeon of the House of Mammon, a new voice echoed in the minds of the Mamon family spirits.


    [As of now, all the members of the House of Mammon enter a special defense posture.]


    [All dungeon spirits, please follow the direction. ]


    [Let me remind you of the message again.]


    [As of now, all the members of the House of Mammon enter a special defensive posture.]


    It was Lucia''s order.


    Most dungeon spirits only had fragmentary information about their special defense posture. However, garrison leader Rikum and assistant butler Jun were different. There was clearly a sense of strong tension on their faces.


    Special defensive posture meant virtually abandoning most of the defense facilities on the first floor.


    They could not defend the enemy only with the forces on the first floor.


    And there was virtually nothing they could do except to buy their time.


    A special defensive posture was triggered only in such circumstances.


    Rikum immediately corrected his order given to the Black Orc Squadron.


    He ordered not only the troops who had already departed for their defensive positions but also the orcs who were in a defensive posture to retreat. Their gathering place after withdrawing was not the first floor, but the final gathering place located on the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    Jun tried to overcome his fear.


    Rikum clenched his fists, getting intensely tense.


    The current master of the House of Mammon was the owner of the southern land.


    There was no enemy within the southern area that could make the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon so nervous and tense like this.


    It meant that the enemies who appeared now were from outside.


    And there was only one among the outside attackers that could mount a sudden attack against the south.


    Rikum gnashed his teeth. He got the ominous delusion out of his mind. He hit the ground only to follow his master''s order.


    ***


    ''What the heck is a special defense posture?''


    Obviously, Baduk heard something like it before but couldn''t recall it well. Back then, Baduk only remembered the taste of the chicken it had shared with Yuria. The seasoning was so delicious.


    However, Yuria was a little different. When entering the dungeon first, she lost her mind like Baduk because of the big fuss over the alarm, but she got more nervous because of the baby Dungeon Meerkat that she held in her arms. The girl''s voice ringing in her head made a difference.


    Yuria blinked. But she wasn''t sure if she was right, so she frowned.


    Right at that moment, she heard a voice once again as if to quench her curiosity.


    [Yuria?]


    [Can you hear me?]


    "Lucia!"


    Yuria was now convinced. Forgetting the fear of the three-headed beast, Yuria shouted at Lucia happily. Startled by Yuria''s sudden movement, Baduk barely managed to keep balance. A baby Dungeon Meerkat stood tall on the head of Baduk and looked everywhere.


    Lucia shouted repeatedly.


    [Just run ahead! Go straight and then downstairs along the ramp you''re seeing! You know sister Scathach''s garden, right?]


    "Yeah"


    Yuria nodded vigorously. After calming down Baduk that was struggling impatiently, she pointed her finger in the direction Lucia gave her. Baduk, who immediately read her mind, responded, "Bark! Bark!"


    [Run!]


    "Alright! Run, Baduk!"


    Yuria beckoned to Baduk again. Once it became clear what it had to do, Baduk was not confused anymore. Then Baduk began to run at a tremendous speed as if to show off its evolution achievements.


    Several minutes later, when Yuria and Baduk just entered the ramp, the door of the House of Mammon opened. The Ten Warriors stepped into the dungeon.


    ***


    Sabnak raised his head. He stared at the ceiling lights still shining even though the enemy stormed into the dungeon.


    The lighting wasn''t just turned on at the entrance room. It continued along the corridor.


    Sabnak could understand somehow that their defense against the enemy penetrating through the air was poor. But he could not help but express doubts about the fact that they didn''t block the lights, the most basic of the dungeon defense readiness.


    It wasn''t something he could simply ignore as the lack of their basic defensive posture. He couldn''t persuade himself that the man who managed the dungeon of the master so poorly had defeated Embrio. If so, this kind of shabby defense must have been deliberately put in place.


    ''Is this a trap?''


    The lighting that continued through the dark corridor was also a signboard, such as ''Come this way'', or ''Follow our guidance''.


    Some of the Ten Warriors were impatient while others were prudent. Elder Lich Bfrost, who was on the prudent side, showed his intentions with his red eyes. What he meant was that they needed to summon the troops from now on even if they consumed some mana.


    Sabnak agreed. Lich, in the shape of a mummy, summoned three groups of demons by using the three rings on his fingers as a medium.


    Each of them was a demon trained in attacking dungeons only.


    Hellhounds were useful for finding the way and tracking down enemies.


    Demon Deu, a spirit-type giant, was useful for destroying traps.


    The Cannibal ghost, Bug Bear, had strong magic resistance and regeneration power.


    Since each group led at least ten members, they filled the corridor in no time.


    Bfrost, who watched them quietly, took out the bone meals from his pocket and sprinkled them on the floor. Skeleton Warriors were summoned from each bone piece. As a result, dozens of Skeleton Warriors were put together immediately. Since they were summoned through bone fragments, they were disposable objects that would disappear when their time limit ran out, but Bfrost could consume them without feeling any burden.


    After confirming the powerful Bone Golems standing up among the Skeleton Warriors, Sabnak advanced the troops again, headed by Hellhound.


    The straight passage continued longer than expected. There were only a few corners, but there weren''t even threadbare traps or scouts along the way.


    Since their defense posture was so poor, Sabnak rather felt tense and nervous this time. Moreover, the lighting above his head continued to get on his nerves.


    Hellhound, who he installed as the scout, barked loudly and made him turn to it.


    Sabnak noticed a forked passage. One was a side road and the other was a downward ramp. As if to temp them, the lighting was only on the ramp side.


    The Ten Warriors exchanged their gazes with each other. Then, they looked at their leader for direction. Sabnak nodded. As a matter of fact, he was getting so impatient right now. Sabnak released his power, hoping that all these deceptions by the House of Mammon were not just its master''s bluffing.


    Five horns strong enough to be equal to almost six horns.


    Following Sabnak, the other six also released their mana in succession. Even the weakest had five horns. Indeed, they were too powerful to be sent to occupy just one dungeon.


    It took some time for the summoners to regain their composure, amazed by the menacing posture of the Ten Warriors who showed their strength in succession.


    Hellhounds, who recovered quickly as they were the farthest from the dungeon spirits, took the lead this time and headed for the ramp. Then the undead army that Bfrost summoned followed them.


    How long had it been since they started going down the ramp?


    When they went down the ramp only a couple of minutes, something unusual occurred.


    Instead of the blurry lights pouring from the black ceiling, a bright, brilliant sunlight rained down on them.


    That wasn''t all. A fresh wind blew over them. There was a rich breadbasket in front of them.


    Well-ripen golden rice plants were swaying in the wind like waves. On one hand, the fragrant scent of fruits was carried along with the wind.


    It was a beautiful and heartwarming scene, but the only thing that the army of the King of Gluttony led by Sabnak could feel now as they felt totally out of place and bizarre.


    Hellhounds hesitantly stepped into the rice fields. Like a necromancer, Bfrost, who deeply pressed the pitch-black robe over his eyes, summoned the Skeleton Warriors in succession as if he was anxious.


    The Skeleton Warriors he summoned already numbered over 300. No matter how disposable they were, summoning them required consuming lots of mana materials, but Bfrost kept feeling that they were not enough for an unknown reason.


    Even though the troops led by Sabnak were close to 400, they didn''t feel the vast rice paddies were not crowded at all. It was such a vast area.


    Sabnak had seen numerous dungeons as the King of Gluttony''s right-hand man, but it was his first time seeing this kind of dungeon. He couldn''t even imagine that he could see the sky and the sun, let alone feeling the fresh breeze inside the dungeon.


    But the troops of the House of Mammon didn''t yet appear.


    Sabnak prepared a new summoning technique. Bfrost moved the door scroll of space with his left hand so that he could use it at any time.

 193 Rude Awakening 4

    At that very moment, when one of Hellhounds at the forefront reached the lakeside in the middle of the garden, there came out the energy of life from everywhere. It was such an enormous power of life that Sabnak and Bfrost, the undead monsters that belonged to death, almost lost their mind momentarily.


    When they came to their senses, the scenery was changed a little. A beautiful woman was standing in the middle of the empty lake. With blue, aquatic hair, she greeted them with a bright smile.


    "Welcome to the Garden of the King of Greed."


    She just greeted them shortly, but it was enough to confuse them.


    The Ten Warriors were the King of Gluttony''s right-hand men, so they were aware of the potential abilities that the king of the southern unclaimed land might have.


    The woman with blue water-colored hair was radiating the enormous power of life.


    She mentioned the King of Greed a moment ago.


    At the moment, there was something that came to their mind. Pitch-black Arc Demon Siemens, one of them, screamed.


    "She is Scathach, the Immortal Witch! She is also one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits!"


    That was nonsense. All the 12 Spirits were dead with Mammon. It''s already been over a thousand years since they disappeared along with Mammon and the Labyrinth of Greed into the dustbin of history!


    But Sabnak could not immediately deny Siemens. Although he wanted to shout at him to shut up, he didn''t. Rather he found himself agreeing with Siemens. Feeling eerie, he looked back at the woman.


    The woman with blue hair was still smiling. However, the meaning of her smile was different from before.


    "It''s rude for you to call a lady''s name recklessly like that, you small fry."


    She fidgeted with her hand. The Garden of Life obeyed its gardener''s order. Dozens of giant trees that sprang up at once blocked the ramp located behind the Ten Warriors.


    Sabnak cut his fingers in order to perform his best summoning skills. Bfrost lifted the scroll to open the door of space. The rest of them also prepared for the fight.


    Their response was perfect. But the House of Mammon''s forces didn''t sit idle.


    A violet darkness arose through the energy of life in the garden. It was death. The nasty smell of death was spreading like poison.


    But something strange happened. Life and death, diametrically opposed to each other, did not cancel each other. Rather, they began to care for each other. An unimaginable miracle distracted Sabnak and Bfrost even for a moment.


    In the middle of their gaze stood a skeleton knight like an incarnation of death. Riding on a pitch-black beast, he released the power of death. Like a dragon peer, it made even the Skeleton Warriors, who were already in the realm of death, tremble with fear.


    It was a scene reminiscent of the waves breaking down the sandcastle. Despite the fact that they were the same skeleton army, Bfrost''s undead army could not withstand their attack at all. It was not a fight, but a one-sided massacre.


    As if he was struggling desperately, Sabnak barely activated his summoning skills. A huge dark red monster was summoned above his head. It was an eight-legged spider monster, Ongoliant.


    Bfrost, who came to his senses thanks to the brief lack of mana created by the appearance of the beast, hurriedly tore the scroll. Then he concentrated his consciousness again because the flow of mana interfering with the magic of the door of space was stronger than expected.


    One of Mammon''s 12 Spirits, Scathach, appeared.


    The Skeleton Knight and the undead army that sprinkled the energy of death were unusually strong and courageous.


    However, seven out of the Ten Warriors were gathered here. Each of them had more than five horns. So, Bfrost thought he could concentrate hard enough even for a few minutes to complete the door of space.


    But it was his mistake.


    The moment he tried to start concentrating again, he had to raise his head. He turned his eyes automatically at the storm of strong mana that occurred not far away as if it was exploding.


    Each of them was powerful enough to match the Ten Warriors!


    It wasn''t just Mammon''s 12 Spirits alone. That was why they were shocked all the more.


    A red beast and a wild animal. Two red demons comprising a male and female pair.


    Two dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon, who were known well even before they fought Embrio.


    A dark elf lady knight with pure white hair, who was an escort knight for the defense of the master of the Mammon family from the very beginning. Normally, she was supposed to be the weakest spirit of them.


    Tigrius Randolt, a shabby master in the southern area, and the resistance commander of the House of Mammon.


    Except for the unknown woman with gray hair, everyone was already familiar with the Ten Warriors. And their strength was already clearly quantified and recorded in the King of Gluttony''s intelligence diary.


    But, as if to make fun of it, they released a tremendous mana. The Ten Warriors could not believe it. It was incredible. This was impossible. No matter how strong the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon became along with their master, it was unreasonable for them to grow this fast.


    In this case, there was only one possibility.


    They must have hidden their mana.


    The House of Mammon deceived the whole demon world thoroughly.


    "Bfrost! Concentrate!"


    Sabnak shouted. The Ten Warriors rolled their eyes and stared at the dungeon spirits of the Mammon House who began to rush toward them fiercely.


    Bfrost considered Sabnak''s point right. It was not the time for them to be in awe. So, it was urgent to open the door of space, so their master could join them.


    Surely, the growth of the House of Mammon was amazing. However, they were the Ten Warriors. Even if Mammon''s dungeon spirits were strong, they were no match. Moreover, Sabnak was on their side.


    So, the Ten Warriors felt relieved. As long as Bfrost himself completed the door of space, the current situation would soon be reversed.


    But it was their misjudgment again this time.


    The battle had already begun. It was an urgent situation in which the undead army that Bfrost himself summoned and those summoned by Sabnak were being slaughtered helplessly.


    Nevertheless, they had to pay particular attention to someone from the House of Mammon.


    The man standing next to the woman with blue hair. The man to whom the Immortal Witch Scathach, one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits, bowed politely.


    He reached out into the air then grabbed the spear of flames burning with the flames of the red lotus.


    The Demon King of Flames, that was the nickname of the master of the House of Mammon until now.


    Now they knew who he was.


    If they were shocked to confirm the existence of Scathach, this time, their shock was rather close to despair.


    Aamon, the spear of the red lotus.


    How could Aamon burn heaven and earth and evaporate the sea with one swing?


    Aamon was the leader of Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    If this man controlled Aamon, there was only one thing they could think of.


    As to confirm Bfrost''s bleak inference, a massive whirlpool of mana was raging.


    [My master!]


    Aamon''s low voice echoed throughout the Garden of Life.


    Without even thinking about completing the door of space, Bfrost let down his hands.


    His master, the King of Gluttony, completely missed one fact.


    The one in front of him was not simply a rookie born with the power of greed.


    He was already a complete man and a new king, who had inherited the previous master''s status.


    Scathach was right. There was only one word to describe the man in front of him.


    Bfrost sighed out one word, "King of Greed¡­"


    The battle continued. The waves of the green flames covered the Garden of Life.


    ***


    The King of Gluttony, who was standing at the entrance to the fortress-type dungeon on the border and watching the army of the King of Violence, turned. Hiding his impatience, he stepped forward while pretending to be calm as much as possible.


    Afsaras, bound by shackles and unable to leave the king, trembled with fear. Fortunately for them, the King of Gluttony didn''t express raging anger like he did at the last auction house. Instead of killing and eating them, he ordered them to go back.


    Afsaras hurried back, grateful for their sheer luck this time. However, some of them already feared that the current situation might lead to their greater misfortune.


    Left alone in the heart of the dungeon, the King of Gluttony held his breath. Again, he let out a long breath and concentrated his consciousness. He repeatedly confirmed the incredible fact through the heart of the dungeon.


    [All of your connections with your subordinate spirits have been cut off.]


    He tried to reach out to them several times but failed repeatedly.


    The King of Gluttony closed his eyes. Then he clutched his heart that seemed to be vacant instantly. He howled like a beast.

 194 Bold Decision 1

    The traces of fierce battle disappeared one by one.


    It was as if they turned time back.


    The burnt wheat field swayed with the waves of golden wheat again. The cracked and huge terrain was restored, and the wind smelling blood regained its clearness. The water in the lake was the same. It was as clear and blue as before without any redness.


    It was the giant trees that completely blocked the ramp that had been destroyed, but not restored. These were broken, and even what was left behind disappeared into the ground again. This process was also natural, considering the aspect of returning the Garden of Life to its "original condition".


    The Garden of Life had been completely restored, even its atmosphere, let alone its appearance.


    The wind was cool under the blue sky surrounding the artificial sun.


    However, it was only the Garden of Life itself that returned to its original condition before the fierce battle.


    Smashed members of the Skull unit littered the Garden of Life here and there. All the undead corps of Bifrost, which the Skull unit first confronted, fell and became nutrients of the Garden of Life, but it was clear that the Skull unit members also incurred considerable damage.


    Especially, the undead that could not be healed with the power of life was fatal. Because of this, there were quite a few skulls that perished forever during the battle this time.


    It was the King of Gluttony''s subordinate spirits and the terrifying monster Ongoliant that damaged the Skull unit whose combat power was well known in the demon world.


    Yong-ho, who sprawled to the ground, caught his breath several times. He was bothered by the body of the dead Ongoliant that lay on the ground as if staring at him. He could not afford to clean it up.


    It was literally a fierce battle. The King of Gluttony''s subordinate spirits were never weak.


    It was certainly true that Yong-ho himself and the subordinate spirits of the House of Mammon continued to grow rapidly. Their mana was almost equal to that of the Ten Warriors, who Sabnak preferred to call like that.


    However, there was a clear difference between their years of experience.


    In martial arts, it was very important how to manipulate one''s body perfectly.


    What did it take to master that control?


    First of all, it was important to know one''s own body properly. For example, one needed to know how long one''s arms were, or how strong one was physically.


    The same was true of mana.


    It was only the so-called geniuses who had complete control over the sudden increase in their power.


    ''I think I''m a genius in some way.''


    Murmuring to himself jokingly, Yong-ho raised his upper body. Fortunately, there were a lot with good combat sense among the subordinate spirits of the Mammon family. Most of the time they would make good use of their power that grew rapidly.


    Even though the battle was fierce, it wasn''t Yong-ho''s own power that brought about this outstanding victory.


    ''The Garden of Life.''


    It was the place that Yong-ho had been pondering over since he was first warned by Embrio about the King of Gluttony.


    Where would he fight if he were attacked by the forces of the King of Gluttony?


    The only place he could think of was the Garden of Life.


    Since then, he has secured several more floors of the Labyrinth of Greed, but he stuck with his original plan.


    It was not just the Garden of Life that Scathach''s power of life restored. Scathach healed the subordinate spirits in real-time, who were injured in the battle.


    ''She''s got the indefinite power to heal.''


    It must have been a hellish battleground from the standpoint of the Ten Warriors.


    Their enemies were recovered from their wounds and weakened physical strength in real-time. Moreover, it was not just one or two of them but everyone.


    Yong-ho, who had fought Embrio with super-regeneration power, knew well how much it could stress out the opponents. Although the Garden of Life''s rate of recovering the wounded was not as speedy as Embrio who had super-speed regeneration power, the Ten Warriors must have been more than shocked.


    After catching his breath once again, Yong-ho stood up, making a sound that looked like groaning or grunting. When he stood up, he now saw what he had not seen before because of his eye level.


    While everyone was exhausted, Skull, who survived in one piece, ordered its surviving members to gather the bodies of the Ten Warriors in one place. Several Skeleton Warriors were seen carrying Opelia and Eligos, who were half-fainted, to Scathach''s mansion.


    "Skullkull!"


    Skull laughed as if it was telling Yong-ho not to worry about the post-battle cleanup. Even though Skull received little help from Scathach because of its undead attributes, Skull ended the battle with the Ten Warriors without any major injuries


    Maybe Skull was a real combat genius.


    "Dragon bones are really good!"


    "Skull Skull."


    Skull laughed when Yong-ho cracked a joke then refocused on managing its unit members. Yong-ho stood in front of the corpses of the Ten Warriors collected by the skulls.


    To be honest, there was not much to eat.


    When it came to absorbing essence, it was usually inefficient for Yong-ho to take it unless the opponent was equal to or stronger than him.


    The average strength of the Ten Warriors was about five horns.


    In fact, it was a tremendous power, but it was still weaker than Yong-ho himself.


    Moreover, the subordinate spirits like them were big after they died.


    ''Their essence has weakened.''


    It was common for the subordinate spirits to be disconnected from their master the moment they died.


    Their disconnection was not only fatal to their master. Rather, it was more fatal to their master in most cases.


    At the moment they died, the Ten Warriors lost the power of the King of Gluttony.


    Their essence would still have been helpful to the old Yong-ho, but as he was reborn as the King of Greed as the owner of Aamon, it didn''t help him much.


    ''Moreover, half of them are undead anyway.''


    As many as seven of them were undead. At this point, he was wondering if the King of Gluttony was an undead lover, but he thought it was plausible if the King of Gluttony was rational and thoughtful.


    ''He did it intentionally.''


    Essences with the attributes of death were generally difficult to absorb. Reckless absorption more often brought harm than benefits.


    It was evident that the King of Gluttony considered the scenario where his subordinate spirits were defeated by the enemy. Yong-ho felt the king was determined not to do anything that was beneficial to the enemy.


    ''But...''


    But Yong-ho was not one of the typical masters in the demon world.


    He was the King of Greed. He was greedy, and he didn''t waste anything he laid his hand on.


    When he opened his hands, he got greedy. He extracted the essence from the bodies of six of the Ten Warriors. The pile of light that emerged with different colors began to get entangled and rotated, and soon, they became one large ball of light and got sucked into his palms.


    His whole body shook for an instant, but only once. He clenched his fist hard then completely swallowed their essence completely.


    His ''possessiveness,'' which could be called the true nature of greed, made even their essence with the attributes of death his own. He put together their essences to make them bigger and more valuable.


    He then took a deep breath.


    He felt that his mana grew more than before. Considering that the growth of one''s mana was very difficult, starting with the sixth horn, he achieved a lot by taking their essence.


    ''Is it because of the Ten Warriors rather than their essence?''


    The targets of his absorption had lots of things in their essence, including their experience.


    But he didn''t think about it anymore. He looked aside and watched the body of Bfrost, a Lich in the shape of a skeleton.


    ''That gives me a headache.''


    As soon as he saw Bfrost first, he thought it would be a good idea to make him the target of the combination evolution for Skull.


    However, he ran into several problems when he tried to implement it.


    The first problem was that Bfrost''s ego was strong.


    Until now, Yong-ho had carefully selected the spirits for the material of synthetic evolution in order to preserve Skull''s ego whenever he evolved him. So, he chose only those that had no ego. Even if they had very little ego, he attempted Skull''s synthetic evolution only after he removed their remaining ego with the help of Ophelia''s mana.

 195 Bold Decision 2

    However, Bfrost was different from the materials of synthetic evolution Yong-ho had used up to now. He was a powerful Lich, so he had a proper self-consciousness.


    Moreover, in order to inflict enough damage to the king of food addiction, Yong-ho had to kill all of the Ten Warriors, for the master was weakened when his subordinate spirits were killed.


    Yong-ho was not sure, but probably, the King of Gluttony suffered a significant loss from this battle.


    But there was a problem here. In fact, Yong-ho had never done a synthetic evolution with a "dead spirit.''


    He once again looked down at Bfrost''s body.


    It was funny to use the expression ''dead'' for this undead who had already died, but Bfrost died anyway.


    Because of this, Yong-ho didn''t have to worry about his first headache, namely Bfrost''s strong ego. It was gone forever.


    Yong-ho also thought that the King of Gluttony must have been weakened as a result of the defeat, which naturally addressed his concern about it.


    ''Shall I try it?''


    As Yong-ho''s mana became stronger, his power of evolution also became stronger.


    As things stood now, he felt he could bring about synthetic evolution by using the materials of the dead spirits.


    [It''s possible, my master.]


    "Aamon?"


    Aamon, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke out. Somehow he spoke in an emotional tone.


    Aamon was smiling happily, perhaps because he used his power properly after a long time, or he had some other reason.


    Aamon continued, [Although you can use it just once for each spirit, you can have synthetic evolution of the dead spirits and magic equipment with the power of evolution.]


    Yong-ho blinked his eyes blankly. Although he was surprised at the new potential of the synthetic evolution that Aamon mentioned, he had some other reason when he blinked.


    "No way!"


    [That''s true, my master.]


    [The great King of Greed, Mammon, also had the power of evolution.]


    It was something Aamon had never told him before. However, Yong-ho did not regret it. Rather, he noticed the fact that Aamon finally started revealing about Mammon.


    Yong-ho recalled what Aamon told him recently. Aamon said he was almost fully qualified to hear the truth about Mammon.


    [You don''t have to be too impatient, master.]


    [Although you might have hoped for it, the King of Gluttony might probably be in extreme confusion by now because he didn''t know anything about the situation of the battle when his subordinate spirits were all killed.]


    [The King of Gluttony won''t be able to find out if his spirits were killed in action or if they were squeezed to death. And that kind of uncertainty will certainly grow into a monster in his head. Its existence itself will suppress him. ]


    [I recommend you take a good rest right now.]


    [Skull will also wait until you recover.]


    "Skull Skull."


    As if on cue, Skull shouted then carried Bfrost''s body on its shoulder, roaring with laughter.


    Yong-ho nodded. He turned without regret and headed to Scathach''s mansion.


    ***


    "Bark! Bark!"


    "Wal! Wal!"


    "Awesome! Terrific!"


    As soon as Yong-ho entered Scathach''s mansion, he received a hero''s welcome.


    Baduk was very excited, a little Dungeon Meerkat was mewing on its back, and Yuria was the most excited among them.


    Watching Yuria and Baduk shaking their hands and feet violently, turning red in excitement, and the little strange but cute baby meerkat, he raised his head.


    Then he asked a blue-haired beauty who was sprawling in a chair, exhausted.


    "Have you shown them all your fighting skills?"


    "Hey, did you expect me to help you when I was struggling to fight them with all my might? You''re so mean, my little master! Even Mammon didn''t do this to me."


    Scathach spoke in a whiny tone, shedding crocodile tears. As she liked to play a prank on him, he didn''t think her weird now, but she didn''t seem to pretend illness. Actually, her arms and legs were trembling while she was talking to him.


    The woman that appeared on the lake was actually a replica of her that she created with magic. The real Scathach, sitting on her chair even before the battle began, was absorbed into pouring out the power of life on the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon until now.


    Suddenly feeling sorry for her, he just licked his lips, at a loss about what to say.


    Right at that moment, Yuria flapped her arms and legs again and raised her voice.


    "Cool! Cool! You''re awesome! I was impressed by this one, in particular!"


    When Yong-ho turned his eyes at her, Yuria took a deep breath. After taking a few steps back, she pointed in the air with an air of conceit and shouted, "I''m the King Of Greed!"


    "Wal! Wal!"


    "Meowing! Meowing!"


    Baduk and the nameless baby Dungeon Meerkat shouted as if to respond.


    Yuria made a serious expression, but she was cute.


    But her imitation made him embarrassed momentarily. When did he shout like that?


    [You really said that!]


    As always, Aamon''s correction weighed on his conscience.


    When Yuria was about to tease him again, Kaiwan, who suddenly appeared, hugged his right arm and said, "You''re awesome. It''s really cool!"


    Then Catalina also appeared right after her and hugged his left arm, chiming in, "I also think so."


    Actually, both of them were the least injured in this battle. Yong-ho alternately looked at Kaiwan and Catalina then turned his eyes at Scathach who was still sprawling on the sofa, exhausted. On both sides of her chair Ophelia, Eligos, and Tigrius were asleep with their heads sticking out of the blue water that helped heal their wounds.


    Yong-ho slightly moved his arms held by Kaiwan and Catalina and turned toward Kaiwan.


    "Kaiwan, can you please take Yuria upstairs? When you go there, check the status of other dungeon spirits, too."


    When he pointed at her, Kaiwan moved her eyebrows once and smiled. Stretching out her hand, he grabbed Catalina''s arm.


    "Catalina, go with me."


    Taken aback by his sudden suggestion, Catalina quickly looked at him as if to see his help. Although Catalina struggled to get out of her domineering attitude in the name of her superior status, she could not.


    "That''s why I asked Kaiwan because I knew she would do it like this. Go together. Send my regards to Rikum, too. He must be concerned about me."


    Kaiwan giggled at that while Catalina let her ears and tail droop helplessly.


    When Yuria and her companions, Kaiwan and Catalina, who were making a big fuss over his victory in excitement, went out, Scathach''s mansion became quiet again.


    Yong-ho approached her, and she fidgeted with her difficult middle finger with an effort and made a new blue water spring from the floor.


    "Take a good rest, young master. I''m going to hit the sack after making the bed for you."


    Yong-ho gently dismantled the silver dragon armor and put himself in the blue water.


    Scathach said again, "You are not yet my official master yet. You are just my young master. Do you still remember your promise to me?"


    "Don''t worry. If you''re talking about Gusion, let me bring him here sooner or later."


    "Okay, I''ll look forward to it."


    Scathach corrected the way she sat.


    Yong-ho said lastly before he closed his eyes.


    "Well, I want to thank you for what you have done today."


    "You are welcome. Anytime you like it, just give me an order."


    He felt good about her cheerful response, so he closed his eyes pleasantly.


    And how many minutes passed?


    After watching him sleep for a minute, she smiled before she knew it and whispered, "Have a good night, Master."


    "What did you say?"


    At that moment, Yong-ho opened his eyes slightly. Looking at her face, it seemed that she was pretending not to have noticed his question.


    When she was caught by him unexpectedly, Scathach rested her chin on her hand.


    Then, she said slyly like Gusion used to do, "You''re my master."


    ***


    Time passed fairly to everyone everywhere.


    That was the same when Yong-ho and his party at the House of Mammon began to take a break after their battle with the Ten Warriors.


    There was something passing the sky over the southern area very rapidly.


    With red hair and wings, it was the fastest among the Garura clan.


    It was none other than Gardimundi, the faithful friend and servant of the King of Fury.


    Kirtimuka''s comment about Gardimundi was always concise.


    ''She is frivolous, promiscuous, and too cocky.''


    Although it was far from favorable, Gardimundi was not dissatisfied with Kirtimuka''s comment, for what she said was true.


    However, it was also true that Gardimundi was both an excellent scout and a messenger.


    She was one of the only four subordinate spirits of the King of Fury and was the one that could fly fastest and farthest among the Garura clan.

 196 Bold Decision 3

    Just as Kirtimuka accurately assessed Gardimundi''s personality, she also properly evaluated her abilities. Therefore, whenever she met Gardimundi, she did not make any radical arguments, such as relieving her of her position or removing her from the list of the king''s subordinate spirits, even though she complained a lot about her behavior.


    ''Maybe she might just be soft.''


    Recalling Kirtimuka''s face all of a sudden, Gardimundi giggled, flying in the air.


    As always, Gardimundi was flying alone. It was such a long distance from the palace of the King of Fury to Enkatro Pagnium, the farthest tip of the place where the House of Mammon was located, but it was no problem for Gardimundi at all, who had the "wings of a roc". It was just a few hours of flying distance to her.


    ''Huh? What happened?''


    Just like the one flying in the sky proudly, Gardimundi also possessed a very good vision.


    The Dungeon Meerkats of the House of Mammon uncharacteristically making a great fuss was reflected in her discerning green eyes.


    ''Did anybody arrive back home?''


    Gardimundi narrowed his eyes to check if there were any signs of outsiders'' intrusion. There was definitely nobody who could dare attack the House of Mammon that unified the whole unclaimed land in the south, but there was nothing like an "absolute" exception in everything.


    Although Gardimundi had extraordinary discernment, she could notice nothing except for the traces of a large creature''s landing.


    Instead of landing right away, Gardimundi hovered in the air and agonized a bit. Since her own visit would be the "first exchange" between the King of Fury and the master of the House of Mammon, she had to be careful.


    ''Dang it, I don''t know. Let me land anyway. It looks like the Dungeon Meerkats seem to have seen me anyway.''


    Kirtimuka''s observation of her was once again verified.


    Gardimundi, scratching the back of her head as if she was annoyed, landed on the ground. Then she opened Sarasvati''s pocket and pulled a flag that was dozens of times larger than the pocket.


    The flag with the coat of arms of the King of Fury, Dritarastra, was really huge. The length of the flagpole alone was over 5 meters long, and the flag mixed with black and green seemed to be large enough to cover lots of people.


    When combined, the flagpole and flag weighed more than a few hundred kilograms, but Gardimundi put the flag on the ground with one hand, as if it was a light stick. After inhaling as much as her chest with the red scale armor went up and down, she shouted in a confident and loud voice.


    "As the messenger of Her Majesty Dritarastra, the King of Fury, I, Gardimundi of the Garura clan, would like to ask to meet the master of the Mammon family!"


    Since she was right in front of the dungeon entrance, not only the Dungeon Meerkats but also the dungeon''s souls must have seen her. Especially, she mentioned the name of the "King of Fury", not anyone else, so if she waited a little more, they would respond, she expected.


    Gardimundi''s expectation wasn''t wrong again.


    Within a few minutes, the entrance door of the dungeon opened. It was four men and women with green skin and a group of a dozen wolves that appeared before her.


    Gardimundi immediately knew that she was familiar with some of the wolves. They looked like the wolves that Embrio used to command.


    ''What kind of clan do they belong to anyway?''


    Gardimundi''s green eyes now turned to a man and woman with green skin among the wolves, and the only woman at that.


    The woman neatly dressed in a white shirt and a black suit made it difficult for Gardimundi to guess. With her dark straight hair swaying, she was beautiful. Her ears were pointed as if they were those of a goblin or an orc, and her skin was green, the same as that of the goblin and orc clans.


    She was not an orc because she had no tusks peculiar to the orc clan. Besides, she was too slim for an orc.


    ''She is not a goblin, either.''


    Several clans came to her mind, but she could not determine which it was. And it was the same for the other three among them.


    They were all different from each other except for the fact that their ears were pointed, their skin was green, and they were all humanoid. The one on the wagon''s coach box was big enough to be comparable to an orc, and the tall guy standing behind the woman was thin and long like an elf. Again, the person standing next to her was just ordinary, but since he stood between the two, he seemed very weird.


    Gardimundi stopped thinking further. After storing all their images in her mind like an excellent scout, she moved on.


    Just as Gardimundi first expected, the woman in a black suit came out on behalf of the group.


    "This is Jun, the assistant butler of the House of Mammon. My master said that he accepted your request to see him. Please get on the carriage."


    A couple of men standing right behind Jun, the woman in black, opened the carriage door. Even without entering it, Gardimundi easily found out that it was a wagon without a single window. That was the common practice when they accepted an outside guest into a dungeon.


    "I appreciate your master''s considerations."


    Gardimundi replied with a cool smile then took down the flag of the King of Fury and put it again in Sarasvati''s pocket. While she was doing it, the rest of the group, except for Jun, were impressed by her adroit skills like magic with their mouths open.


    ''How naive they are!''


    Gardimundi, smiling again, climbed right onto the carriage. She felt quite cozy inside, but as expected, it was a stuffy space without any window. Given the wall was also quite thick, it seemed that the carriage was sound-proof.


    After Gardimundi sat down, Jun, the assistant butler, and the two men standing behind him climbed into the carriage together.


    ''Oh, they''re doing better than I thought.''


    Shortly after the carriage started, Gardimundi felt her sense of direction was wrong. The mana that she released naturally also hovered around the wagon but couldn''t spread beyond it. It was because of the special magic field emitted by a group of wolves that now belonged to Yong-ho. The reason why the herd of wolves appeared with the wagon was not because they were dispatched to escort Jun and the four Goblin Rangers, but because their presence made it impossible for the guest to grasp what was happening outside the wagon like now.


    The carriage moved slowly to match the walking speed of the wolves. Since the House of Mammon expanded its defense area itself, it would take considerable time to lead Gardimundi to its residential area, which in turn, allowed Yong-ho to ponder over the purpose of her visit.


    "Why did she come here?" Kaiwan asked as if she was unhappy about the messenger.


    Ophelia, who woke up hurriedly, opined, "Given that she came here alone without leading an envoy, she looked like a secret envoy. In other words, she might have wanted to hide her secret visit here from other kings."


    Obviously, what she said made sense.


    "Hummmmmm"


    What she said made sense. Tigrius also agreed with her.


    "Probably, she is here to ask for an alliance with us. The House of Mammon is now the proud hegemon of the southern unclaimed area. Although we haven''t yet united all the powers in the south, probably we look like a very attractive candidate for the alliance from the King of Fury''s point of view."


    "The King of Fury is a pretty good alliance candidate for our Mammon family because she is currently fighting the King of Gluttony," said Ophelia with a smile.


    This was a situation that reconfirmed the fact that the enemy of one''s enemy was one''s ally.


    But at that moment, Scathach, who was just watching them, raised her hand.


    "By the way, is there any possibility that this messenger will make any attempt to assassinate our master?"


    It seemed Scathach was on edge because of the attack by the King of Gluttony, but such a possibility could not be ruled out in reality.


    But Ophelia said, shaking her head, "I don''t think the King of Fury will bother to make such an attempt. Besides, she is different from the King of Gluttony. And¡­"


    After a brief pause, she concluded with a prideful look, "Especially, our current master doesn''t have to worry about anything."


    It was the King of Greed who made the King of Gluttony''s seven spirits tremble with fear. Although Garura, who identified herself as Gardimundi, seemed to be a woman of unusual abilities, it was just unthinkable for her to do anything harmful to Yong-ho.

 197 Bold Decision 4

    Of course, Ophelia did not say that complacently because she simply trusted Yong-ho''s unrivaled power. Yong-ho had Aamon, who could be said to be part of him, and when he was going to see Gardimundi, Catalina and Kaiwan would be accompanying him in the reception room. In other words, Ophelia didn''t want to create a situation where Yong-ho would meet Gardimundi without any preparation.


    "Even if the King of Fury really asks for an alliance with us, there is something for us to think about. In other words, we have to find out what kind of alliance she wants," said Tigrius, who changed the main topic back to the matter of alliance.


    "Looking at the objective indicators alone, the power of the King of Fury is overwhelmingly superior to the House of Mammon. So, she might not want an equal alliance, but something like a tributary."


    It was an assumption that made them frown. But the possibility was still there. It could be found only in a fairy tale that the stronger country offered an equal alliance to the weaker country. The reality was much more severe and heartless.


    Tigrius continued, "Currently, the House of Mammon has already begun an invisible war with the King of Gluttony. I think it''s important to know whether the King of Fury is aware of that."


    Yong-ho, who closed his eyes for a moment, sorted out his thoughts and asked, "What is the worst situation?"


    "It is when you become the enemy of the King of Fury," Ophelia replied immediately.


    Yong-ho nodded and said, "Okay, that''s enough. Let me listen to what the messenger has to say first before going further."


    Yong-ho stood up from his seat after devising his own response in his mind.


    Then he asked Eligos, who was about to get up as if he suddenly hit upon something.


    "By the way, where are you taking me now? To the Demon King''s room on the first floor?"


    He asked because it was unreasonable for Eligos to escort the messenger to the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed, not the House of Mammon.


    Tigrius replied quickly, "Usually, an outsider like her is led to a place like a reception room."


    "But we don''t have such a place here."


    Tigrius looked back at Eligos as if to double-check with him.


    Put on the spot at the moment, Eligos hurriedly bowed to Yong-ho and said, "Sorry. I didn''t know if we would need a reception room so quickly because we have enemies around us."


    "Well, I''m not blaming you now¡­ So, where are you taking me now?"


    Before answering immediately, Eligos made eye contact with Ophelia, who made an embarrassed expression like him, then awkwardly said, "It''s a VIP room at the gambling hall."


    ***


    The Ten Warriors, the royal bodyguards of the King of Gluttony, consisted of eight subordinate spirits and two general spirits.


    Since they were summoned so urgently, Abigor, the devil with the head of a leopard, and Amdusias, with the head of a pure white unicorn, were quite embarrassed. They were even more perplexed because they already knew that the Ten Warriors except for them had already been summoned.


    When they noticed that an Afsaras were more scared than usual, they felt that something big enough to anger the king happened.


    The closer they got to the reception room where the king was waiting for them, the more anxious and worried they became for no reason. However, Abigor and Amdusias were faithful enough to be included in the Ten Warriors. Paying more attention to the event that angered the king than the king''s anger itself, they hurried to the reception room.


    "I, Abigor, am honored to see Your Excellency."


    "I, Amdusias, am honored to see Your Excellency."


    The King of Gluttony was sitting at the end of the spacious room decorated with translucent fabrics with ceilings, walls, and floors. He was almost naked as if he just had sex, and there were several half-naked or naked Afsaras lying all over the room.


    The King of Gluttony threw one Afsaras on the floor who was groaning as if she was about to die and gestured to Abigor and Amdusias.


    "Come closer."


    The king''s order was absolute. Suppressing a sense of uneasiness, Abigor and Amdusias approached the king. The king poured liquor into the cups for the two in person.


    As soon as they gulped it down, the king said, "Abigor, Amdusias. I''m going to make you my subordinate spirits from now on."


    He made a bombshell announcement.


    Abigor and Amdusias couldn''t open their mouths in amazement mixed with various meanings.


    The number of his subordinate spirits was limited. Nonetheless, the king just announced that they would make the two his subordinate spirits.


    Was there a "vacancy" now? If so, what happened?


    Although they had doubts, they were full of joy at the same time.


    How long have they earnestly coveted this position?


    Even though they were not his subordinate spirits, they rose to the status of the Ten Warriors.


    It was clear that if they could become his subordinate spirits and directly share the power of the king, they would be able to reach a much higher level than now in terms of power.


    But the King of Gluttony didn''t give Abigor and Amdusias time to think about it.


    As soon as he was done talking, the king put his big hands on the shoulders of the two to perform the ceremony.


    It took just one minute or so at most.


    Abigor and Amdusias felt they were reborn completely anew. They roared in great joy and pleasure and felt thrilled by the mighty mana that soared inside their body.


    The King of Gluttony''s voice was heard again in the ears of the two who were indulged in spiritual ecstasy.


    The king said calmly, "I haven''t given you all yet. There is a little more I can give you. Close your eyes and try to relax. Subdue your mana."


    Abigor and Amdusias immediately followed the king. They closed their eyes and suppressed their soaring mana. It took almost ten minutes or more for them to do it because they were just done reinforcing mana as a result of their transformation into his subordinate spirits.


    And finally, they managed to subdue all their mana.


    Abigor and Amdusias became calm and waited for the king''s next words.


    The King of Gluttony withdrew his hands from their shoulders then touched their chests.


    The king tore the hearts of the two and pulled out their hearts immediately.


    It happened so quickly. The moment they felt the pain, the king was done already.


    "Oh, your Excellency..."


    Abigor barely managed to open his mouth. Amdusias collapsed, vomiting blood.


    Instead of looking at the two, the king stared at their beating hearts in his hands.


    He began to eat them full of essence entirely. Then he activated the power of ''gluttony.''


    He still felt he was lacking.


    Although the mana he gained by eating the two after making them his subordinate spirits was greater than that of those who died, the king felt he was still lacking in mana. The loss of his eight subordinate spirits in succession was so devastating to him.


    The King of Gluttony stretched out his hands. Then he chewed Abigor and Amdusias alive, who were still breathing because of their strong vitality. His newly aroused "gluttony" strengthened him by drawing every little power from what he had already eaten.


    The King of Gluttony now lost all of the Ten Warriors.


    The King of Violence and the King of Fury were still healthy and active. And the war in the north would be finished within a few months, no matter how long it would take.


    It was a precarious situation. After sitting idle and passing time like this, there would unfold a situation in which the King of Gluttony himself would be eaten as the "weakest" king, to his embarrassment.


    He had to avoid it by all means. So, he made the decision while crushing Amdusias''s bones.


    Although they tended to forget it easily, overwhelmed by the Seven Deadly Sins, each king had his own power as a demon king.


    With his current "power" as the King of Gluttony, there was still a possibility for him to turn the tide. So, he had to recover even a little more power if he could.


    Although he hardly used his power after becoming one of the six kings, it didn''t mean that his power was weakened or disappeared. He believed that the power that had sustained him from the time he was an insignificant demon would give him a chance to overtake again.


    Therefore, the King of Gluttony did not hesitate. That was why he restored his strength by killing the remaining two of the Ten Warriors who barely survived until now.


    He continued to eat his loyal servants.

 198 The Flow of Fighting 1

    The five directors of Dungeon Market had different areas to take care of.


    It was the "strongest power," Orobas, among them who was in charge of the territory of the King of Pride, north of the demon world.


    Because of this, if the King of Pride wanted to make a secret deal with the Dungeon Market, just as the King of Gluttony made a secret deal with Samael, the lady with the "fastest wing," who is in charge of the east of the demon world, he had to face none other than the manager of the north, Orobas.


    But the one that the King of Pride was facing now was a completely different person.


    It was in a large, spacious room, but only two were facing each other now.


    As always, the King of Pride was dressed in white. The one sitting across from him wore colorful robes and boasted of his gorgeous look befitting his robes.


    His seven horns standing tall like his pride caught the king''s eye first. His head shaped like a rooster''s with cockscomb and his two legs made of a snake with different poisons also evoked a strange and mysterious feeling.


    He was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, namely Abrasax, the "strongest mana holder."


    He was originally in charge of the west side of the demon world. The King of Fury and the King of Violence were supposed to be his clients.


    "You were doing great. Congratulations!"


    The most important thing in the demon world, which could be called a world where the strong preyed upon the weak, was the strength or weakness of one''s mana. At least, Abrasax thought so.


    Abrasax''s nickname, "the strongest mana holder," was not a fake or exaggeration. He was truly the "strongest mana holder" that the Dungeon Market boasted of. There was nobody comparable to him in terms of pure mana among the five directors who stood shoulder to shoulder with him.


    This man with such a tremendous power talked politely to the other man.


    He never used honorific language when he was dealing with anybody who was weaker than himself. He used honorifics only when dealing with someone who was at least on par with him.


    The King of Pride was well aware of this. That was why he felt happy when Abrasax greeted him even briefly.


    "The King of Envy is just a hysterical old man. In fact, what really matters is what happens next," the king said.


    He was talking about what to do after defeating the King of Envy, or to be precise, what would happen right before he defeated the king.


    "Unfortunately, it seems difficult for me to help you openly at this point, sir."


    Abrasax, who had a rooster-shaped head, had nothing like facial expressions on his face. The only thing that could tell his feelings was his two eyes under his seven horns shaped like a crown.


    The King of Pride didn''t bother to look into his eyes.


    He twisted his voice at the end, suggesting he was very displeased at the moment.


    Not knowing whether he noticed a subtle change in the king''s voice, Abrasax asked with a surprised look, "Do you know the beginning of the Dungeon Market? Oops! Sorry about my stupid question. If there is one place in this demon world that is older than this Dungeon Market, it is the royal family of the King of Pride."


    The king was not sure if he really made a mistake or if he deliberately tried to promote the "royal family of the King of Pride."


    But the King of Pride didn''t feel better. Just thinking about the start of the Dungeon Market or merely recalling the reason why the founder of the Dungeon Market established it made him even more displeased.


    In fact, even the five directors of the Dungeon Market did not know about its founder, let alone why he established the Dungeon Market.


    The founder was arrogance itself. And it was just absurd to know that the product of his arrogance had been continuing through thousands of years until this moment.


    ''The King of Greed.''


    The man who doesn''t exist anymore, who had never shown himself for a thousand years.


    Therefore, the title "King of Greed" was used for only one person in the demon world.


    It was impossible to think of anyone else.


    The King of Pride tried to subdue his displeasure. After reading his intentions, Abrasax began to talk about the deal earnestly.


    A secret deal was struck between one of the six kings and one of the five directors.


    And the deal was a little more special than any other secret deal.


    ***


    ''It''s very unusual.''


    Gardimundi, who was led by Jun, the assistant butler, to a rather luxurious room, sat down and looked around.


    No matter how often she looked at the room, it was far from a typical reception room. When it came to the reception room of a demon king, it was supposed to have a wonderful royal throne, vassals of the king standing on his left and right, and a wonderful red carpet leading from the king''s chair.


    But this room was different. First of all, it was small, and there were a sofa and a table. The sofa resembling a semicircle as if to hug a shiny table was soft and comfortable, but very suspicious. She felt like she was in a high-class bar room.


    ''Furthermore...''


    Gardimundi rolled her eyes again. She fixed her eyes at the ventilation at the corner of the wall made of red and colorful wallpaper. She saw four glowing eyes through the lattice-patterned lid of the flat and long ventilation openings. One pair of them belonged to a little girl and the other pair was those of a baby dungeon meerkat.


    They didn''t seem like a watcher. She felt like they were rather little kids who came out secretly out of curiosity.


    ''Is she the master''s daughter? Maybe not.''


    Gardimundi looked straight again, feeling rather complicated. Fortunately, she heard the voice of Jun, the assistant butler at that moment.


    "Our master has arrived!"


    The very door where Gardimundi entered was opened. Gardimundi once again had doubts about the authenticity of the reception room, but she hastily got it out of her mind. Now it was more important for her to welcome the master of the Mammon family.


    Gardimundi quickly got up from her seat and turned to the door. When she made eye contact with him naturally, she greeted him politely by putting her hands together.


    "Gardimundi of the Garura clan, the messenger of Her Majesty the King of Fury, is honored to greet the master of the House of Mammon."


    "Nice to meet you. You must be tired from your long journey here. Thanks for coming. Make yourself at home."


    At the moment, Yong-ho was torn between using honorific language and talking informally, but he chose the latter to be on the safe side. As if she didn''t expect his honorifics, Gardimundi looked slightly surprised but sat down with a smile.


    Then Yong-ho sat in a one-person chair across from Gardimundi. Catalina, Kaiwan, and Ophelia, who followed him, stood behind his back.


    ''Was the rumor true that he was a womanizer?''


    She once heard rumors that he was accompanied by several women all the time. She felt the rumors might be true.


    ''Hummm¡­ His sexual preference is unique.''


    A dark elf with a sober expression, a sharp-looking beauty with gray hair, and a red demon woman who looks pretty mature.


    Gardimundi noticed that she was bothered by the gaze of the woman with gray hair, in particular. In a situation like this, Gardimundi would have taken issue with it and pick a fight, but she didn''t. She was in the House of Mammon, and above all, she came here as the envoy of the King of Fury.


    After ignoring her sharp gaze, she got up again and presented the gift she had brought.


    "It''s Amrita that the King of Fury made herself."


    She didn''t have to explain further because it was obviously a gift of friendship.


    Ophelia received a golden box containing Amrita gladly on behalf of Yong-ho.


    It seemed that they were going to have a successful talk.


    "The King of Fury wants to build a good relationship with the Mammon family. I think her message in this letter is better than my voluminous words. She has written it in person."


    Here was a letter the king wrote herself, in addition to the precious liquor she made in person. Ophelia smiled more happily, unlike Kaiwan whose facial expressions became a little more ferocious. After handing over the golden box containing Amrita to Catalina, Ophelia walked again to the front and accepted the letter. After checking it out briefly, she gave it to Yong-ho.


    He took a big breath because the scent leaking out of the letter was really pleasant, as if to confirm the widespread rumors that Gandharva was a clan with a good smell. He even felt his heart was pounding for no reason.


    He opened the envelope and took out the letter. Her soft, gentle handwriting that befitted her fresh and nice look caught his eyes.


    It took about a dozen seconds for him to read the letter.


    While everybody was waiting for his reply in a tense moment, Yong-ho folded the letter and asked Gardimundi, "Can you wait for a moment until I write a reply?"


    "Sure, please. I''m going to wait gladly."


    "Then excuse me for a moment."

 199 The Flow of Fighting 2

    He stood up from his seat and left the VIP room of the gambling house slowly.


    A VIP lounge located not far from the gambling VIP room.


    Kaiwan shook her head with the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon gathering there.


    She said, "This is exactly what I expected! There was something special when they made eye contact with each other that day!"


    Yong-ho wanted to ask about the reason why there was a VIP gambling room and restroom when there was no reception room, but now was not the time for him to dwell on it. After ignoring Kaiwan''s reaction, he convened an emergency meeting with his aides.


    In the letter, the King of Fury expressed her wishes rather directly.


    In summary, the gist of the letter was as follows.


    \u003cI want to make friends with the House of Mammon. Shall we start exchanges step by step, starting with small things?\u003e


    Ophelia said, "It is obvious that she is a kind person, contrary to the rumors that she is a warmonger."


    This time, Tigrius expressed his opinion.


    "Looking at the letter, she is polite, and she is not making any unequal demands. I''m a bit bothered by the lack of details of her demands, but her proposal to start exchanges sounds very good."


    Alliance with the King of Fury was what the House of Mammon wanted, too.


    The current situation was different from when Yong-ho had to fight the enemies everywhere in the southern area. He needed more allies now because he rose to the same position as the six kings in the demon world.


    In fact, he was also quite excited because it was the first time somebody made a "proposal for a military alliance" to him after he became the master of the House of Mammon.


    So, he asked, recalling the King of Fury''s face, "Do you think it''s okay if I just write I welcome the king''s proposal?"


    Since he received her handwritten letter, it was polite for him to deliver his own letter, as well.


    Ophelia replied, "It would be nice to let the King of Fury know that our war with the King of Gluttony has actually begun¡­ I think it''s too early to tell her now."


    Tigrius added, "The King of Gluttony lost almost all of his subordinate spirits because of the battle today. Since he suffered such big damage, he won''t be able to do anything about the Hosue of Mammon for some time. We have enough time to build a good friendship with the King of Fury." Yong-ho nodded and said unwittingly, "How fortunate! It looks like the King of Fury will be our ally, not an enemy."


    Now that Yong-ho started confronting the King of Gluttony, he had to avoid making a new enemy. However, another king, who happened to stand up against the King of Gluttony, reached out to him first. This was a situation where God helped Yong-ho.


    "By the way, master, shouldn''t we prepare some gift for the King of Fury?"


    As if she was right, Ophelia immediately chimed in, "Her gift, Amrita, is not an ordinary gift. It is an expensive item, also called the elixir of immortality. Moreover, if Gandarva''s chieftain, King of Fury, has made it herself, its value is really tremendous."


    "Hmm."


    He was happy to receive a great gift, but the problem was that he had to send an equivalent gift to her. If he sent a gift with much less value than hers, it could negatively affect the King of Fury''s good intentions, who proposed starting exchanges.


    Ophelia said again with a smile, "I''m going to select some of the good stuff from Stravadi''s collection. From the King of Fury''s viewpoint, the House of Mammon is a prestigious family that has just restored their past glory, so if you can only show your sincerity in a gift, it will do."


    In other words, the King of Fury would not expect any expensive gift commensurate with hers. At that moment, however, Catalina raised her hand somewhat timidly and said, "Uh¡­ How about sending her some chicken, along with the gift?"


    "Uh?"


    Yong-ho blinked, not knowing what she was talking about, but other spirits reacted differently.


    Eligos said first, "It''s not a bad idea. Chicken is also a special product of our Mammon family."


    "Wait a minute. Special product?"


    When was it established as a special product?


    Tigrius agreed with Eligos and said, "If we use the magic of conservation, it won''t take much time to send the chicken to the King of Fury. If you tell her you fried the chicken in person, I think it''s a very good gift because it carries your respect for her."


    "Hey, isn''t it an open exchange between kings?" asked Ophelia, giggling loudly.


    "Well, it''s a secret exchange this time because the King of Fury doesn''t know yet that our master is the King of Greed. It also means our intention that we want to start exchanges step by step as she wanted. So, I also agree with Eli Brother''s opinion. I think it would be nice to include some chicken in the gift."


    Seeing them agreeing with her opinion, Catalina flapped her ears and tail, feeling proud.


    Kaiwan tapped Yong-ho, who was confused at the moment.


    "Be proud. Your chicken is the best."


    "Skull Skull," yelled Skull as if to agree.


    After all, Yong-ho accepted their suggestion and wore an apron to fry chickens.


    ***


    "I think he is the best candidate as a groom," Kirtimuka said with a confident expression.


    Gardimundi, sitting on the other side, shook her head while eating chicken legs in both hands.


    "Gosh! I think you were lured by some delicious food. If not, how come you are trying to entice our king to get married to that guy? Yum, yum. Don''t you think you''re going too far?"


    Kirtimuka wanted to shout to her to eat the chicken in her mouth first before talking, but she narrowed her eyes because she was bothered by something.


    Looking at the chicken bones piled up in front of Gardimundi, she said, "Is it okay for a chicken to eat chicken?"


    "It''s not chicken, it''s chicken powder! I know you like to eat pork, you bitch!"


    Gardimundi snapped sharply, but Kirtimuka laughed it off because she was satisfied with the fact that she made Gardimundi provocative, who was relaxed and composed.


    "Anyway, that''s my overall evaluation of him. I''m not a person lured by delicious food."


    Having said it seriously, Kirtimuka turned her eyes at the King of Fury.


    There were four colored boxes in front of her, and each of them contained fried chicken that she had never seen before.


    Kirtimuka raised her finger when the King of Fury picked up what was called soy chicken.


    "First of all, he is not under the control of any king."


    Tasting the savory soy sauce chicken, the King of Fury shrugged her shoulders slightly.


    In no time, she looked at the seasoned chicken.


    "Second, he is a man."


    The seasoned chicken tasted sour. In particular, chicken skin with plenty of seasoning was fantastic. The crispy and oily taste of the skin stimulated her appetite.


    "Third, he is the king of the southern unclaimed land, not anywhere else. Geographically, it''s good to make him our ally."


    When the King of Fury''s gaze turned to Padak in the third box, Kirtimuka drew a picture with light in the air. After drawing the entire map of the demon world immediately, she made a lump with a new color.


    "If our secret alliance with the King of Violence works properly, we can confront the north by joining hands with him in the whole southern land. And that''s not the only geographic advantage."


    The King of Fury put some radish among the chicken in her mouth. The radish, cut into just the right size to eat, took away the greasy taste in her mouth. Besides, its crunchy texture was so good.


    Feeling satisfied, Gardimundi presented something called Coke to her.


    Kirtimuka kept talking alone while the two were absorbed into enjoying the fried chicken and drinking Coke.


    "I heard that there are not many people in the southern area, given its vast area. Besides, the population there has decreased because of the current clash there."


    In other words, the situation in the south was a sharp contrast with that in the land of the King of Fury.


    The territory ruled by the King of Fury had lots of mountains, so there was not much land for the people to live. Besides, there were many countries sharing borders with it, so there occurred small disputes constantly. As a result, the population density was too high in the inland area where people could live stably.


    "If our talks with the master of the House of Mammon goes very well and build a good relationship with them, we may be able to move some of our people to the south. Although the southern area is a bit barren, people still live there, so it would be nice for our people to live there," she said.


    Moreover, the southern land was much safer.


    Kirtimuka still had doubts about the King of Violence, but if the King of Violence could really be trusted as an ally, like the King of Fury said, the situation would be completely different from now.

 200 The Flow of Fighting 3

    The southern area shared its border with the territories of the three kings¡ªthe King of Violence, the King of Fury, and the King of Gluttony.


    If two of them were the King of Fury''s allies, the only king left out was the King of Gluttony.


    Since there was only one hostile border and the King of Gluttony had to confront the other three, it was only natural that the King of Fury would see a greater stable area than now.


    "The southern area was a land that none of the kings was supposed to occupy. But if somebody joins hands with the king of the southern land quickly, other kings won''t dare to do anything."


    This was in line with what the King of Gluttony had thought of initially. But he differed on the method of using the southern area.


    The King of Gluttony intended to set up a puppet king and rule the southern area from behind the scenes, but Kirtimuka wanted the King of Fury to obtain the whole southern land through a marriage alliance.


    "Fourth, since he is an outsider, he doesn''t have any interests in our eight-race people. In other words, there is no chance he can cause any political conflict here."


    As the name suggests, ''eight-race people'' consisted of eight different clans.


    They were the Deva, Dragon, Garura, Gandharva, Yacha, Asura, Kalavinka, Maharaga.


    With the clans as many as eight in one country, there were constant quarrels.


    Their fighting did not escalate because of bigger enemies surrounding them. But there were some clans pitted against each other, such as Dragon vs Garura, and Kalavinka vs Maharaga.


    That was one of the reasons why the King of Fury did not choose her groom until now.


    If the King of Fury, the head of Gandharva clan and the king of the eight clans, chose a man from any particular clan as her groom, it was highly likely that her selection itself would disrupt the stable order within the eight clans.


    So, she had to choose her groom from the outside, but she could not find the right candidate until now because those who were qualified to be her groom were under the control of another king without any exception.


    She continued, "Fifth, he has a good personality. If he can make a delicious dish as a gift like this, he must be a fine character. Are you listening to me now?"


    Kirtimuka narrowed her eyes. The King of Fury, who was enjoying original fried chicken with relish after dipping it in salt, nodded quickly, startled by her question.


    "Of course, I am. I was listening," she hurriedly replied.


    The red seasoning on her left finger belied her reply, but Kirtimuka approached her a little closer instead of questioning her further.


    Then she said in a strong tone, "Then, do you agree with me?"


    "Hey, Gardimundi!"


    She shouted angrily, which was terrible enough to reveal her nature as a Yacha woman. However, Gardimundi took it leisurely and gave her a chicken leg.


    Even the enraged Yacha woman relented, enchanted again with the fantastic taste of the fried chicken that she just received before she knew it.


    "I know you''re pretty much impatient, but don''t rush it too much," said Gardimundi.


    With a grumpy expression, Kirtimuka ate the chicken leg.


    Gardimundi grinned at her then put her ass close to the King of Fury.


    She asked in a gentle voice, "What do you think of him? Do you like him?"


    "I really like it. Especially, I love this seasoned chicken... Good¡­ Hmm."


    Blushing a bit after she knew she gave the wrong answer, the King of Fury tried to hide her embarrassment by clearing her throat.


    After catching her breath once, she said calmly, "Since the current situation in the border area is not unusual, we can''t stay relaxed forever. I think it is necessary to properly build an alliance with the House of Mammon in the southern area. If we can build a coalition with the King of Violence and the master of the House of Mammon, we can not only effectively pressure the King of Gluttony, but also keep the king of the northern area at bay."


    She didn''t yet know the fact that Yong-ho literally had smashed the Ten Warriors, who could be called the core of the King of Gluottony''s forces.


    If she had known it, even Kirtimuka would have wanted an alliance with the House of Mammon more.


    After listening to the King of Fury seriously, Gardimundi nodded as if she expected it.


    Then she took her face closer to the King of Fury and said, "Then I have a clever scheme."


    "Clever scheme?"


    A bit anxious, the King of Fury asked back, pulling her body slightly back.


    Gardimundi said, getting closer to her more even after the King of Fury stepped back, "Yes, it is. Why don''t you propose to meet him? Whether you want an alliance or more than that, you need to meet the master of the Mammon family anyway."


    The King of Fury could not respond readily.


    Gardimundi put her face much closer to her and said, "Yes, you meet him."


    Normally, the King of Fury would have ignored her words, calling her crazy, but for some reason, the king rolled her eyes shyly before nodding quietly.


    A bright smile was on Kirtimuka''s face, and Gardimundi was satisfied.


    She suddenly stood up and said, "Tomorrow, I will visit the House of Mammon again to convey your message. Please give me your handwritten letter... Oh, no, please make a video."


    "Video?"


    "Yes, video."


    The King of Fury blinked then gulped before she knew it.


    ***


    "Chicken and peace."


    [Everyone seems to be happy.]


    Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits were floating in the blue water prepared by Scathach at her mansion.


    He was rather tired at the chicken party held to celebrate the war victory right after seeing off Gardimundi, but he felt fully satisfied with the results.


    ''I think I have to go back home soon and bring some more ingredients, especially Coke.''


    He closed his eyes, thinking of his trip back to the human world.


    He wanted to have a good and sound sleep right away, but he couldn''t, for he had to devise some plan to deal with the new proposal from the King of Fury.


    "The key is how the King of Gluttony moves forward," said Ophelia, who was in the blue water like Eligos.


    "The Ten Warriors he lost this time were not only his subordinate spirits but also generals who led their own army. Although there are still many powerful demon kings under his command, it''s certain that his main force has been weakened considerably."


    That was what Tigrius had already pointed out. However, the situation now was somewhat different from when he mentioned it first, for an envoy sent by the King of Fury visited the House of Mammon.


    "The King of Gluttony is now engaged in a war of nerves with the forces of the two kings, the King of Violence and the King of Fury, at the borders. It is very likely that the King of Gluttony was trying to hide the fact that his Ten Warrior group was annihilated because the current crisis facing him is a golden chance for the other two kings."


    "Then, would it be better to leak the tips about this to the King of Fury?" Yong-ho asked.


    The fact that the House of Mammon defeated the Ten Warriors was significant in various ways. It could reveal the power of the Mammon family to the King of Fury, but at the same time, it had the symbolic meaning in that he gave the King of Fury a ''gift'' with sensitive intelligence about the King of Gluttony.


    Generally, both sides should be roughly equal in power for a strong alliance. In other words, a unilateral alliance with one dependent on the other would not last long.


    Tigrius, who was silent, answered Yong-ho''s question, "I don''t think it''s a bad idea. The more aggressive the King of Fury becomes, the more difficult it will be for the King of Food to pay attention to us. In the meantime, we will be able to gain more time."


    Time.


    As it was important to everybody, time was especially a valuable resource to the House of Mammon.


    Being strong in a short time was only possible for a beginner. So, it was common for those who had already reached a certain level to go through ups and downs while growing stronger.


    However, there was still enough room for growth on the part of the Mammon family. Yong-ho had yet to occupy half the Labyrinth of Greed, and there were many floors for him to challenge in the arena.


    Crucially, Yong-ho had the power of evolution.


    He could gain more evolution EXP through hard struggles. Having gained considerable EXP during their fight with the Ten Warriors, he could use the power of evolution once again if all of his subordinate spirits strived a little more effort in the arena.


    Mammon, the King of Greed, also had the power of evolution.


    And Yong-ho understood why the 12 Spirits of Mammon could become so strong.


    It was because of the power of evolution. That power led their power to the highest level.


    "Come to think of it, even synthetic evolution could combine other items, right?"


    As if he suddenly remembered it, Yong-ho asked, looking at his right arm.


    Aamon answered immediately.

 201 The Flow of Fighting 4

    [Yes, my master.]


    [But like I said before, you can use it only once per spirit. Please consider it carefully.]


    "Hmm."


    Yong-ho alternately looked at Catalina and Kaiwan, who were in the blue water like him.


    Catalina just flapped her ears, but Kaiwan strongly signaled to him that he should not take any item blindly. It seemed that Kaiwan wanted him to bring at least a dragon heart.


    "Okay, let me give you my guideline."


    All the eyes of his subordinate spirits were fixed on him. The same was true of Scathach, who was seated on a chair and was eating chicken alone.


    He said, "Tomorrow let me meet Sitri first. I need to pick up something I asked her for, and I also have to get her advice about the current situation. Next, let''s challenge the arena together."


    He had to find out the magic circle and materials necessary to install a magic field to detect or interfere with flying magic. In order to defend the entire southern land, he had to block the threat of the King of Gluttony first, so not only Yong-ho himself, but also his subordinate spirits needed to be much stronger than now.


    "It''s a long day today. Let''s go and take some good rest."


    "See you tomorrow."


    "Good night."


    "Have a good rest."


    They said good night to each other.


    Yong-ho also closed his eyes, determined to get a deep sleep this time.


    ***


    The King of Gluttony constantly wanted food. At the same time, he kept pondering over a couple of questions.


    How would the master of the House of Mammon think about him? Objectively, how would he himself move?


    His answer was to stay put, waiting for a good chance.


    That was the best option to keep what he already possessed.


    But he was not supposed to do it. If he kept being on the defensive in a chaotic situation like this, it was certain that he would be consumed by bigger turbulence and turmoils in the coming days.


    "Tomorrow."


    The King of Gluttony withdrew his power he had activated as a test. He turned inside a huge empty space.


    He noticed his royal bodyguards consisting of Death Knights and vampires. He also faced the Bone Dragons behind them.


    It was time for him to take the risk, just like he had always done so since he was a Preta, the lowest demon. Now he had to bet everything to gain more power.


    The King of Gluttony turned back. Looking to the south, he felt the power of Godly Energy.


    He controlled the power of sin and the power of energy surging in his body.


    The next day.


    It was time for him to go hunting once again.


    Thanks to Scathach''s blue water, Yong-ho did not fall asleep for a long time even though he was exhausted.


    He noticed the skull unit doing farming even early in the morning. Skull was also digging potatoes with a hoe in its hand. He wondered if Skull was not a knight commander or a famous warrior but an excellent farmer in its previous life.


    Looking at Skull waving at him, he was lost in idle thought for a moment. Then he headed to the demon king''s room after leaving the Garden of Life.


    "Good morning!"


    "Wal! Wal!"


    Yuria, who was cleaning the room early in the morning, bowed to him politely. Baduk, who was mopping the floor, thought her greeting was natural, but it seemed to be quite strange to the baby dungeon meerkat on Yuria''s head.


    In any case, all three were the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon, who were cute to Yong-ho, so he didn''t care. He briefly thought about buying a dungeon hamster.


    He returned Yuria''s greetings by stroking her head and sat on the throne.


    The throne also saw some different changes from when he saw it first. The stone throne, which was just rusty, had some pretty good pieces attached to it, as well as a cushion on the back to make him feel comfortable.


    While gently rubbing the smooth throne handle, Yong-ho called Lucia.


    Then he accessed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.


    "My dear client, I love you very much, but I can''t love you if you visit me so early like this."


    Sitri was almost buried in a huge cushion that was hard to tell if it was a bed or a sofa.


    She was wearing a see-through negligee he had seen before, and a cute sleeping cap that did not match the negligee showing her maturity.


    Embarrassed at the scene, Yong-ho smiled awkwardly, trying to avoid seeing her eyes.


    "Uh¡­ Is it too early?"


    "Of course. You know, a beautiful woman is a sleepyhead."


    Taking off her sleeping cap, Sitri fidgeted with her fingers in succession.


    A purple nightgown that appeared in the blink of an eye wrapped her negligee.


    The large cushion that she was buried in also turned into a nice chair.


    She quickly did a light makeup then faced him proudly.


    Since he was trying not to spy on her quick change, he now said with a more relaxed expression, "I want to discuss something with you."


    Yong-ho knew early on that Sitri was Mammon''s lover. But only recently did he begin to ask for her help shamelessly like this. In fact, it was the first time he did so at the auction house recently.


    Sitri narrowed her eyebrows a little as if she wanted to point it out, too, but she quickly smiled gently. She said, leaning against the back of her chair, "Hmm, it seems like you ask for my help too openly, but that is also your charm. So, say what you want this time."


    He took a breath. He then listed the gist of what happened yesterday.


    Making Aamon his subordinate spirit.


    Destroying the Ten Warriors of the King of Gluttony.


    The King of Fury''s request for exchanges.


    After listening to each of what he said, Sitri bit her lower lip instead of answering right away.


    She nodded several times and finally opened her mouth.


    "It seems the situation is pretty much urgent."


    In fact, she also expected that the King of Gluttony would start a war. Perhaps, the sudden movement of the forces of the King of Violence must have provoked him. What she didn''t expect was rather the King of Fury''s action. Little did she think that the King of Fury warmed to the master of the House of Mammon so suddenly.


    ''Is it because of her encounter with him at the auction house?''


    Sitri laughed bitterly because she recalled some memories naturally. It pleased her just to recall it, but at the same time, it made her heartbroken.


    She opened her mouth again. She buried memories in her heart and faced the present.


    She said to the new King of Greed, "If you make an alliance with the King of Fury, I think it''s an ideal one because she has a pretty good relationship with the King of Violence."


    As for that point, Yong-ho was guessing like her to some extent, for the King of Violence and the King of Fury didn''t show any sign of hostility toward each other even when they moved their troops toward the King of Gluttony.


    What Yong-ho needed was a basis for confirming his guesswork, so Sitri''s words deepened his conviction.


    Like Sitri said, if he built a good relationship with the King of Fury, he could have a large coalition covering the entire southern area of the demon world.


    Sitri shook her head, watching him somewhat excited. She said with a sigh, "Anyway, you don''t have to imitate the bad side of the King of Fury, though."


    "What do you mean, Sitri?"


    Sitri knew much better about the King of Fury than him. No matter what others said about her, she was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market "from the time it was founded." Even though she was living in near seclusion, she boasted of her considerable intelligence capabilities.


    What if their meeting at the auction house was really the start of this kind of exchange?


    Sitri, who sighed again, let her shoulders droop.


    "Well, let me take care of your concern anyway since you are the King of Greed. Let me stop my services for you here. Shall we talk about our deal now."


    She fidgeted with her fingers with a smile then a large catalog appeared in the air.


    He could figure out what Sitri would say. As he expected, Sitri said, opening the catalog wide,


    "You recently asked me for an undead type spirit that could do necromancing, right? I found a suitable one for you."


    Yong-ho turned his eyes at the picture of one spirit in the catalog.


    ***


    "Be extremely careful, so you don''t make the same mistakes. Of course, the images of our king in the video will overwhelm him, but don''t forget that any of your behavior directly affects our king''s honor."


    Kirtimuka gave Gardimundi a sharp reminder with a serious expression, but as always, she briefly smiled then let her warning in one ear and out the other.


    Just as she did when writing the letter in person, the King of Fury seemed tired after attempting to shoot the best images of her look in the video several times.

 202 The Flow of Fighting 5

    But she said, with a bright smile, "I hope I''m in your good hands. If we form an alliance with him, our people will be able to live more safely. Besides, we will be able to overcome the upcoming fighting in the north with less damage."


    "I just hope that you can make your private wishes come true, too."


    When Gardimundi said it, the King of Fury blushed, but she didn''t get angry.


    As if she liked the king''s shy response again, Gardimundi giggled at her.


    Actually, she was not sure if she could have a good personal relationship with the master of the House of Mammon, but she hoped she could hit it off with him well.


    "Then, as a faithful friend and loyal servant of Her Majesty Dritarastra, I, Gardimundi of the Garura clan, will leave for the southern area to carry out your order."


    "Goodbye for now!"


    The King of Fury hugged Gardimundi gently. Gardimundi winked at Kirtimuka, who was grumbling quietly over there then turned around. Without any hesitation, she jumped down to the ground from the balcony of the king''s room.


    Right at that moment, a strong wind blew.


    Spreading her red wings widely, Gardimundi headed to the south.


    ***


    The King of Gluttony left his palace at dawn.


    Flying through the red sky of the demon world, he reminisced about his past.


    He went through tough days. Being born as a Preta, the weakest demon in the demon world, where the strong preyed on the weak, was like being born with the fate of disappearing as somebody else''s meal or plaything.


    But the King of Gluttony stood up on his own feet. He ate the same Pretas to increase his power and rose to the throne of the king step by step at the end of the day.


    He didn''t reminisce about his past because he wanted to indulge in anything like sentimentalism. Actually, he wanted to recall his own identity that he had forgotten since he became the king.


    If the Ten Warriors had been alive, they might have stopped him from advancing into the south.


    He was pretty sure they would.


    He was faced with too much danger. The forces of the King of Fury and the King of Violence were showing threatening movement. The power of the House of Mammon in the south was almost unknown.


    That was why he had to move. There were limits to what he could obtain without taking risks.


    If he had only chosen a comfortable path, he would never have climbed to his present status.


    The King of Gluttony landed on the ground. As a result of high-speed flying magic, his body got heated up.


    He took a deep breath. He saw the entrance to the dungeon of the House of Mammon and the dungeon meerkats hanging around there.


    The King of Gluttony opened his hands. Then he made the undead army that he had prepared for his fight with the six kings descend on the ground.


    Lucia immediately cut off the connection between Yong-ho and the virtual space of the Dungeon Market. Instead, she showed Yong-ho how the King of Gluttony was destroying the entrance to the dungeon of the House of Mammon.


    The King of Gluttony did not appear alone. There were dozens of death knights beside him. There were also five mighty vampire lords, also called No Life King.


    To talk about each of these spirits, they were inferior to the Ten Warriors, but it was important to know that the King of Gluttony was among them.


    Now, Yong-ho had two options.


    One was to lure them into the Garden of Life before he fought them just like he did when he fought the Ten Warriors. The other was to weaken their power by using the House of Mammon a bit.


    Both options had strengths and weaknesses. Yong-ho did not have time to compare the two for long.


    He suddenly stood up from the throne. He didn''t need to summon all the dungeon spirits because all of them were gathered in Scathach''s mansion. He tried hard to calm down.


    The surprise attack by the King of Gluttony obviously caught him off guard, but this place was his own dungeon.


    So, he had to avoid useless sacrifices. However, it was also reckless for him to deal with the King of Gluttony, one of the six kings, casually as if nothing happened.


    Yong-ho made the decision. He opened his mouth to issue an order.


    However, the moment he arrived at the Garden of Life and faced his subordinate spirits with an embarrassed and urgent expression, he heard Lucia''s warning.


    [The ground is being destroyed!]


    [The boundary between the first floor of the House of Mammon and the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed has been destroyed!]


    What Lucia reported was only her description of what''s going on before her eyes.


    The ceiling of the Garden of Life collapsed.


    The King of Gluttony, who went straight ahead without any hesitation, destroyed exactly one location. It was the very point where the ramp through which Yong-ho had lured the Ten Warriors into the Garden of Life was located.


    A large hole was broken through the ceiling of the Garden of Life. Now, Yong-ho''s two options were gone, and he had only one choice.


    Death knights and vampire lords came down through the ceiling. Surprisingly, the undead army stood up beside them. They were the forces of death summoned by the vampire lords.


    The King of Gluttony took a deep breath among them. It looked as if he was absorbing all the smells around him.


    The King of Gluttony''s sense of smell.


    If Greed led its owner to what he wanted to possess, Gluttony led its owner to what he wanted to eat.


    Yong-ho''s heart was beating. The King of Gluttony''s heart was pounding wildly.


    "Indeed, he is the same guy," said the king.


    The moment he saw Yong-ho from a distance, he was convinced. He understood why he was distracted by a strange young guy at the auction house on that day.


    There was a brief silence. It was like the calm before the storm.


    One or two seconds passed.


    Both of them now started to move against each other. The undead army of the King of Gluttony showed themselves first, while the Skull unit also rose up, holding their own weapons. The subordinate spirits of the House of Mammon quickly revealed their power.


    The storm of mana was raging from all over. Yong-ho also summoned the silver dragon armor, staring at the King of Gluttony.


    A silver armor wrapped around Yong-ho''s body. At that moment, the King of Gluttony hit the ground. He jumped out of the undead army as an individual then rushed to him.


    The Garden of Life was vast. However, it was only an indoor space. The king was fast. He was never dull. With just one leap, he crossed more than half of the Garden of Life in the blink of an eye.


    Catalina and Kaiwan hit the ground at the same time. Skull ordered the Skull unit to prevent the undead forces. Ophelia and Eligos immediately aroused their wildness and followed Catalina and Kaiwan.


    The situation was favorable to Yong-ho. If the king revealed himself, it would only be easier for Yong-ho''s forces to siege him from all directions.


    Skull and Tigrius planned to stop the undead forces. Catalina and Kaiwan threw themselves into the space between Yong-ho and the king. The silver dragon armor completely wrapped Yong-ho. Scathach hastily released the power of life to the Garden of Life as much as she could.


    Right at that moment, the king made a second leap. The moment he hit the ground, he saw Catalina and Kaiwan but ignored them. He didn''t even attack them. He just focused on Yong-ho. He only thought of getting closer to Yong-ho, as if he was not afraid of the siege.


    Six horns sprouted above the head of the king. His mana that opened up in an instant was as good as a bomb. The explosion of mana enveloped Catalina and Kaiwan. Besides, even Ophelia and Eligos had to stop for a moment.


    The King of Gluttony looked at Yong-ho. For a moment, he forgot about ''Gluttony'' that resonated with ''Greed.'' He didn''t even think about the Godly Energy in his hand that was craving for a new sin. It was the power that he obtained after becoming the master of his house, which was also the driving force that helped him rise to his current position.


    He was also known as Brunani, the Demon King of Vigilance.


    The King of Gluttony activated his power, opening a new world.


    Only heaven and earth existed there.


    There was nothing like the Garden of Life, the Undead Legion, and the mighty storm of mana surging from all directions.


    Yong-ho instinctively felt that his connection with Lucia was cut off. He couldn''t feel her presence like he did when he entered the arena.


    It wasn''t just Lucia. He couldn''t feel the presence of Catalina and Kaiwan. The mana that he always received from his subordinate spirits through Brigada was also cut off.


    When he suddenly felt isolated, Yong-ho looked far away. At the end of his gaze stood the King of Gluttony.


    "I call this place a hunting ground or a dining table."


    The king shouted leisurely. His Godly Energy, responding to the enormous mana emanating from his six horns, formed its shape like the claws of a beast.


    "My power. Only a hunter and his prey exist here. Only those who eat and those who are eaten exist here. And it is never deactivated until one eats or kills the other."

 203 The Flow of Fighting 6

    Because of this power, he could grow without an army. He could hide himself until he himself gained enough strength.


    Only two people existed in this world. So, even if the King of Gluttony was inside Yong-ho''s dungeon, it didn''t matter. There was no support from the dungeon, nor the help of the dungeon spirits. There was only the battle for power in this dog-eat-dog world.


    The reason why the King of Gluttony brought the undead army with him was not because he wanted to overwhelm the House of Mammon. He just needed them until he could get close enough to the master of the House of Mammon to activate his power.


    The King of Gluttony so easily succeeded in activating his power that he forgot his impatience. Indeed, he felt cozy in the hunting ground after a long time. The impatience that plagued him now turned into a sense of expectation.


    "You have grown up, and you really look inviting now, King of Greed."


    It was worth the wait. He felt he was right when he gave Yong-ho enough time to grow up.


    Although harvesting time was distorted by the King of Violence, it was still a satisfactory harvest.


    Since he activated his power, it didn''t matter how Yong-ho killed the Ten Warriors. In this land where Yong-ho could not get the support of the dungeon as well as his subordinate spirits, there was no way for him to overpower the King of Gluttony.


    "Let me eat you, King of Greed."


    The King of Gluttony already began to drool profusely, as if to reveal his nature as a devil.


    The king released mana, while he kept gulping down.


    Yong-ho saw the king activating his power, drooling. It was obviously terrifying mana.


    Indeed, it befitted him as the king.


    Yes, he was a king, and his power befitted him in such a position.


    Yong-ho stretched out his hands. Grabbing in the air, he got the magic spear of the red lotus.


    It was something that could become united with Yong-ho, so he could stay with Yong-ho despite the king''s enormous power.


    As one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits and the one who witnessed the power of the ''real king,'' Aamon made the request to Yong-ho.


    [Show it to me, my master. You, great King of Greed!]


    The King of Gluttony flinched at the moment he heard a strange voice that was not supposed to be heard here. However, he had no time to respond. A huge mana that could shake off such thoughts instantly exploded in front of his eyes.


    Yong-ho''s six horns, which could be comparable to the king''s, radiated a tremendous mana.


    He didn''t waste the time he gained when the king was embarrassed. While holding Aamon, he held his right fist to the chest. Then, he activated the heart of the Demon God, Mammon''s legacy, to fill the gap of power between him and the king.


    It was exactly as the king said.


    But Yong-ho didn''t need them because the King of Gluttony was also alone now.


    Both of them were kings with the power of sin.


    The claws of the Demon God''s heart got into Yong-ho''s chest. Each time they got into it, it increased Yong-ho''s power more than before.


    A total of four claws were triggered. That was the maximum that Yong-ho now could handle.


    A hunting ground or dining table.


    It was a place where one of the two must die before getting out.


    Yong-ho didn''t respond to the king''s description of this place. Instead, he rushed toward him violently. He became the one and only hunter chasing his prey here.


    There was something like a flow in the fighting.


    And the flow could overcome any gap created by objective indicators of strength.


    The King of Gluttony was strong.


    His mana was obviously superior to Yong-ho''s. His body, which evolved several times through "predation," another power of Gluttony, was hard, fast, and strong.


    Based on the objective indicators alone, he was stronger than Yong-ho.


    But that factor alone did not point to ''absolute''. It wasn''t just the numerical supremacy that determined the outcome of a fight.


    Yong-ho had a talent for fighting. The moment he rushed toward him forcefully, he already noticed the gap. And he understood that in order to overcome this unfavorable situation, he had to control the flow.


    Although there was a gap between their mana, they had the same number of horns anyway. Yong-ho could make good use of his attack before the King of Gluttony. Moreover, the heart of the Demon God filled the gap between Yong-ho and the king even for a short time.


    To control the flow, Yong-ho had to disperse the king''s fighting energy. He had to take the pre-emptive strike against the king to take the initiative.


    Yong-ho held his breath. The moment he hit the ground, he changed into a silver bullet and crossed the space.


    The king was panicked. It confused him that Yong-ho turned into the hunter, revealing his teeth and claws, targeting him now instead of being a prey.


    He sized up Yong-ho through Embrio. He found the cause of Yong-ho''s rapid growth in the sin of Greed. But he didn''t know enough about Yong-ho. He didn''t even imagine anything like the Labyrinth of Greed or Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    And such a gap in intelligence made a decisive difference.


    Right now, Yong-ho was a very powerful creature that exceeded the king''s expectations.


    Objectively speaking, Yong-ho was still weaker than the king, so it took time for the king to fully accept the new fact about Yong-ho.


    It wasn''t that long. It was very short.


    It was imperative that Yong-ho shouldn''t miss that moment.


    In the blink of an eye, the distance between the two disappeared. At the same time, the violent green flames spewed out of Aamon and covered the surroundings.


    The king instinctively closed his eyes. Yong-ho took another step.


    Checking out the king''s lower body, he rushed low and fast to attack it.


    The king was a right-hander. He had Godly Energy on his right hand, and he enjoyed fighting rather than magic.


    Embrio''s tips about the King of Gluttony were fragmentary. But when they were put together, Yong-ho could find the gap.


    The king generated mana to drive out the green flames. Then he opened his eyes urgently to look for Yong-ho. However, Yong-ho was in the middle of the green flames. Yong-ho''s energy was everywhere, and the dazzling green flames disturbed the king''s vision momentarily.


    The lag time was only a second or so.


    And that one second made a difference. The moment Aamon exploded, the king screamed in pain. The ultra-high temperature spear with the green flames penetrated the king''s waist.


    It was a powerful blow. However, Yong-ho let go of Aamon instead of twisting it.


    He immediately deactivated Aamon and lowered his posture as if he was almost lying on the floor.


    The king''s long and big arm penetrated the space where Yong-ho was a moment ago.


    Tremendous wind pressure tore the space. The king rotated his whole body and struck him with his right fist.


    It was a lightning strike. But Yong-ho threw himself to the left to avoid it. He focused on the king''s Godly Energy that caused something like a small earthquake after tearing apart the ground. It was like the head of a beast. Burning red, it wrapped around the king''s right arm just like Yong-ho''s magic field.


    Yong-ho rolled his eyes again. The king also saw him.


    Aamon shouted at Yong-ho, [Defend!]


    The space was torn. The head of the red beast that came out from Yong-ho''s left side opened its mouth. Yong-ho immediately raised his left arm. A shield of distortion released from Kaiwan''s ring blocked the beast''s head by a hair''s breadth.


    Yong-ho felt hot. As if he was hit by a truck, Yong-ho was pushed back. The shield of distortion was quickly crushed and swallowed up by the king''s Godly Energy.


    Yong-ho discovered that the king''s Godly Energy didn''t break the ground only. Part of it leaped into space. Only the invisible part of it struck Yong-ho from the side.


    The king withdrew his fist. There was no more embarrassment on his face. This land was his hunting ground, after all. It was a dining table where he ate so many people!


    The king attacked Yong-ho again. The mana emanating from his six horns overwhelmed the surrounding area.


    It wasn''t just a fight between the two. The clash between the invisible mana of the two was also a variable that influenced the victory and defeat of their fighting. If this place had not been the boundary of the King of Gluttony, the surrounding area would have been destroyed just by the collision of their mana.


    Yong-ho stopped breathing once again. He then rushed face to face toward the king, who was also charging at him. Faced with the king, he released the mana that he sharpened hard.


    Their mana collided primarily. With the surrounding area reverberating hard, the king stretched out his fist. Yong-ho lowered his posture. He remembered Gusion''s teaching at that moment. Instead of releasing mana again, he used it internally. The moment he was convinced of the trajectory of the king throwing a punch, he exploded mana inside.


    Yong-ho''s movement accelerated. Ignoring the king''s punches, he got closer to the king. Then he jumped vertically without missing the distortion of the mana he felt on the right.


    Bang!

 204 The Flow of Fighting 7

    The king''s punch that broke the space on Yong-ho''s right hit the air. There was frustration on his face. Yong-ho rotated his body in the air. Instead of obsessing with the attack using Aamon, he used what he had learned from Ophelia. A powerful horn mixed with his spin kick struck the king''s head!


    The king stumbled for a moment. The huge power released from Yong-ho''s six horns was beyond imagination. Dozens of his cogwheel-like teeth, which were exposed because of his nature as a Preta, were shattered to pieces at once.


    Now was the chance for Yong-ho. As soon as he landed on the ground, Yong-ho stopped breathing again. Instead of grabbing Aamon, he attacked the king''s thick stomach with a penetrating strike, but it was foolish for him to target it because it was stronger than iron.


    However, Yong-ho''s attack wasn''t that simple. The moment he was attacked, the king twisted his body, moaning in pain because his intestines were literally mangled.


    The penetrating strike.


    It was Embrio''s secret weapon intended to inject mana directly into the enemy''s body.


    Embrio''s legacy was not just his tips about the King of Gluttony.


    He also reserved everything about him for the new leader of the herd of wolves.


    The King of Gluttony staggered even more. Without any hesitation, Yong-ho stretched out his left hand for a hard blow. As if he was punching up, he poured out mana while attacking his belly.


    The king''s giant body went up suddenly, though briefly. The mana Yong-ho injected into his body again raged violently. When Yong-ho''s mana clashed with the magic field that the king released for defense caused even more disturbance.


    Yong-ho tried to get cold. He had to end this fight in the same way he fought Stravadi.


    No matter how much money one had or how strong mana one had, it was over if one died before using it because one didn''t know how to use it properly. So, it was best to finish the fight before the opponent used his maximum power.


    The king, who went up momentarily, flopped down because he couldn''t land properly. His mouth was already filled with blood, and his eyes were full of pain and anger.


    Yong-ho also bled through his lips. It looked like the side effects of the Devil God''s energy began to affect him.


    They began to be impatient. However, their impatience was different.


    The king swung his hands to attack Yong-ho at random, but Yong-ho calmly avoided it.


    The moment he checked the king''s waist, the target of his attack, Yong-ho once again pierced his chest. Then, he stabbed the king''s wounded part with the penetrating strike for the third and last time.


    He made a terrible scream. At the same time, tremendous mana radiated from his body. It was a violent and cruel vortex of mana that ripped apart everything around him. It was powerful enough to tear any ordinary opponent.


    His heart hurt. His hands and feet trembled even for a moment. There was not much time left to keep the energy of the Devil God. He clenched his teeth and stared at the king then he blinked unwittingly. What came down from above was the king''s head, not his fist.


    There was a terrifying noise when his teeth interlocked. And his mouth, which became more than twice as large as it was before, swallowed the air. Yong-ho, who stepped back by quickly hitting the ground, realized that there was no more discernment in the king''s eyes.


    Bang!


    The King of Gluttony lept again. As if he didn''t know how to punch, he opened his mouth again. He was not a beast or a Preta, not a king.


    His attack was simple and straightforward. But it was much harder for Yong-ho to avoid it. The mana released from his body was also different from it in the beginning. There was his determination to eat Yong-ho in it.


    The king threw himself in the air, but Yong-ho, clenching his teeth, attacked him from the front. Although the king fully released the power of Gluttony, Yong-ho confronted it with the mana of Greed that he sharpened as much as possible. Then he got close to the king who bit the air once again. But at that moment, the king activated the power of Godly Energy.


    The Godly Energy, which appeared after jumping into space, bit Yong-ho''s left shoulder. Dozens of teeth dislodged his bones and flesh at once, and the grip that he could never escape ripped apart his shoulders.


    It was a terrible pain. He felt like he would pass out from the shock. Yong-ho''s left arm, which lost its shoulder, rolled on the floor. The king, who swallowed part of Yong-ho''s body through the Godly Energy, smiled in satisfaction. It wasn''t just bones and flesh that the king ate. Not only Yong-ho''s mana but also part of his soul was eaten away.


    Yong-ho clenched his teeth. He quickly released mana to close the wounded area. He then almost threw his body. As if not to miss him, the king also poked his mouth to him.


    His mouth, his gluttony, and a lump of gluttony.


    The moment he faced the king face to face, Yong-ho made a decision. Instead of avoiding the king''s mouth getting closer to him, Yong-ho faced it bravely. Then he punched it with a roaring sound.


    Yong-ho rammed his right fist into his mouth. The king''s gluttony did not hesitate to take it.


    He tightened his chin to swallow Yong-ho''s entire right arm as well as his right fist.


    Right before the king''s cogwheel-like teeth interlocked themselves, Yong-ho grabbed the magic spear of the red lotus once again. The green flames of the red lotus flared up inside the king''s mouth.


    Bang!


    The spear''s blade pierced the roof of the king''s mouth, and the spear broke through into his throat. The king felt terrible pain. But his gluttony did not stop. The king tried to eat Yong-ho as well as Aamon together.


    However, Yong-ho also did not tolerate it. He concentrated all the remaining mana from the Demon''s God on his right arm where Aamon was located.


    Then, Yong-ho ordered Aamon as the King of Greed.


    "Grow big!"


    Aamon followed his order. Aamon seemed to change several times. Both the spear''s blade and the spear were made several times larger than the original.


    The violently swirling green flames swallowed up the mana of gluttony. The spear blade pierced the palate of food hunger and destroyed it. Because of the spear that surged from the bottom, the king''s head was mangled. Besides, the spear didn''t stop at crushing his throat, but it crushed his intestines that had been already mangled by Yong-ho''s penetrating strike.


    The king couldn''t shut his mouth. He didn''t dare to activate his Godly Energy. His hands and feet trembled, so did Yong-ho. Ignoring the pain of his heart, Yong-ho triggered the fifth claw and the fifth mana!


    Aamon got back to its original size. Yong-ho grabbed Aamon tightly. Then he released fierce green flames into the king''s broken head.


    Although the king''s Godly Energy tried hard to sustain its owner''s life, it was too late.


    The sin of Gluttony itself burned away amid the green flames that became united with Greed.


    The enormous mana released from the king''s six horns were useless. Now that the king''s body was destroyed, his mana, which could be called the incarnation of Gluttony, was just hovering in the air.


    Yong-ho let out a breath. He pulled out his hand after pushing Aamon into the king''s body. He stared at the king''s body supported by Aamon that was plugged into the ground after getting out of it. It was hard. Even though Yong-ho was exposed to the king''s attack with teeth only once, his life was at stake. He had fever all over his body like a fireball.


    However, Yong-ho did not budge a bit. He still had something to do.


    His greed guided him. He found out the origin of the king''s gluttony.


    Yong-ho deactivated the heart of the Demon God. As soon as the five toenails stuck deep in his chest came out, Yong-ho felt a sense of pain and liberation at the same time.


    He stumbled. He reached out his right hand toward his heart as well as the essence of the king. By triggering Greed, the embodiment of possessiveness, he took the power of Gluttony!


    The sin of Gluttony and the sin of Greed collided head-on. The enormous mana of the King of Gluttony came in like a tide into his heart, opened by the excessive use of the Demon God''s heart.


    ''Gluttony'' struggled. ''Greed'' swallowed up Gluttony. Just like they did in the past, Greed forcibly subdued Gluttony and pushed it into the heart of the demon king.


    The Seven Deadly Sins, they were the fragments of the soul of the Demon God or its seven fragments.


    Yong-ho roared, feeling so much pleasure beyond description.


    Cracks covered the sky and the earth.


    The dining table collapsed.


    The King of Gluttony''s firm determination collapsed over Yong-ho''s head, who took the sin of Gluttony.

 205 Greed 1

    The world of the King of Gluttony collapsed. As the false world that existed in the gap between the boundaries of the demon world collapsed, a real world emerged.


    It was the Garden of Life full of the power of life released by Scathach.


    But Yong-ho could not recognize it. He cried in ecstasy.


    Greed never missed the essence of the King of Gluttony. Greed tried to devour it completely.


    Yong-ho''s heart responded to it. His heart, which was on the verge of being broken because of God''s heart, maintained its shape by accepting the mana of the King of Gluttony.


    Absorbing essence was most efficient when absorbing that of someone who was stronger than one''s self. The King of Gluttony''s mana was enormous. It was a huge mass that surpassed what Yong-ho could take, like it was when he accepted Agares''s power.


    The power of evolution opened its eyes and evolved itself on behalf of Yong-ho, who lost his mind while absorbing the king''s essence.


    Yong-ho broke the bowl. Using the overflowing mana, he made a new bowl.


    It would be good to say he completely changed for the better through evolution. This time, his body was made more efficient and powerful than before.


    The number of his horns was still the same¡ªsix horns. But they were never the same before and after his complete changeover. His body was now closer to his mana. The number of passages that controlled his mana was rather down. The loosely connected springs merged into one to form a huge river. There was a dazzling green flash.


    Since Yong-ho''s body was completely reborn, the loss of his shoulders didn''t matter. A lump of his mana became bones. Muscles and blood vessels were connected in a row, and on top of that, unblemished skin was added.


    A huge amount of mana was released in the process. And, a collision of intense force comparable to this external fierceness took place inside his body.


    It was the desperate resistance of gluttony.


    Although Gluttony already lost its owner and got swallowed by Greed, it did not give in meekly.


    Rather, it tried to eat away greed from the inside. The last malice left by the King of Gluttony turned into a terrible curse with gluttony.


    The power of evolution could not help greed. Yong-ho''s complete change itself was already causing a terrifying torrent of mana.


    Greed and Gluttony ate each other. It seemed that the Demon God''s heart containing both sins would explode any time soon. Yong-ho''s heart screamed silently amid the two sins'' competing rivalry.


    And there was someone who approached him. Not one, but many.


    Catalina screamed, hugging his shoulders. Five horns that sprouted on her head were vibrating violently, releasing mana.


    Skull grabbed the Godly Energy. Ophelia and Eligos screamed, holding each other''s chest. Tigrius activated the power of synthetic evolution.


    Aamon flared up alone in the air. The green flames of the red lotus looked at its owner, radiating a violent green light. Aamon gathered all the will of his subordinate spirits.


    The Godly Energy of Greed shined.


    Yong-ho, who was floating in the whirlwind of not only his own change but also the confrontation between Greed and Gluttony, felt all of his subordinate spirits now. At the same time, he perceived the power of Yuho Yuan, who were raising their voices from the Godly Energy of Greed and the power of harmony.


    Greed possessed everything that the King of Gluttony built up and devoured.


    Yong-ho, who gathered all the power of his subordinate spirits, trampled down the king''s desperate resistance and his malice.


    Gluttony gave off its last malice. However, the tide was turned already.


    The sin of Gluttony, kneeling before greed, took its place in the Demon God''s heart.


    The dazzling green light fizzled out. Yong-ho''s body, which was floating, propelled by mana, fell to the ground, and the pain and joy that swept through his subordinate spirits subsided.


    The silver dragon armor that was wrapped around Yong-ho''s body was dismantled and scattered.


    After completing the second changeover, Yong-ho closed his eyes in supreme pleasure.


    Then he fell, losing consciousness.


    Catalina and Kaiwan staggeringly approached him. Skull sat down on the floor, holding the Godly Energy of Greed in his hand.


    Aamon finally turned to Scathach''s mansion. Scathach, who could not leave the mansion, stood while looking at Yong-ho with a regrettable expression.


    Two of the Seven Deadly Sins gathered.


    The House of Mammon regained one of the seven Godly Energies, "Godly Energy of Fury."


    Aamon suddenly thought of Mammon when he last saw the king climbing the stairs alone.


    It was the thing of the past. It was never going to be repeated again.


    Aamon himself would make sure it would not happen again.


    The flames of red lotus arose from Aamon. Then it disappeared into a handful of flames to return to the new King of Greed.


    ***


    Gardimundi could not believe her eyes. Even though she closed and opened her eyes again and again, the scene before her eyes did not change.


    The entrance to the dungeon of the House of Mammon was gone.


    It wasn''t just a simple collapse. The entrance itself disappeared as if it was swallowed by a giant monster at a gulp.


    Gardimundi hurriedly rolled her eyes. Fortunately, it wasn''t long before she could find the dungeon meerkats of the House of Mammon. They were sticking out their heads through a hole in the cut section as if they were hidden in the nest deep inside the dungeon.


    It wasn''t the safety of the dungeon meerkats that Gardimundi was worried about. She was worried about the inevitable situation where she would have to run away, deserting them.


    The House of Mammon was attacked. If so, who was the attacker? There was almost none in the southern land who could dare to attack the House of Mammon.


    If so, was it attacked by an ''outsider''?


    Gardimundi bit her lips. She made a decision. Erecting her five horns, she began to glide by adjusting her wings. She soon landed on the ground to check the condition of the House of Mammon.


    The dungeon meerkats saw her. So, if the soul of the dungeon was still alive and could deal with the outsider who appeared at the entrance of the dungeon, he or she was supposed to respond.


    Gardimundi grabbed a steel spear instead of a huge flag symbolizing the King of Fury.


    Holding it gently, she stared at the dungeon.


    Then she quietly counted deep down. She decided to wait five minutes. When there was no response even after five minutes, she was going to storm into the dungeon.


    When it came to the ''outsider,'' there were only two¡ªthe King of Violence and the King of Gluttony. It was very unlikely that it was the King of Lust since the King of Lust was in a distant place, or the King of Pride and the King of Envy, who were now engaged in fighting with each other, would pick a fight with the House of Mammon at the southern tip of the demon world.


    Even if it was an attack by the King of Violence or the King of Gluttony, Gardimundi should have double-checked it. It was her duty as the scout serving as the King of Fury''s eyes and ears.


    Extremely tense, she felt the time that had passed so fast. Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.


    Strongly determined, Gardimundi took the first step. At the same time, she aimed at the front with a steel spear.


    "I''m Eligos, the butler of the Mammon family. Welcome."


    When she was about to storm into the dungeon, she was stopped by a red beast who greeted her calmly. The beast''s upper body was revealed as if he was just done making a changeover, but his steel-like muscles made her feel he was not naked at all.


    Gardimundi let out a sigh of relief briefly. His face and voice matched with the butler she had met the other day.


    "I''m Gardimundi of the Garura clan. I''ve come here with a letter from Her Majesty the King of Fury. Was something bad happening here?"


    When she asked him directly, Eligos smiled gently. Then he responded in a soft but firm tone.


    "Something bad happened, but it was taken care of. By the way, I''m afraid we can''t accept a precious guest like you right now."


    After all, he declined her visit this time. But she put it bluntly once again.


    "If you need my help, please let me know. I will try to help you as best as I can."


    "No thanks. Please forgive me for not accepting you who have come a long way."


    Eligos clearly expressed his intention again.


    After all, Gardimundi gave up looking inside the dungeon. She felt it better to step back and take time than prodding him impatiently.


    After putting down her iron spear, Gardimundi also withdrew her horns. She opened Sarasvati''s pocket on her waist and took out a letter and a small box.


    "It''s a letter from Her Majesty the King of Fury, and her return present for your master''s specialty."


    Gardimundi presented the letter and the box with both hands, and Eligos, after hesitating briefly, approached her and accepted them.


    In some ways, Eligos''s action was just normal, but Gardimundi narrowed her eyes because she sensed something unusual. A true scout like her was not just content with observing what she saw. It was important for her to discern the person she was dealing with, let alone objects around her.


    In her eyes, Eligos changed, and he changed a lot overnight at that.


    She could not know specifically how he changed because he had just done changing his power, but it was certain that he became "stronger" than before.

 206 Greed 2

    Gardimundi took a step back. As if she was wearing a mask, she said cheerfully without showing any doubts, "On my way, I saw a city in the north. I''ll stay there for some time, so let me know when you get the message for me. I''m going to say hello to the master of the House of Mammon and receive his reply."


    Obviously, she suggested that she would not go back empty-handed.


    Eligos liked this straightforward messenger.


    "I will contact you as soon as possible. The tavern located in the western part of the city is owned by the House of Mammon, so I hope you can stay there comfortably."


    Gardimuni was already aware that not only the pub but the whole city was owned by the House of Mammon.


    She asked to share hands with Eligos. Gently clasping his big, hard hand, she stepped back with a smile and said, "I will wait for your reply then."


    "I look forward to seeing you again."


    Gardimundi spread her wings. Holding back the urge to look beyond Eligos into the inside of the dungeon, she flew away. She flapped her wings toward the Free City.


    Sitri said, "The reason why the King of Fury is favorable to the House of Mammon is so simple."


    It wasn''t because if she united with the Mammon family, she could create a great coalition of the southern region. It wasn''t even because she was scared of the potential of the House of Mammon that united the whole southern unclaimed lands.


    "The House of Mammon is not under the control of any king."


    There was some significant meaning in it.


    To examine it further, it was very clear why the King of Fury showed favor, not hostility, to the House of Mammon.


    "The master of the Mammon family is not a king, so he is lower than me, the King of Fury in hierarchy."


    "He is not a man that I have to compete for Godly Energy and Seven Deadly Sins. That''s why I can feel relaxed. I can trust him."


    It was difficult to believe in somebody else who was stronger than one''s self in the demon world where the strong preyed on the weak. Besides, if the opponent was a king, it would be more difficult to trust him, for such a king might have a motive to kill her and take her Sin.


    "That''s the most important thing for you to keep in mind when you build a relationship with the King of Fury."


    Should he reveal his Greed or hide it?


    Should he face her as a king or as the descendant of the prestigious family who unified the unclaimed lands in the south?


    Yong-ho opened his eyes and woke up.


    ***


    He felt cozy and comfortable. He wanted to close his eyes again and fall asleep right now.


    If he hadn''t heard the voice right before his eyes, he would have fallen asleep again.


    "Young master! Are you alright? Can you hear me? How many are these?"


    Obviously, the other party spoke with a lot of concern, but her voice was clear.


    He instinctively recognized somebody waving her two fingers hard before his eyes. He then opened his mouth, "Scathach?"


    "Can you count how many this is?"


    "Two."


    "You''re alright!"


    Scathach hugged Yong-ho all of a sudden. Since he was in the blue water at the moment, she fell into the water with a splash when she hugged him, but she didn''t seem to care at all.


    He felt she was cozy and soft like the blue water. Before he knew it, he closed his eyes then hugged her face to face. But this time, it didn''t last long. Scathach laughed after pushing him out as fast as when she hugged him.


    "Because some other people are waiting for their turn now."


    "Uh?"


    Scathach stepped back and got out of the blue water. As soon as she got out of his vision, some others came up close.


    "Master!"


    "Yong-ho!"


    Catalina and Kaiwan on both sides hugged him at the same time. He hugged them all at once this time, too. Catalina rubbed her head against his shoulder, flapping her ears, and Kaiwan kept kissing his cheeks.


    "How do you feel? Are you okay?"


    "Are you feeling any side effects?"


    Kaiwan and Catalina asked competitively. Since he got confused at the moment, he paused a moment before replying. They looked at him earnestly with their eyes shining.


    He withdrew his hand that wrapped her waist and put it on his chest. He could feel his heart pounding hard.


    And he felt one more thing, something he couldn''t feel in the past.


    "The Sin of Gluttony," he murmured quietly and closed his eyes.


    He then focused his consciousness and got convinced.


    "It''s inside my body. I don''t think I can use it like Greed right now... It''s definitely mine now."


    Obviously, Gluttony was located in one corner of the Demon God''s heart, which was now almost united with his.


    Unlike Greed, it did not obey Yong-ho meekly, but it was not holding any hostility or malice.


    It was obvious that over time he could make use of it like Greed.


    "Oh, oh!"


    Admiring Yong-ho''s condition, Catalina flapped her ears, looking at his chest. Her tail also fluttered in the blue water.


    Kaiwan was as excited as Catalina. She screamed, tapping his chest loudly.


    "You know what? You''re the first to have two Sins in your body since Mammon!"


    She spoke confidently, looking at him proudly and respectfully.


    He also couldn''t hide his smile. He looked a little silly but laughed happily.


    He defeated the King of Gluttony. He won and survived. And he became the first king who obtained more than two Sins since Mammon.


    Yong-ho squeezed his fist lightly. After taking a deep breath, he looked back at himself.


    "I feel my weight is so light. Is this the result of my absorption of the king''s essence?"


    Obviously, he felt different from it when he was in blue water a moment ago.


    He really felt much lighter. He felt as if his body was like a feather.


    He traced his memory and soon realized that he had already felt something like this before.


    "The power of evolution."


    He felt the same when he defeated Agares and took his essence. He had to do something to absorb his essence, who was much stronger than himself.


    The power of evolution reconstructed his body, making it more powerful and efficient.


    [Your physical ability has improved a lot!]


    [Your look has also changed slightly.]


    [Of course, you''re much more attractive than before!]


    As if she was patient enough to keep silent until now, Lucia spoke in a bright voice, at last.


    When he heard from Lucia that even his look changed, Yong-ho touched his body here and there. He knew his body more than anybody else, so he immediately noticed how it changed.


    First, he grew a little taller. His skin was smooth and soft like a baby''s. And his body that used to be hard became strong like steel.


    And there was one more change in his appearance.


    "Oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh."


    Admiring his changeover once again, he was very satisfied.


    Kaiwan and Catalina, who were looking at him blankly, soon gazed at where Yong-ho was looking at, and blushed almost at the same time.


    Kaiwan turned up one corner of her mouth slightly, while Catalina flapped her ears excitedly.


    Aamon, who remained silent, whispered, [The power of your anguish is increasing.]


    This time, Lucia cleared her throat.


    [Hmmmm. By the way, master. I''ve got some important news.]


    [The King of Fury has sent you another letter.]


    Perhaps, since they were inside Scathach''s mansion or perhaps, since Lucia became stronger than before, Catalina and Kaiwan could also hear Lucia''s voice.


    Catalina said, quickly looking for something on her waist, "Here you are!"


    While Catalina was looking for the letter, Yong-ho asked Kaiwan, "How much time had passed after I fell?"


    "A full day. This time, that same Garura girl brought this letter. Now she is waiting for your reply at the tavern in the Free City. We''re in a grave situation right now, so we can''t accept her into the dungeon this time."


    He pinched Kaiwan''s cheek a bit because she seemed to ask for his praise of her action.


    "Good job!"


    "Here you are."


    Catalina handed him the letter right at that moment. He stroked her hair once more then opened the seal on the envelope. Right before opening it, he narrowed his eyes and said, "I can feel her mana here."


    Kaiwan said, "I think it contains her video magic."


    Nodding at her explanation, he opened the letter. Indeed, like Kaiwan said, a pile of light gathered in the air just above the letter and formed a certain shape. It was her face, the King of Fury, who he met at the Dungeon Market''s special auction house.


    [Test, test.]


    [Can I talk over here?]


    In the video, the King of Fury spoke, blinking her big eyes. Then, another woman''s voice was heard very quietly from a little distance.


    [You already started recording.]


    Startled, the King of Fury blinked her eyes again and immediately cleared her throat.


    Then she changed her posture and looked straight ahead.


    [Hmm hmm.]


    [It''s nice to greet you in a video like this, master of the House of Mammon!]


    [I am the King of Fury, the chief of the Gandharva clan. My name is Dritarastra, the head of the eight-clan people.]


    "Well, I guess she is trying to act cute to Yong-ho. Besides, she seems to be conceited a bit."


    Kaiwan spoke quietly while Catalina focused on the video, feeling a bit out of place.

 207 Greed 3

    Yong-ho looked at her, feeling fresh about her using honorifics, unlike her sharp-looking face.


    The Queen of Fury continued.


    [I received your reply and special products through Gardimundi of the Garura clan, my faithful friend and right-hand man.]


    [I am very happy that you are also thinking of making a friendly relationship with our people.]


    With a gentle smile, the Queen of Fury stopped talking for a moment.


    As if hesitating, she curled up her lips several times and finally opened her mouth.


    [It may be a little bit early, but why don''t we meet and talk about the exchanges between our people and the House of Mammon?]


    [The future of the demon world is uncertain due to the ongoing war between the King of Pride and the King of Envy in the northern area. Even the belligerent King of Gluttony seems to be ready to start a war anytime.]


    [I think we will be able to overcome this turbulence wisely if our people and the House of Mammon join hands together.]


    The voice of the Queen of Fury had a strong appeal. After she continued to talk firmly, she took her breath once then relaxed a bit. She resumed talking with a gentle look and voice, [As I said, you might think it a bit early that we meet face to face.]


    [So, just feel free to do so if you feel uncomfortable about my proposal.]


    [I look forward to your frank reply.]


    [PS: I really enjoyed the fried chicken you sent me. Thank you.]


    Her postscript was not her own voice, but a message of light. But Yong-ho seemed to hear her voice in it.


    He folded the letter.


    At that moment, Kaiwan and Catalina were lost in thought respectively, instead of responding recklessly. His reply to the Queen of Fury''s offer was a major issue that could determine the future of the House of Mammon.


    He closed his eyes for a moment and recalled his conversation with Sitri.


    She said something at the time. She mentioned one decision that she said was the most important.


    ''You already have the answer from the beginning.''


    He needed to hide his status as the King of Greed from her.


    He also needed to hide the fact that he took the essence of the King of Gluttony.


    The Queen of Fury''s goodwill to Yong-ho was based on the fact that "Yong-ho is not a king."


    So, he didn''t need to break a friendly relationship by revealing it.


    For the same reason, he didn''t have to reveal that he defeated the King of Gluttony.


    What would happen if the Queen of Fury found out that he not only obtained the sin of Greed but also the sin of Gluttony? What if other kings found it out, too?


    There was a historical precedent to it. There was a precedent in which all the other kings joined hands to destroy Mammon who obtained as many as three out of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    So, it was the best option to hide it from the Queen of Fury.


    After making up his mind, Yong-ho opened his eyes again. Then Lucia, who was checking his condition, opened her mouth.


    [By the way, master.]


    [The space for securing your subordinate spirits also increased significantly. Probably, you can make one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits your own subordinate spirit.]


    What she said was a bit irrelevant to his main topic, but he could not ignore her.


    He raised his head instinctively and looked at Scathach.


    She shook her head and said, "Thank you, but it''s premature. You remember you made the promise to me, right?"


    "Sure, I do."


    What she presented to him as the condition for passing her test was the liberation and subjugation of Gusion. So, securing Gusion was more urgent to Yong-ho than Scathach.


    "And this is my recommendation to you as the healer of the Mammon family. Just take a journey back home sooner or later."


    "Home? Are you talking about my hometown in the human world?"


    She nodded at his question again. Approaching the blue water where Yong-ho, Catalina, and Kaiwan were soaked, she said, "Right. I think you should because your body has gone through a complete changeover this time, the Demon God''s heart, too. So, I think you had better go back to the human world once more and take some fresh air."


    Although she replied to his question, Yong-ho got even more curious.


    He tilted his head and asked, "I know what you mean. But why did you mention the Demon God''s heart?"


    "Well, Master Mammon completed the heart of the Demon God in the human world, not the demon world. As a result, many of the ingredients of the Demon God''s heart are mixed with that of a human being."


    Blinking again, Yong-ho looked at himself. He felt fresh about the heart of the Demon God made of Brigada.


    Kaiwan quickly hugged his arm and said, "I want to come with you, too. I also want to say hello to your father."


    "Me, too," said Catalina, who also hugged his other arm earnestly not to be outdone by her.


    He momentarily imagined his father encountering Kaiwan and Catalina at the same time.


    What would his father say to him?


    He just giggled when he imagined it. He shook his head and withdrew his arms from them, gently saying, "Let''s solve the important problem first."


    In fact, the Queen of Fury''s messenger was waiting for his reply in the Free City.


    So, he had to take care of that matter first.


    "Lucia, gather all the dungeon spirits in the conference room."


    [Okay, Master.]


    [I''ll summon your subordinate spirits, garrison captain Rikum, and workshop chief Burgrim in the conference room on the first floor.]


    [It will take some time to gather them all in one place, so please take your time.]


    Yong-ho nodded. Then he asked Kaiwan, Catalina, and Scathach a bit belatedly, "Are all our people alright?"


    When the King of Gluttony raided the Garden of Life, he was not alone. At a glance, there were dozens of Death Knights and more than five vampire lords surrounding him.


    After defeating the King of Gluttony, he was so absent-minded that he could not afford to pay attention to them. Even his subordinate spirits didn''t know exactly what had happened, except for Kaiwan, Catalina, and Scathach.


    At his asking, the three looked at each other and soon giggled.


    Then they nodded at the same time.


    ***


    There were several small rooms attached to the left and right of the Demon King''s room, which had been moved to the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    On the right were Yong-ho''s room as well as that of Kaiwan and Catalina, respectively, while a conference room and Yong-ho''s private office were on the left.


    When Yong-ho arrived at the conference room with Kaiwan and Catalina, all the spirits needed for the meeting were already gathered. Starting with Yuria, who was carrying teacups with Baduk, they bowed to Yong-ho politely.


    "We''re so happy to see you safe and in good health."


    Eligos greeted him on behalf of the others. He patted Eligos''s shoulder, which seemed to have become even stronger.


    "I''m glad you guys are all safe. Let''s sit down first."


    Yong-ho sat at the top of a long rectangular table. On his right side were Catalina, Eligos, Tigrius, and Rikum, while Kaiwan, Ophelia, Skull, and Burgrim were on his left.


    Rikim and Burgrim were the only ones who were not his subordinate spirits.


    Of course, Yuria and Baduk, who sat next to the teacup sets in the corner, and the nameless meerkat were not, either.


    "As you see, I am alright. Since I absorbed the essence of the King of Gluttony, my mana has become more powerful now. I haven''t actually opened it up, but my mana is probably equal to that of the King of Gluttony."


    It wasn''t just the king''s essence that Yong-ho took. His Greed ate even the king''s memory.


    Of course, he did not completely absorb all the king''s memories because almost all of them sank deep in the sea of his subconsciousness. However, he could remember several of them. Birudaka, the king''s name, was one of those memories.


    Yong-ho activated the heart of the Demon God in order to defeat the King of Gluttony.


    But now he had the same mana as that of the king even without using the Demon God''s heart, which showed the explosive growth of his mana.


    ''Of course, I benefited more from my body''s complete changeover.''


    Yong-ho, who had learned the use of mana from Red Demon Gusion, realized that the amount of mana that he could instantly concentrate was more important than the total amount of simple mana at least during the fighting.


    As a result of his body''s changeover, the speed of mana circulation was much faster than before. Now he could concentrate more than a third of his full mana on his fist during the short span of time he threw a punch.


    Yong-ho''s growth meant the growth of the House of Mammon as a whole.


    Kaiwan said with a subtle smile, "Thanks to your growth, your subordinate spirits have also become stronger. Now, all the spirits have five horns on average. I''m on the verge of getting six horns. I feel like I''ve reached the maximum. Oh, of course, Aamon is an exception."


    She turned her eyes at Yong-ho''s wrist. Then, the flames of the red lotus flared up in the air.


    [I also got stronger. Although I''m not as strong as I was during my prime days, I think the day will soon come when I can fully restore my power.]

 208 Greed 4

    When Mammon died, the power of the 12 Spirits belonging to him was also weakened.


    Yong-ho realized Mammon''s power once again. Given that Aamon''s power was still powerful, he must have been much more powerful during his prime days. What about Mammon who had Aamon as his subordinate spirit?


    It was beyond imagination.


    Yong-ho felt like he was seeing another sky beyond the sky. But he didn''t feel unpleasant at all. Rather, he felt he had a glimpse of a goal that he had to achieve.


    "Okay, then let''s get down to business. The first agenda or question is this one. What happened to the undead army that the King of Gluttony brought with him?"


    Actually, he asked Kaiwan, Catalina, and Scathach about this, but they didn''t reply, saying they would like to talk about it at the meeting. Of course, Catalina was going to reply anyway, but Kaiwan stopped her.


    Ophelia said, "They disappeared right after you disappeared with the King of Gluttony. According to Scathach, it seemed that they were summoned back."


    "Summoned back?"


    Tigrius, who is in charge of the magic of the Mammon family, explained, "Yes. Some high-ranking summoners often keep ''special summoners'' in a separate subspace. In other words, they are used only when necessary. Likewise, they are summoned back right away when they are not needed."


    "I think the King of Gluttony seems to have stormed into the dungeon to fight you in a duel. As a result, the moment he got inside the dungeon and faced you alone, he seemed to summon back the undead army to reduce the useless consumption of his mana."


    "As a matter of fact, there remained the miscellaneous undead troops summoned by the vampire lords. Of course, the Skull unit destroyed them all later," said Ophelia, as if to make up for Tirgrius''s explanation.


    Finally, when Yong-ho looked at Skull, he laughed as always and shouted, "Skull Skull."


    Obviously, he was very proud of his unit''s achievement.


    With the atmosphere getting warmer, Aamon said, [Our master has obtained Gluttony now, along with the King of Gluttony''s essence.]


    [Greed is the power of possession... Even if it''s impossible right now, if our master can better handle Gluttony, it''s highly likely that he can access the "subspace" created by the King of Gluttony.]


    [Because all the things the king possessed now fell in the hands of Greed.]


    "I see."


    Yong-ho nodded quietly. It was not because he agreed with Aamon, but because he felt he could do it. Perhaps it was because of his memories of the King of Gluttony that were in the realm of his unconsciousness.


    Over ten death knights and five vampire lords. That wasn''t all.


    The memory of the King of Gluttony told Yong-ho that bone dragons were also located in the subspace.


    Already, they alone could be called an army corps. As a result of Yong-ho''s victory, they now belonged to the House of Mammon. Although Yong-ho could not use them right now, he could use them as a secret weapon that nobody expected at all.


    All the dungeon spirits didn''t hide their joy when they heard Aamon''s explanation.


    Yong-ho wondered how they would react when he told them that bone dragons were also preserved in the subspace.


    ''Let me hold onto their pleasure until later.''


    He still had lots of other agenda to discuss with them. So, he could tell them about the bone dragons after he could take control of the subspace of the King of Gluttony.


    He signaled to Catalina with a glance, and she put the red gauntlet on the table, which she carefully carried.


    At a glance, the magical machine looked very unusual.


    Yong-ho said, "This is one of the fragments of the Demon God''s flesh, but at the same time was the ''Godly Energy of Fury'' possessed by the King of Gluttony."


    Everyone in the conference room looked at it tensely. Watching it before their eyes, they realized once again that Yong-ho really defeated the king.


    Ophelia, who was checking his mood for a moment, asked, looking at the flames of the red lotus, "I''m sorry to ask you, but why did the King of Gluttony possess the ''Godly Energy of Fury''?"


    Other subordinate spirits turned to Aamon as if they were curious about that.


    When Yong-ho turned his eyes, full of curiosity, the flames of the red lotus flared up more intensely.


    Aamon whispered to everyone, [In the past, Mammon, the great King of Greed, acquired three Sins and four Godly Energies.]


    [The three Sins were Greed, Fury, and Gluttony, respectively.]


    [The four Godly Energies were greed, Fury, Gluttony, and Lust, respectively.]


    They were also aware of this.


    Aamon continued, [After Mammon died, all three Sins and four Godly Energies were dispersed everywhere.]


    [The Godly Energy of Lust was in the hands of the King of Lust. However, Greed, Fury, and Gluttony wandered around in the demon world without finding their true owner.]


    The three Godly Energies changed hands several times over a thousand years.


    At the time, all of them were possessed by different kings, but they didn''t find their proper owner.


    [Probably, that''s why the King of Gluttony had the Godly Energy of Fury. That''s perhaps the case with the King of Violence. Perhaps, the King of Pride and the King of Envy might have different Godly Energies that didn''t match their own Sins.]


    "Is the match of Sin with Godly Energy important?"


    When Yong-ho asked it, the flames of the red lotus arose again.


    Aamon said firmly, [Yes, it''s important.]


    [It''s only when it faces the Sin that matches with it when Godly Energies shows its real power.]


    Yong-ho looked at the Godly Energy again. Come to think of it, the Godly Energy possessed by the King of Gluttony did not play any efficient role. Of course, his attack by leaping through space was powerful, but it wasn''t that effective, given the enormous potential of Godly Energy that totaled only seven in the demon world.


    According to Aamon''s explanation, the Godly Energy of Fury could only display its true power when it was in the hands of the Queen of Fury.


    So, Yong-ho thought about it the other way. As long as he possessed the Godly Energy of Fury, the Queen of Fury would not be able to use her power perfectly.


    As a matter of fact, Yong-ho was building a fairly positive relationship with the Queen of Fury. But it didn''t mean that she was his perfect ally. It was regrettable that he could not get the ''real Godly Energy of Greed'' by fighting the King of Gluttony, but he was lucky enough to have obtained the Godly Energy of Fury.


    After sorting out his complicated thoughts by nodding, he brought to himself the attention of his subordinate spirits at the meeting. Then he brought out the next topic.


    "I think I had better hide the fact that I defeated the King of Gluttony. What do you think?"


    "I agree. For all the world, the King of Gluttony mounted a surprise attack against us. So, I think the king''s allies might regard the current situation as "the king''s sudden disappearance," said Ophelia.


    This time, Tigrius opined, "There is a high possibility that the king''s allies will hide his death, for it is clear that the Queen of Fury or the King of Violence will move once it''s known that the king has disappeared. Unless the king''s allies show any suspicious movement, I don''t think we have to go to the trouble of drawing other kings'' attention by revealing that we defeated the King of Gluttony."


    "I agree. The substance is more important than what''s on the surface. It''s more likely that they will suspect the King of Violence, not our master," Kaiwan said provocatively.


    When Yong-ho looked at him, Rikum, who was listening silently, replied with a tense expression, "I agree."


    In fact, everybody at the meeting was on the same page on this issue.


    So, Yong-ho switched the topic again.


    "As all of you agree on that, let me talk about the Queen of Fury. Everyone, watch this video. Catalina?"


    When he called her, she quickly drew out a letter and opened it. A video of the Queen of Fury appeared on the table in the conference room, and Yuria, who was watching from her seat in the corner, looked at the king, with her eyes glistening at her fresh and beautiful appearance.


    When the video ended, Yong-ho spoke again, "As you can see, the Queen of Fury is asking to meet me in person. I''m thinking of meeting her. Of course, I''m going to hide the fact that I defeated the King of Gluttony, as well as the fact that I am the King of Greed."


    Tigrius and Eligos were satisfied with his statement.


    "That''s a wise judgment."


    "I think the Queen of Fury''s goodwill to you is based on the fact that the House of Mammon is not ''a royal family.'' So, I think it''s the best option for you to make the most of her ignorance. I don''t think it''s not a big problem morally because you have not deceived her anyway," Ophelia added mischievously. What she wanted to say was Yong-ho had never lied to her deliberately.


    [I recommend that when you meet the Queen of Fury, you don''t carry the Godly Energy of Fury.]


    "Absolutely, because there might be synchronization between them."


    Yong-ho, who accepted Aamon''s advice, asked Ophelia again, "Was her name Gardimundi? How is the messenger of the Queen of Fury doing now?"

 209 Greed 5

    "She''s doing alright at the tavern. Yesterday, she went around the Free City all day long, and today, she is just gambling all day."


    Yong-ho briefly recalled her image. She was a bright, cheerful-looking beauty with red hair and wings. He didn''t think she would look sad just because she lost some money at the gambling house.


    "I think it''s okay to meet the Queen of Fury unless there is any big trouble. What about the date?"


    "I think it would be better for the king to choose the date. Instead, we can choose a meeting place. I think somewhere in the north or west would be nice."


    As always, Ophelia presented a good solution.


    Eligos, who somehow nodded with a satisfied expression, said, "Looking at her, requesting for a summit, meeting with you, it looks like she has high expectations for our alliance."


    In fact, the Queen of Fury herself, not anyone else, would come to the place to meet Yong-ho face to face. So, Yong-ho could not treat this meeting lightly.


    Right at that moment, Catalina, who was rolling her eyes at the heated discussion, raised her hand timidly and said, "By the way¡­"


    "Huh?"


    When Yong-ho turned around, Catalina curled her lips once. After checking Kaiwan''s look, she asked, waving her tail gently, "I wonder if this is a trap. I mean just like the King of Gluttony ambushed our master all of a sudden."


    Yong-ho thought someone would raise some doubts about her question but no one did.


    Catalina checked his face nervously as if she felt she asked a silly question, but Yong-ho reached out and stroked her head.


    "That''s a good question. But it''s unlikely because she doesn''t know I''m the King of Greed. Even if it''s a trap... Well, I can deal with her duly in that case."


    Yong-ho was no longer weak as he was in the past.


    He was a strong man who was on par with the six kings who ruled the demon world.


    If the Queen of Fury did a trick on him, he would definitely smash her.


    Her proposal for a summit meeting was risky not only for Yong-ho but also for her.


    When they were done discussing the important agendas, Eligos, Rikum, and Burgrim began to report about some pending issues respectively.


    Eligos and Rikum briefed them about the general dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon, its dungeon, and the Free City, while Burgrim talked about various equipment and dungeon restoration. Burgrim reported about the status of the restoration on the blackboard.


    "Silver Dragon Armor is under its own repair right now. The destroyed dungeon entrance is currently undergoing restoration. I think it will be possible to recover completely in two days."


    After sipping a new tea brought by Yuria, Yong-ho moved his neck gently. It was about time for him to wrap up the meeting that lasted almost an hour.


    "Okay, this is my last agenda."


    "It seems like your visit is very timely because it is very likely that a terrible confusion will come again sometime later," Ophelia said.


    The King of Gluttony was dead.


    Like Ophelia or Tigrius predicted, they could not keep the secret forever even if the king''s allies tried to hide it.


    The death of the king with great power could soon lead to the collapse of his entire forces.


    Didn''t the House of Mammon collapse in an instant after the death of Mammon, the King of Greed?


    Moreover, because of the war in the north, the six kings were nervous wrecks.


    The sudden absence of the King of Gluttony could be the starting point for the disruption of the balance of power that had been maintained in the demon world.


    So, if Yong-ho had to visit his hometown in the human world, now was the right time like Ophelia said.


    He could meet the Queen of Fury a few days later, and it was unlikely that the death of the King of Gluttony would be revealed during that time. It was impossible that the war in the north could end suddenly.


    Yong-ho''s plan to attack the north on the occasion of his absence was attractive at first glance, but it was not realistic. Although the king and his right-hand men were killed, the powerful forces who used to be under the king''s command were still alive. It was absurd for him to start attacking the north with a small number of troops when he decided to hide the fact that the king was killed.


    What the House of Mammon currently needed was time, as always.


    Yong-ho had to take control of the whole unclaimed areas in the south completely.


    He had to increase troops and hurry up the attack against the Labyrinth of Greed and the arena.


    He also needed to secure a means of transport that could move his troops to a long distance speedily like the Queen of Fury or the King of Gluttony.


    So, his alliance with the Queen of Fury would make him gain ''time'' until he secured all of those things.


    If the Queen of Fury''s decisive reason for showing goodwill to Yong-ho is because "the House of Mammon is a royal family," ''time'' was the decisive reason for Yong-ho.


    It wasn''t because Yong-ho coveted the Queen of Fury as the incarnation of anguish, like Aamon cracked a joke about it. It was motivated by his calculations that he responded to her goodwill with his goodwill.


    ''Of course, it is true that I hate to fight her, if possible.''


    However, it was just his own personal feeling. If the time came when he had to draw a sword for the Mammon family and its dungeon spirits, he thought he would do it without hesitation.


    When they began to talk about his visit to the human world, Lucia, who checked the status of the dungeon, quickly spoke, [There is one day left before the reuse hour of the space door expires.]


    [It''s really the right time for your visit.]


    It was never easy to travel to the human world through the door of space. Not only did it consume a lot of mana, but it also took a considerable amount of time to reuse it. It was like a long cool time in games.


    Now, the reuse time was running out at the right moment. It was as if an invisible force was pushing Yong-ho to travel to the human world.


    "Are you going to start right away?" Asked Eligos.


    Yong-ho tapped on the table with his fingers for a moment as if he was organizing his thoughts then said, "Since there is a day left as Lucia said, I think I had better get things squared away first before traveling."


    There wasn''t much time for him to spare. It was unlikely that the Queen of Fury would suddenly make any provocations, but in any case, Yong-ho had to respond immediately if something happened. The King of Gluttony''s allies might not be able to conceal the king''s absence well, as expected.


    Like before, it would be two or three days during which he could visit the human world. It was difficult for him to stay there more than that period. Even those two or three days were not short. Ophelia smiled with a mixture of regret and wistfulness, "Well, I can''t help it if Scathach insists on it. Please take a good rest when you go there."


    Yong-ho wasn''t going to travel to the human world for pleasure. Following Scathach''s advice, the healer of the House of Mammon, he was going there for healing purposes. So, it would be wrong for his subordinate spirit to oppose his visit.


    Catalina smiled warmly as she thought of going back to the human world. Kaiwan seemed excited, too.


    And there was one more who got excited about his upcoming visit to the human world.


    [Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat.]


    [This is not the sound of my heart pounding.]


    [It''s someone else''s.]


    Lucia spoke small enough to be heard by Yong-ho alone, and he could find the owner of the heartbeat sound. He burst into laughter unwittingly.


    Yuria was standing in the corner, with her eyes twinkling. Although she didn''t know it in detail, she could figure out roughly what they were talking about.


    Yong-ho was supposed to travel back to the human world.


    The last time he returned from the human world, he brought a surprisingly delicious chicken and Coke. Moreover, he brought her the best treasure¡ª beautiful colored pebbles.


    Looking at her twinkling eyes, Yong-ho understood that her acting cute was her survival strategy. He waved his hand to Yuria gently and stroked her head.


    "Let me bring you a present."


    A bright smile was on her face. He pinched her cheek lightly before he knew it and looked over her shoulder. Then he said to Baduk who was impatient, too, "Yes, I''m going to bring you one, too."


    "Wal! Wal!"


    "Meowing! Meowing!"


    As if he pointed at them, Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat were also excited.


    Bowing to him, Yuria returned to her seat with Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat.


    She kept smiling even at the thought of his gift.


    He again looked at his subordinate spirits.


    As the meeting was almost at an end, Eligos said, "Well, why don''t you have a meal first, Master?"


    "Great! You''re my best butler."


    Actually, he didn''t eat anything all day.


    He got up and headed for the restaurant in a pleasant mood.

 210 Greed 6

    The first thing Yong-ho did after eating was accessing the virtual space of the Dungeon Market because his conversation with Sitri was cut off because of the King of Gluttony''s intrusion.


    ''I wonder if she was worried about me a lot.''


    For some reason, however, he felt she wasn''t. He felt like she would welcome him with a relaxed expression, as always.


    ''You have defeated the King of Gluttony.''


    Yong-ho felt strangely excited at what he achieved by himself, namely getting rid of one of the six kings who coveted Yong-ho''s Greed.


    He slowly opened his eyes and faced a totally white world.


    As always, Sitri was standing there. Wearing a dark purple dress that revealed her shoulders under the white sky, she was standing there to face him.


    Somehow she looked different this time. Yong-ho couldn''t open his mouth thoughtlessly, and Sitri only looked at him.


    Awkwardness made him feel time pass very slowly.


    After all, Sitri stepped forward, and he looked at her. Now, there was only one step of distance between Yong-ho and Sitri.


    "My dear client."


    "Sitri?"


    She was tall for a woman but much smaller than Yong-ho, who grew up by going through a double changeover. Because of this, she looked up at Yong-ho. She asked in a voice filled with warmth, "Can I just hug you once?"


    "Sure, anytime," he replied in embarrassment.


    Sitri slowly closed her eyes. Then she took one step further and hugged him tightly.


    She was warm. She was smaller than him, but he felt like he was held in her arms.


    "The King of Greed."


    She whispered. There was some sadness in her voice, which was hard to describe.


    He knew what the strange feelings he felt were. He felt different from when he held Catalina or Kaiwan. Scathach came to his mind at that moment. Obviously, he felt something like her warmth, who hugged him like a mother.


    He closed his eyes and hugged her, too. Again, time passed slowly this time, and Sitri pushed him away gently.


    "Thank you. It''s only a moment, but I could recall him."


    She was moved to tears. Then she took one step back and said, "Well, you''re different from him, though. You look like him a lot, but you''re my client, anyway."


    He knew who she was talking about. That was why he felt some more sadness in her voice.


    Sitri stepped back a few more steps. Yong-ho, at a loss about what to say first, opened his mouth finally, "Well¡­ I defeated that King of Gluttony."


    When he said that, Sitri blinked without replying. He felt a bit awkward, so he blushed.


    Come to think of it, he felt like he was asking for her praise of what he had done. He recalled the time when he got perfect scores in a test at the school as a boy.


    Actually, Sitri knew it the moment she realized that he had defeated the King of Gluttony.


    He cleared his throat in embarrassment, and Sitri didn''t bother him.


    "Let me tell you this..."


    There were already cozy and fluffy chairs arranged behind them. Sitri, with her back buried deep against the back of the chair, waited until he sat down. She then said, "Dear client, do you remember what I said shortly after I saw you first? I told you to be wary of those who valued pure blood."


    At that moment, he tilted his head, not knowing what she was talking about, but he could soon remember what she meant. When he nodded, she said again, "As you may know, this demon world is a mess. There are not only those born in the demon world but also a lot of people from the alien world like you, my dear customer."


    When she fidgeted with her fingers, there was a picture of light drawn in the air. A round circle symbolized the demon world, and the small people in the circle and the new people following the big arrow outside the circle represented the demonic natives and the aliens, respectively. "Purists are those who claim that only pure demons are masters of the demon world. They have a radical idea that everyone who comes from the alien world should be enslaved."


    Their idea could also be called a kind of fascism. Similar thoughts were found in the human world where Yong-ho used to live.


    "Are there so many here from the alien world?"


    "A lot. Right now, the people of the Queen of Fury, the eight-clans, are from the alien world. So is the King of Gluttony."


    The King of Gluttony was a Preta, the lowest demon who came to the demon world with the eight-clan people. That was why he chose the Afsaras, who had a deep connection with the eight-clan people, as his pleasure girls.


    "Of course, it''s been quite a while since the eight-clan people came from the alien world. It''s already been a few hundred years since they came. However, from the perspective of the purists in the demon world, they are no more than an inferior race to be enslaved."


    When Sitri moved her fingers again, a simplified dragon shape was drawn in the air.


    "The dragons, belonging to the clan of the King of Violence, are also from the alien world. Of course, there are also some dragons from the demon world. They are called the demon dragon race. Anyway, it''s a situation where the stone that just rolled in takes out the embedded stone, but that''s the current situation. In fact, dragons came down here so long ago that they are hard to be called an alien race."


    The dragon''s shape changed to a map of the demonic world this time.


    Sitri said, adding a new line in the middle, "There are more powerful purists in the north. The King of Pride and the King of Envy are the typical purists. In particular, the King of Envy is also notorious for not recognizing anybody as a king, except for the King of Pride, the King of Lust, and the King of Sloth. They were all born in the demon world like him."


    Just under the line drawn by Sitri was the territory of the Queen of Fury.


    Sitri pointed to that area and said, "The eight-clan people were originally enslaved in the north for a long time. It wasn''t until the Queen of Fury appeared that they started enjoying a stable life. It''s natural that the Queen of Fury was called the "King of Defender."


    The light was scattered. Sitri looked at Yong-ho instead of the empty space.


    "No one can be sure of how the situation of the demon world will be in the future. However, if the Queen of Fury gets what she wants, there is a high possibility that there will be a confrontation between the north and the south. And the core of that confrontation is the fight between the purists and the outsiders."


    "In that respect, it''s essential to form a southern alliance front."


    "Well, that''s possible when the King of Pride successfully occupies the north."


    Sitri crossed her legs in reverse. She usually helped him indirectly, but it''s very rare that she took the initiative to tell him about things in detail like this voluntarily. The fact that he defeated the King of Gluttony might have moved her for some reason.


    "Let me draw your attention to this."


    Again, an entire map of the demonic world drawn in the air. But this time, different emblems were embedded in each area. He soon realized that each emblem represented the six kings who ruled the demon world.


    The emblem representing the King of Gluttony among them disappeared. Sitri bit her lower lip slightly and said, "A country created by a king is strong and organized beyond comparison with the southern area. Probably, the King of Gluttony''s subordinates can hide the secret about their boss''s death for some time, but not forever. Once the secret is revealed, the land of the King of Gluttony will turn into a battlefield. And it''s my personal wish, but I hope that you can play a big role in such a situation. You still have some time to strengthen your forces."


    There were clearly expectations for him in her gaze. He did not want to betray her expectation.


    "Let me stop talking about this difficult topic. Oh, our conversation last time was cut off when I told you I obtained the gift you asked me for, right?"


    "Yeah."


    "Well, let me conclude it this time. Please choose one."


    She snapped her fingers at the same time. Then two catalogs appeared in the air. Each contained a magic device and dungeon spirits.


    "The magic sword with the secret of necromancing and a lich specializing in necromancing.


    "It''s up to you which one you want to choose."


    The two catalogs that automatically opened turned to him.


    ***


    Yong-ho returned.


    Sitri was left alone in the whole white space.


    "The King of Greed."


    Sitri closed her eyes. Her bright smile with which she saw him off turned into sadness.


    Hundreds of years ago there were five kings during Mammon, the great King of Greed''s days.


    King of Greed.


    King of Pride.


    Queen of Sloth.


    King of Lust.


    King of Envy.


    At the last minute, the King of Pride, the King of Lust, and the King of Envy betrayed the King of Greed. The Queen of Sloth did not actively betray him like the other three kings, but that was it.


    "The King of Greed."


    He was different from Mammon back then. Now it was the thing of the past.


    Sitri closed her eyes. On the day Mammon died in her arms, she remembered what the great King of Greed told her.


    The white world turned black. Darkness enveloped Sitri.

 211 Glorious Return 1

    It''s the 25th floor of the arena.


    Yukrasion, the 9th master of the House of Mammon as well as the floor master of the 25th floor, turned to the special seat, sweating buckets, where Gusion was seated, sweating.


    Gusion shook his head when she earnestly indicated she would like to surrender.


    In the arena, a cruel testing place, there was no option like ''I want to surrender even without trying to fight at all.''


    Yukrasion, who was about to cry, looked straight ahead. She felt like a terrifying and menacing mana was squeezing her body tightly.


    Yukrasion took pride in her own strength. She had five horns, and her combat skills were advanced far enough because she practiced long enough in the arena.


    However, she never thought that she would be able to beat this "monster" challenger in front of her now.


    ''Hey, this... It''s against the rules!''


    The challenger wasn''t as strong as now until he successfully challenged up to the 24th floor. He had a soft spot as a human being because he almost died from suffocation.


    Challenger Yong-ho released his full power in front of Yukrasion. He wanted to test how strong his power became after taking the essence of the King of Gluttony.


    Enormous mana soared from his six towering horns. Their presence itself resonated with the whole area around him.


    Yong-ho''s mana, represented by the green flames, did not contain only Greed. It had the power of Gluttony, though a bit now, and Yong-ho''s determination to "eat," which could be called Gluttony itself, caused instinctive fear in those who encountered him.


    Yukrasion resembled Kaiwan. Since Yukrasion was Kaiwan''s ancestor, it was correct to say the latter resembled the former.


    Yong-ho wasn''t very comfortable because the beauty with rich gray hair was trembling with a sad expression. However, he had no intention of relenting.


    "Let me end this fighting with just one blow!"


    When he shouted mercifully, she clenched her teeth and released mana. Facing her, though, he lifted Aamon in his right hand and concentrated mana at once.


    "Ahhhhhhhhh!"


    Yukrasion rushed, screaming like crazy, but Yong-ho swung Aamon. As he promised, he punched her down with just a single blow.


    "What a cruel guy!" Cried Gusion.


    "But her pain must have been very short."


    When Yong-ho replied casually, Gusion narrowed his eyes further. Then, he added, pretending to be startled, "What a scary guy!"


    Her last screaming was sadness itself. It was so sad that Yong-ho got worried for a moment whether death in the arena would actually lead to actual death.


    Despite that, Yong-ho was calm and composed. Maybe he might react differently, but he was a thorough combatant during battle.


    ''That''s why I like him.''


    Murmuring to himself, Gusion smiled, as if his criticism of Yong-ho until a moment ago was fake.


    It seemed Kaiwan''s words were out of place, but Yong-ho nodded because Yukrasion didn''t look like a bad person.


    When they began to talk less and less, the flames of the red lotus arose. Aamon, who was with Yong-ho even during battle unlike he was before, asked Gusion gently, [What do you think about our master''s power''s growth, Gusion?]


    Now, Aamon changed the way he called Yong-ho. His title was now ''master,'' not ''young master'' like before.


    Gusion, who went to the trouble of differentiating between ''young master'' and ''master,'' didn''t miss his title change, of course.


    Instead of looking at Yong-ho up and down, Gusion smiled and looked at his eyes, which were normally emitting a green light. Gusion admitted it, too.


    "You have definitely gotten stronger. Much stronger!"


    To simply talk about the strength of mana, Yong-ho was the strongest among those who visited the arena for the last one thousand years.


    And Gusion knew that it was not just his mana that saw a dramatic growth. Yong-ho was as hard as steel that went through repeated quenching. Not only in the arena but also in other places, he experienced deadly fighting again and again.


    Victory in fighting was not determined simply by one''s mana and physical strength. Fighting spirit and fighting skills, bold judgment, and flexible thinking affected one''s victory and defeat greatly.


    The Yong-ho in front of Yukrasion was very good at fighting. Besides, he had lots of fighting experiences through numerous deadly fighting.


    For the first time since becoming the owner of the arena, Gusion began to have expectations for Yong-ho.


    "Don''t hesitate. Come up quickly. I am on the 39th floor," said Gusion.


    For the first time, Gusion informed the challenger of his specific location in the arena.


    ''Yeah, because I trust him and I have expectations for him.''


    Gusion was convinced that Yong-ho would definitely overcome all the difficulties that would stand before him on the 39th floor one day.


    Yong-ho nodded when he looked at Gusion''s intense eyes.


    He said with a cheerful expression, "Not now. Let me go back to my hometown first. Oh, I''ve got Scathach''s letter for you."


    "Huh?"


    Although Gusion was perplexed because he didn''t challenge the next floor, Yong-ho quickly turned. Kaiwan, who was holding his arm, said, "I''ll buy you a present."


    "See you next time."


    Catalina also turned, waving her tail gently.


    Finally, Aamon spoke, [See you next time, man.]


    Yong-ho didn''t need to be escorted by the man with a beast mask. He walked out of the arena with big strides.


    Gusion, looking at the spot blankly where Yong-ho and his party left, turned his eyes at Scathach''s letter. He nodded when he read her message that she wanted to meet him soon, not just saying, ''I miss you.''


    Gusion again looked toward the passage through which Yong-ho went out.


    He smiled gently, which didn''t befit his image normally.


    ***


    Gardimundi soared into the sky. She held a letter from the master of the House of Mammon in her arms, and some gifts in Sarasvati''s pocket on her waist. Of course, among the gifts were the special product, fried chicken.


    The master himself visited the Free City. His visit was very unusual, which was a strong indication that he, too, treated Gardimundi, the messenger of the Queen of Fury, with respect.


    However, Gardimundi thought about it in another aspect.


    Why did he visit the Free City directly without calling her to his place?


    Of course, some of the masters did not want to expose their dungeons to outsiders, so they handled all their diplomatic affairs at the dungeon entrance.


    However, the House of Mammon once admitted Gardimundi into the dungeon recently.


    So, it didn''t make any sense that they didn''t want to let her enter the dungeon this time.


    ''Is it because the entrance to the dungeon was destroyed?''


    The House of Mammon was attacked. The entrance to the dungeon, which was built so strongly as to resist any attack, was destroyed entirely, so the attack must have been very devastating.


    The master of the House of Mammon told her that the alien people attacked them by intruding into the twisted door of space.


    Was it really true?


    If he lied, why did he make up such a lie?


    The farthest area of Mammon''s dungeon, namely Enkatro Pagnium, was notorious for the unstable flow of mana. It was not easy to find the traces of twisting because the flow of mana was strong there in the first place.


    ''Well, the Mammon people are friendly to us anyway.''


    Rationally speaking, it was natural that Yong-ho welcomed her because his alliance with the Queen of Fury would be beneficial to him anyway.


    ''He got stronger.''


    The master of the House of Mammon never opened his horns in front of Gardimundi. But she could feel something different about him between now and then. He was stronger than when she met him last time. And it was the same with the women on his left and right.


    Perhaps, it was the attack that made them stronger.


    ''Given the outcome of the attack, though¡­''


    Unlike Kirtimuka, who was making a big fuss over the possible alliance in excitement, in fact, Gardimundi initially did not take seriously the "marriage" of her master Dritarastra, the Queen of Fury. It was because she didn''t think the master of the House of Mammon was the right candidate to be her king.


    But she changed her perception of the Mammon master. It didn''t matter that the House of Mammon was weak.


    The master of the House of Mammon and his subordinate spirits were strong. Of course, he was not powerful enough, but she felt he could stand before her master proudly.


    Finding the bridegroom candidate among the eight-clan people was not beneficial to the king.


    So, her alliance with a powerful outside force would be of great help to her people.


    Gardimundi loved and cherished the Queen of Fury very much. But she was a king. Her marriage was not something about her own matter as a king, but something she had to take into account for the interests of her people.


    Gardimundi flapped her wings a little faster. She flew fast through the sky of the demon world with her red wings, which was called the fastest among the Garura clan.


    Exactly one day had passed since Yong-ho woke up. All of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon gathered in the room where the door of the space was located.


    [This time, you have consumed the mana of not two, but three among us.]


    [Fortunately, you did not use the mana stored in the dungeon when you fought the King of Gluttony.]


    [Of course, if you come back after your visit, it looks like even the stored mana will be running out.]

 212 Glorious Return 2

    Yong-ho fought the king in a place where any outside help was blocked from the beginning. Because of this, the reserved mana in the dungeon was more than enough despite a series of big battles in succession, which turned out to be better for the House of Mammon.


    Yong-ho, standing at the door of space with Kaiwan and Catalina, looked back.


    He made eye contact with Skull first, who stood out most among the dungeon spirits.


    "Skull Skull."


    Skull was still in the shape of a Dragon Bone Knight.


    He said with a bitter smile, "Let me make the decision after I come back."


    "Skullkull."


    A magic sword containing the secret of necromancing and a lich specializing in necromancing.


    Yong-ho eventually chose both and paid for them. This took the House of Mammon into deficit again, but he didn''t feel any regret about it. Skull always showed more returns on his investment than expected. The real wealth of the House of Mammon was always the few "talents" who made up the elites.


    Yong-ho again rolled his eyes and looked at a larger entity than Skull.


    He smiled with a sorry expression.


    "I''ll bring you something you can eat this time. You can trust me."


    Treant responded by shaking its branches. Like the Goblin Ranger and Goblin, he was no longer an ordinary Treant thanks to repeated evolution.


    When Yong-ho looked back at his subordinate spirits one by one and promised them a gift, Kaiwan pulled him slightly. Then she said mischievously as if she was a bit critical, "You''re going to use all the money to buy the gifts. You need to save some money."


    Of course, she cracked a joke, but Yuria got serious, who was waiting for her turn to make eye contact with him, trying to suppress her excitement.


    Yong-ho couldn''t hold back his laughter when he saw Yuria, who became seriously worried about the financial situation of the House of Mammon.


    He reassured her by pinching her cheek and said, "You do not have to worry. We have a lot of money."


    "Bye."


    Feeling relaxed, Yuria quickly bowed to him, followed by Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat.


    "Wal! Wal!"


    "Meowing! Meowing!"


    After exchanging greetings with his subordinate spirits, he turned his eyes at his most trusted aides. On behalf of his subordinate spirits, Ophelia said, "Don''t worry about things here. Have a great journey!"


    "If anything happens, let me know right away."


    "Okay."


    Ophelia, Eligos, and Tigrius bowed to him. Their atmosphere was somewhat different from Yuria, Baduk, and the baby meerkat.


    Yong-ho turned. He tightly held Catalina''s hand, who was just happy because she had been there already, as well as Kaiwan''s hand, who seemed to be a bit nervous.


    "Let''s go."


    The door of the deep blue space swallowed up the three.


    ***


    The door opened. It didn''t come to his mind well how he passed through the door.


    It looked like it took long but short at the same time. What he saw when he opened his eyes was the unfamiliar living room of his house in the human world.


    Yong-ho took a big breath. Catalina also expressed her peace of mind by waving her tail gently. Only Kaiwan looked around, turning white with nervousness.


    Right at that moment, his father called, "Yong-ho?"


    His father, who was sitting at the kitchen table over a meal, blinked, holding a spoon.


    Yong-ho smiled brightly and turned around.


    "Daddy."


    His father calmly put down the spoon and drank cold water.


    He got up and said, "The one on your left is my daughter-in-law."


    Thanks to the interpreting magic, Catalina recognized the expression ''daughter-in-law'' and flapped her ears and tail. Then he turned his eyes to the right.


    "Who is this lady on the right?"


    This time, Kaiwan was more quick-witted. Holding down a little motion sickness, she said hello to his father cutely, which didn''t fit her usual behavior, "How do you do, sir? My name is Kaiwan. I''m Yong-ho''s wife."


    She unusually pronounced strongly when she mentioned ''wife.''


    His father blinked once again. He looked at Catalina, just in case, but he realized that he could not find any sign of her divorce or separation in her expression.


    Then there was one possibility left.


    "Yong-ho, you must be a king, right?"


    Yong-ho smiled awkwardly at his father''s prodding.


    "By the way, Dad, why are you at home at this hour?"


    When he asked, blinking his eyes, his father frowned.


    Then he knocked on the table with a bang and said, "It''s morning, son. Do you think the chicken house is a 24-hour convenience store? It''s closed in the morning."


    "Uh? Time difference?"


    When he left the demon world, it was obviously in the afternoon. When he visited here last time, there was almost no difference in time between the demon and human worlds. Did the passage of time change by any chance?


    His father narrowed his eyes then said right away, "Well, it''s March here."


    Yong-ho knitted his brows. Since he last visited, he has spent less than two months in the demon world, but more than three months passed in the human world.


    Obviously, the passage of time was different between the two worlds. And it changed significantly than it did last time.


    He didn''t know how the passage of time between the two worlds was different, but it was going to be a problem if the current difference would be bigger than now.


    ''Should I take him to the demon world soon?''


    It would be a big headache for Yong-ho if his one-year stay in the demon world would mean the passage of ten years in the human world, with his father getting ten years older than now.


    While Yong-ho was agonizing about it, his father took the spoon again.


    "Let me finish my meal first. Did you eat anything?"


    "Yes, I did."


    Although his son suddenly brought a new daughter-in-law, he never lost his composure, as always. After looking back at Catalina and Kaiwan, who were standing blankly, he said to Yong-ho again, "Wives¡­ That expression of mine is weird. Anyway, go into your room with them and watch your picture album. Let me finish eating and join you in no time."


    "Uh, yes."


    "See you later, daughter-in-law."


    He looked back at Kaiwan, who quickly smiled and said, "Yes, father."


    Smiling at her again, he began to eat again.


    Yong-ho quickly led Kaiwan and Catalina into his room.


    The room was empty and spacious because all the furniture was put away. Kaiwan, sitting in the middle of the room, looked around curiously.


    "This place is very small. Is it a warehouse or an annex?"


    Yong-ho recalled the House of Mammon when he visited first. It was definitely a ruined house, but it was big. Even Kaiwan''s office there, relatively small, was bigger than his living room.


    Catalina quickly whispered to Kaiwan, "All the houses in the human world are small."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah."


    Kaiwan again looked around Yong-ho''s room again. Looking at her glittering eyes, it seemed that she was thinking of bringing someone from his family that she had once planned. At that time, she thought of it to get some help from a remote relative, but given the condition of his house, it seemed that she would need to help him.


    "Let''s look at your album."


    To change the topic, Yong-ho unfolded an album chosen by his father but regretted it in no time. But Catalina and Kaiwan burst into laughter, watching his pictures.


    Among the pictures of his baby days was one showing he was all smiles, fully naked.


    ***


    Yong-ho''s embarrassing moments lasted until his father came into the room. The album was filled with his humiliating photos as if his father chose them deliberately.


    Just like someone who knew the etiquette, his father served Catalina, Kaiwan, and Yong-ho a cup of green tea.


    Yong-ho asked, sipping the tea after blowing on it to cool it a bit.


    "Did you have anything special, Dad?"


    "Not really. How about you?"


    "I''m fine, too. I''m comfortable."


    He hid his expression by lifting the teacup, but he knew he was already caught by his father.


    As expected, it was impossible for him to deceive his father.


    However, his father didn''t bother to ask him. After putting down the green teacup, he said again, "Come to think of it¡­ Have you seen it when you came here last time? I mean the article about those who fell into a coma while playing online games."


    "Uh, yes. I remember it."


    Obviously, he saw the news on the electronic bulletin board while delivering chicken.


    Since he mentioned it out of the blue sky, Yong-ho prodded him to continue.


    He continued, "Such people increased significantly. I hear there are over hundreds of thousands of people in a coma all over the world."


    Hundreds of thousands were never small. Catalina and Kaiwan were embarrassed, while Yong-ho leaned forward.


    "Were they playing any specific online games?"


    "No, they played irregularly. There are even some who fell into a coma while doing Super Mario multi-play. Their game machines were all different."


    This was definitely a phenomenon in itself. Moreover, this was not all.


    "But what happened next after they fell into a coma is weird. Their recovery period is all different."


    "Recovery period? Are there any who regained consciousness?"


    "A lot. Almost all of them regained their consciousness. But as I told you already, their recovery periods are different. Some wake up from their coma right after they fall into it, and others wake up a few days or a month to two months later. There are even people who have not been able to wake up until now."

 213 Glorious Return 3

    Yong-ho felt more and more strange about it.


    His father added lastly, "Some of the people who have recently woken up said something crazy. They said while they were in a coma, they experienced something like a fantasy world that would appear in movies. Those who woke up before them didn''t say anything like that. But some among those who woke up after March are talking about their fantasy experiences."


    Yong-ho seemed to know why his father mentioned it. Leaning toward him, his father asked, "Do you know anything about this?"


    Some of them must have been summoned to an alien world in a coma.


    "Well, I''ve never heard of it. How about you, Kaiwan?"


    "Coma means that their bodies are left behind here, right? I''ve never heard of an alien summon magic that takes only their souls," Kaiwan replied quite seriously.


    Yong-ho, too, did not hear that a large number of humans appeared in the demon world.


    Checking Yong-ho and Kaiwan''s reaction, his father let out a sigh. Then he said feebly, as if he was a bit distraught, "Do you remember Yong-je? I mean your cousin, Yong-je Cheon. He immigrated to England, as you know."


    "Of course I do. I played games with him before I went to the demon world. What happened?"


    "Oh my, I hear he fell into a coma then died."


    "I can''t believe Yong-je¡­"


    It was a few years ago that he saw Yong-je''s face last time.


    However, he continued to get in touch with his cousin online.


    His father put his hands on Yong-ho''s back then said, "I asked you, just in case. Don''t dwell on it too much. He died already several months ago, and even his funeral was already over."


    Yong-ho nodded slowly. Maybe because it''s not the first time he saw someone close to him die, or because he lost contact with his cousin for some time, Yong-ho felt more embarrassed and empty than sad.


    "By the way, what has brought you here this time? It''s nice to see your face once in a while, but you surprised me with your unexpected visit," said his father, smiling on purpose.


    Yong-ho also responded with a forced laugh, "You know I''m from the human world, Dad. I hear that it will be good for me to take some fresh air here. I also wanted to introduce Kaiwan to you."


    His father narrowed his eyes, not knowing what he was talking about.


    "Do you need more Coke?"


    "And other stuff."


    Both of them laughed together.


    "It''s been a while since I saw you anyway. I''m glad to see my daughters-in-law, too."


    Catalina and Kaiwan smiled shyly at the same time.


    With a hearty laugh, his father asked them, "Isn''t he giving you any headache?"


    Catalina and Kaiwan rolled their eyes once again, embarrassed.


    Yong-ho hoped that his father would get out of his room as soon as possible.


    ***


    "Oh my God."


    She was now standing in front of a big supermarket.


    "The human world is really abundant. So many people here, too."


    There were hundreds of items in the supermarket everywhere she looked at.


    Not only food ingredients but also all kinds of items were piled up like a mountain here and there.


    It was truly a wonder to Kaiwan. She felt like she was in Mammon''s arsenal in the Labyrinth of Greed.


    Besides, there were so many people. People were crowded everywhere on the streets.


    Population density itself was different from that of the demon world.


    Yong-ho, who was somewhat conceited before he knew it, once again pressed the baseball cap Kaiwan was wearing. He pushed the cart with Catalina who covered her head with a hood.


    "Yong-ho, Yong-ho. How do you read this?"


    The only thing the interpretation magic stone could solve was providing language through voice.


    Yong-ho replied, looking at the item that Kaiwan presented with full of curiosity.


    "Huh? Salami."


    "Salami?"


    "Yes, salami."


    She narrowed her eyes, while Catalina blinked, embarrassed.


    Kaiwan inquisitively asked again, "Hey, can you eat this?"


    "Yes, why?"


    Salami, it was a kind of Italian sausage.


    She shook her head from side to side after putting it down.


    "You''re so mean. How come you named it like this? If Salami heard about this, he would be very much disappointed."


    "Yuria, Lucia, Baduk. These names have nothing to do with food, right?"


    Catalina quickly jumped in.


    Yong-ho replied hastily, "No, just salami only. Only salami is a food name."


    Catalina and Kaiwan became even sullen for his reply, which sounded like his excuses, so he quickly pushed the cart. They caught up with him, but he didn''t look back.


    ***


    Two days passed like a flash.


    The main purpose of Yong-ho''s visit to the human world, namely the recovery of his body and the Demon God''s heart, was successful. As Scathach said, his exposure to the air of the human world seemed to be helpful to him.


    After shopping then visiting the amusement park with Catalina and Kaiwan, Yong-ho opened the door of space after piling up all kinds of items to give his subordinate spirits and others a mountain load of stuff.


    "I''m going to come back to take you sooner or later, Dad."


    He grabbed his father''s hands. Fortunately, thanks to his max evolution EXP, his father experienced another evolution, so he had a strong build, something rare for a middle-aged man.


    However, Yong-ho didn''t feel good because he had to leave his father behind again.


    His father gently wrapped the back of Yong-ho''s hand. He didn''t feel good, either.


    He had lots of things to ask Yong-ho, but he could easily find out that the demon world was not a land full of safety and peace.


    "Alright, son. Take care. Don''t overwork yourself."


    After Yong-ho said goodbye to him, Catalina and Kaiwan did the same thing.


    Kaiwan hugged him suddenly, so Catalina, who only shook hands with him, was showing a regrettable expression. But it was too late for her to hug him.


    His father waved at them, standing still, and Yong-ho bowed to him lastly. He then threw himself into the door of space.


    ***


    The King of Violence''s consciousness was separated from his body and hovered in the air.


    He recalled a meeting with the King of Sloth. Then he connected the King of Sloth''s demands with what he confirmed from the King of Sloth.


    In a way, it was pointless. It was just like tracing things of the past.


    There were almost a few of those in those days who survived until now.


    The King of Violence turned his gaze from the past to the present. He saw the demon world, facing a period of confusion in the days ahead.


    Who would be the hero of the history that would unfold in the coming days?


    He was not the King of Gluttony, nor was the Queen of Fury.


    The most likely candidate was the King of Pride who ruled in the north.


    But he was not alone. There was another one in seclusion, who didn''t reveal himself yet in the demon world.


    "The King of Greed."


    The Godly Energy of Greed tipped him that the King of Greed returned.


    As his true master, the king came down to the demon world after a thousand years.


    The consciousness of the King of Violence closed its eyes. It stopped hovering in the air and united with its main body.


    "The King of Greed."


    Ancient Red Dragon. Dragon Lord of the day. The strongest dragon in the demon world.


    The man who rose to the position of king confidently even without any of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    The King of Violence opened his eyes. His mountain-like giant body began to move.


    ***


    The Queen of Fury opened the letter from the master of the House of Mammon in excitement.


    His face that he recalled several times appeared through a video message in the air.


    Kirtimuka smiled mischievously behind her back, which looked subtle but dangerous.


    Gardimundi looked at Yong-ho''s images in the video rather seriously.


    The message Yong-ho conveyed through the video was routine.


    In the message, he said he thanked her proposal for alliance and summit talks, which he said were good. He said he would leave it to her to set the date, but argued that the meeting would take place in the unclaimed area in the north. He added he would look forward to seeing her.


    His message was plain, but the Queen of Fury didn''t feel like that.


    The Queen of Fury lightly pressed the letter down on her heart, feeling it was beating somewhat different from when it did at the auction house.


    ***


    The King of Lust leaned against the throne comfortably. He felt that the deep regrets that had haunted him for a thousand years were coming back to him.


    He couldn''t help it. There was no way for him to reverse his betrayal on that day.


    The King of Lust admitted his wrongdoing. He closed his eyes in deep regret.


    ***


    The King of Pride reached out. He grabbed the pieces randomly lined up on the chessboard.


    His gaze was not fixed on the northern part where a war was going on.


    The southern area.


    The land where Mammon, the cursed King of Greed, ruled.


    The King of Pride smiled. He looked down at the ground from the highest place in the sky.


    ***


    Seven Deadly Sins. Seven Godly Energies.


    It had been a thousand and a hundred years since Mammon, the King of Greed, died.


    Sin and Sin began to call each other again.


    The seven Godly Energies yearned to return to their masters.


    After all, the seven Sins returned, along with the seven kings.


    Did Sin resonate with Godly Energy because they hoped for the arrival of a new demon king, or was there another reason?


    Nobody knew it yet.

 214 Alliance 1

    The death of a demon king soon led to the death of the soul of the dungeon. Because of this, if the demon king who went outside the dungeon met with a violent death, it was conveyed to those who remained inside the dungeon in near real-time.


    The King of Gluttony was dead.


    It was only about ten minutes later when Orlando, the king''s butler, came to know about the king''s death.


    Unlike Red Demons, Blue Demons were good at magic, compared with their weak physical abilities, and often showed surprising calmness even in a crisis. Orlando responded to his death with composure and calmness befitting his identity as a Blue Demon.


    Orlando blocked the dungeon immediately. When the dungeon''s soul died, most of the dungeon''s functions were supposed to be paralyzed. In that case, those dungeon spirits inside the dungeon would feel something strange, belatedly or not, and some of them might be suspicious of their master''s death.


    So, it was better to have rumors getting around about the blockade of the dungeon outside than letting things inside leak out.


    Orlando, who blocked the dungeon, agonized. The King of Gluttony did not leave any contingency guidelines in case he died. He didn''t have any successor chosen in advance. The king was not prepared for his death. It wasn''t because he was too young to think of anything like death yet. It wasn''t even because the king''s death wasn''t something to consider.


    The king rose to the throne after overcoming the crisis of death over and over again. It was common for the master of a house to prepare for their own death, regardless of whether he was young or old.


    Nevertheless, there was one reason why the King of Gluttony did not prepare for his death.


    He simply didn''t care about anything after his death.


    What was the point of caring about anything after he died anyway? An heir was not important to him because he was a king who had grown up by defining everybody other than himself as an enemy and literally "eating" them. For a man like him who thought only he was important, preparing for somebody else after his death was nothing but a futile effort.


    But that was only the position of the King of Gluttony himself.


    Orlando, who was left behind, agonized. The number of those who belonged to the Kingdom of the King of Gluttony was huge. As a result, only the King of Gluttony could stay insensitive to the lives and well-being of his own people.


    It wasn''t just the absence of the king that made Orlando concerned.


    The absence of the Ten Warriors, the king''s right-hand men, also made him worried.


    The king was killed, and his right-hand men were killed. Not only his top deputy but also other top subordinates were all killed.


    ''It would be a matter of time anyway.''


    Since the King of Gluttony was a womanizer, he had numerous pleasure women for his sexual desire. Because of this, "those offsprings," who inherited the king''s blood, mushroomed. Maybe Orlando might have to choose one of them to succeed their late father.


    But was it enough?


    Would other kings watch the kingdom whose king had disappeared, and in a tense situation like this at that?


    Orlando eventually stopped judging for himself. Since all of the Ten Warriors were the king''s subordinate spirits, he decided to rely on the unexpected benefactors to resolve this issue.


    Orlando wrote three letters. They were addressed to the three masters under the king''s command, who led a mighty army defending the front lines in the north and west.


    The king''s subordinate spirits could not be the masters, so they could not become local strongmen protecting the dungeon at an important point, even though they could be the king''s close aides.


    Although not only the king but also his Ten Warriors were killed, there were, fortunately, three strongmen in the Kingdom of the King of Gluttony who defended the borders.


    Orlando decided to leave this matter to these three strongmen. He hurriedly sent out the letters to each of them.


    ***


    ''That''s weird.''


    Samael, ''the fastest wing'', tapped the table with her finger. The tea she prepared in advance was already cold for a long time.


    It had already been over an hour since the appointed time passed, but the King of Gluttony did not appear.


    It was strange. The king had never broken the appointment. Though he was somewhat hysterical, he was basically a meticulous man.


    ''He didn''t appear at the secret place he requested first, let alone sending any message about his failure to appear.''


    Samael was upset because she was put out after waiting for more than one hour in vain, but she was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market. Rather than being upset, she came to think about the reason rationally.


    The King of Gluttony was not a man to break the appointment. Even if he broke it, this was not the way he did it.


    Then, what was the reason?


    Did something big happen to make it impossible for him to keep the appointment?


    Samael stood up. Instead of dismissing her assumptions like this as delusion, she acted.


    She called an incubus.


    ***


    "Hey, guys! I''m back."


    Yong-ho just passed through the door of space, shouting with her hands open.


    Catalina curled her tail as if she was shy, but she posed with him.


    Kaiwan clicked her tongue after stepping back from him.


    Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits and others reacted differently. Salami, sitting in a corner with Bucephalas, shook his head, narrowing his eyes, while Bucephalas tapped on the back of Salami with a horseshoe as if comforting his rival, but Salami growled at Bucephalas, unhappy about him putting his feet on his back.


    Ophelia laughed awkwardly as if she was shy, and Tigrius gently turned away.


    However, Yuria, who Yong-ho had in mind from the beginning, welcomed his return by clapping her hands, so did the baby dungeon meerkat on her head and Baduki on her back.


    "Welcome back, master!"


    Eligos expressed due manners on behalf of all the dungeon spirits just like the butler of the House of Mammon. Not only his subordinate spirits but also all the major dungeon spirits of the Mammon family welcomed him in the room of the space.


    "Yes, thanks for your warm welcome. I''ve brought you guys a bunch of gifts."


    [You bought mine, right?]


    [Did you buy Merona?]


    [Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat.]


    There seemed to be something strange stuck in the middle of the gift packages, but Yong-ho nodded with a smile and lifted a small pocket apart from the large package like he did last time. It was a magic pouch he obtained as a reward in the arena. Looking at it, it was a small pocket that could barely fit a fist, but it was expanded a lot inside with magic, so much so that it could contain even a car.


    Even normal packages were piled up like a mountain, so when Yong-ho lifted the magic pocket, Ophelia became a little worried. Quick-witted, Kaiwan whispered to her, "Don''t worry about the budget. In the human world, the value of a jewel was more than that here. We used one of the jewels we carried there to buy all this."


    Ophelia felt relieved to hear that, but a bit embarrassed at the same time, so she nodded quietly. Yong-ho pulled out the first item from the magic pouch.


    "Now, this one is for Treant."


    Treant, who was standing at the entrance to the room because of his huge body, where the door of space was located, shook its branch in surprise. It didn''t think it would be called first.


    Yong-ho waved at Treant once again, who waddled on its roots and approached him.


    "This is a plant nutrient. I don''t know if it tastes good, but it must be good for your body."


    Yong-ho lifted dozens of plastic containers with yellow liquid then removed one of them and put it into Treant''s body right away. Treant flinched for a moment, but it soon became satisfied and happily hung down its branches.


    As Yong-ho said, Treant obviously didn''t feel it tasted good. Besides, a single nutrient could not have restored Treant''s body immediately. Nevertheless, Treant''s expression was satisfaction itself. He seemed to be pleased with the fact that he received a gift from Yong-ho more than anything else.


    In fact, Treant could be said to be one of the founding members of the dungeon, so Yong-ho felt sorry he could not take good care of him until now. If Kaiwan hadn''t followed him this time, he wouldn''t have been able to bring anything like this for Treant.


    When Yong-ho expressed gratitude to Kaiwan with a glance, she signaled to him to continue quickly. He immediately took out a second gift. It was a metal polish.


    "This is for Skull. I think it would be good when you clean weapons or armor¡­"


    Yong-ho unwittingly laughed while slurring his words because Skull applied it on his body as soon as he received the polish. He didn''t know if it was because of his pleasant mood or because of the real product effect, but it seemed that Skull''s body was pretty shiny.


    "Oh, You can do it, too."


    "Skull Skull."


    Then Yong-ho handed out other gifts. All of them were picked up by Kaiwan, tailored to the needs of each spirit.


    "This cosmetics is for Ophelia, a pot set for Eligos, and this one is for Tigrius. I don''t know if you''ll like it."


    Tigrius, who received a lighter that looked pretty luxurious, lit it a few times. He then expressed his gratitude with a very satisfied expression. The lighter was a fun toy and collectible for him, who lit a magical flame every time he smoked.


    "Now, this is dog gum for you!"


    "Wal! Wal!"


    "Meowing! Meowing!!"


    The best gift for a dog was a dog gum. Yong-ho also handed over a few bags of dog snacks. He then rummaged through his pocket again and took out a present for Yuria. It was also a gift that Kaiwan chose, but it was a bit questionable.


    "This is for Yuria."


    When Yong-ho handed the gift to Yuria without expressing his feelings, Yuria, who was so excited at the moment, opened her eyes wide. She admired it from the bottom of her heart.


    "Wowwwwwwww!"


    It was none other than a soccer ball that Yong-ho gave her.


    He originally planned to buy her something like a doll, so he was embarrassed that she liked it so much. Kaiwan, who chose the gift, was half convinced that Yuria might like a soccer ball better than a doll, but little did she think Yuria really liked it so much.


    "Thank you!"

 215 Alliance 2

    When Yuria kept bowing to him to show gratitude, Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat also followed suit.


    ''Oh, Yuria really likes the ball!''


    When Yong-ho blinked, suggesting he couldn''t believe his eyes, Kaiwan gently nudged his elbow as if to confirm from him that she made the right choice. In fact, a good gift for Yuria was something that she could play with Baduk. In that respect, a ball was better than a doll.


    [What about mine?!]


    [You don''t have one for me?]


    Right after Yuria received her gift, Lucia looked at Yong-ho impatiently.


    He soothed Lucia with a small voice, "Let me give you a gift later."


    [Later?]


    "Yes, later."


    Yong-ho, who gave Rikum a nice lighter, looked at the two dungeon spirits remaining in the room. They were Salami, who was snorting with lots of expectation, and Bucephalas, who pretended to be calm while expecting to receive a gift deep down.


    After giving Bucephalas a comb to trim mane, which should eventually be done by Skull, Yong-ho stood in front of Salami. He looked at Kaiwan and Catalina once then took out the gift after hesitating a bit.


    "Okay, Salami. This gift is for you. It''s salty, so don''t eat too much at once."


    Yong-ho gave Salami an Italian sausage salami, while Catalina and Kaiwan waited for Salami''s reaction with mixed feelings of curiosity, joy, and nervousness.


    Salami blinked once then ate a slice of salami, flapping his tail.


    For some reason, Yong-ho felt a bit guilty and stroked Salami''s head.


    ***


    Just like a demon king who cared about the welfare of his subordinate spirits, Yong-ho had brought enough food to hand out to all the spirits of the Mammon family. The limelight of all the gifts he brought this time was ice cream, not chicken.


    Enjoying Melon-flavored ice cream, which Lucia mentioned carelessly as the spirit sharing some memories with Yong-ho, he asked, "There has been no reply from the Queen of Fury yet?"


    There were only four in the heart of the dungeon¡ªKaiwan, Catalina, Ophelia, and Eligos.


    Ophelia, admiring the subtle taste of ice cream she tried for the first time in her life, responded belatedly, "Ah, uh, yeah. Sorry. Hmm, hmm. No, we haven''t received any reply from the Queen of Fury yet. Actually, her reply was too fast last time. Anyway, it looks like she thought that if she sent her reply fast, she would reveal to us that she was "in a hurry" or "impatient." So, even if she has the means to send her reply quickly, it is common for her to drag on for several days when it comes to this kind of exchange."


    ''Is it like a girl reading a boy''s text message and not replying right away?'' Yong-ho thought to himself.


    He nodded, recalling his experience of a rare blind date as a college boy. Obviously, it was important to push and pull in these kinds of exchanges.


    [It seems the Queen of Fury is pretty much impatient.]


    [Our master has won in this push and pull game.]


    [This is what the dungeon meerkats have just reported to me.]


    Even without hearing it, Yong-ho seemed to know what it was about.


    Ophelia said with a smile, "It looks like the Queen of Fury is very anxious to meet you"


    Why was she making such haste?


    After exchanging a glance with his subordinate spirits, he went out of the heart of the dungeon.


    ***


    Gardimundi landed in front of the dungeon entrance just like she did on her first recent visit, and waited for a reply from Yong-ho. Perhaps, since she was concerned that the House of Mammon was attacked last time, she did not raise a large flag symbolizing the Queen of Fury. She was here in her capacity as the secret envoy sent by the queen.


    The dungeon meerkats gathered at the entrance of the newly built nest and looked at Gardimundi. The entrance of the new dungeon built under Burgrim''s command was twice as large and hard as the previous one.


    It was again Eligos, the butler of the Mammon family, who came out to meet Gardimundi.


    But this time, he wasn''t alone. He was accompanied by his assistant butler Jun and the Goblin Rangers. They were dressed up, as if to greet the queens'' envoy officially.


    "Welcome. Please come in."


    "What? Right now?"


    Gardimundi asked, embarrassed by Eligos''s hospitality. Even though it was true that the queen and the master of the House of Mammon were in a friendly atmosphere, she didn''t expect they would welcome her into the dungeon so quickly without taking any defensive measures.


    Eligos smiled gently and quenched her curiosity.


    "While building the new entrance, we added some facilities. Our master is waiting for you in the reception room."


    Only then did Gardimundi figure out what was going on. The entrance of the dungeon didn''t get bigger and harder without any reason. It was probably because the new reception room was located at the entrance of the dungeon, like other dungeons.


    Stepping into the entrance of the new dungeon, Gardimundi was quite impressed. The fact that the entrance of this size was newly built in just a few days proved the power of the Mammon family. Moreover, it seemed that there were multiple facilities added this time.


    Like a discerning scout, Gardimundi was busy checking here and there while she was standing there. When she took the twelfth step, she noticed something unusual.


    ''A special breed?''


    One dungeon meerkat heading to her nest located right before the dungeon entrance was unusual. It looked like a baby, not fully grown, but it had small wings on its back.


    She had never heard of a dungeon meerkat with wings. While taking the thirteenth step, she traced her memory, and when she took the fourteenth step, she realized that the dungeon meerkats outside the dungeon were somewhat different from typical ones.


    What was it? Did they buy only dungeon meerkats of a special breed and raise them?


    Before she could even deduce the answer, Eligos stopped walking. Shown into a well-decorated room, she immediately got the question out of her mind and showed due manners to the master in front of her.


    "Gardimundi of the Garura clan, the messenger of Her Majesty the Queen of Fury, is honored to greet you."


    She put together her hands in a typical show of manners of her clan.


    Yong-ho responded with a warm smile, "It''s nice to see you again. Please sit comfortably."


    In the room, there were two sofas placed across each other. The place was too simple for the master to receive a special envoy of the Queen of Fury, but she preferred it because she was not the type of woman who liked empty formalities and vanity.


    Seated across Yong-ho, Gardimundi put it bluntly without any diplomatic rhetoric.


    "To get right down to the point, our Queen of Fury has accepted the conditions set forth by the master of the Mammon family. The meeting place is in the unclaimed area in the north. I want to leave it to you to choose the specific meeting place. As for the summit date, our Queen has set the date as you suggested."


    Gardimundi paused for a moment then continued after clearing her throat.


    "She proposed meeting you 20 days from now. Of course, you can decide whether to take it or not for the next couple of days. When you decide on the specific summit place, I hope you can fix the exact date."


    It was obvious that the Queen of Fury made enough concessions.


    Lucia whispered to Yong-ho.


    [You seem to have completely won in this push and pull game, right?]


    But her judgment proved too hasty.


    As if she overheard Lucia''s voice, Gardimundi added, "I heard that the unclaimed area in the north was not in a big chaos without law and order. So, the Queen of Fury wants to see you in the nestle of the House of Mammon."


    Although she used some diplomatic rhetoric, she expressed the queen''s wishes directly.


    Yong-ho nodded, with a smile on his face.


    "Of course. I would like to appreciate her consideration."


    Gardimundi also kept up a bright expression. Then she handed him the letter in the queen''s own handwriting that she kept in her pocket. Unlike she did last time, Gardimundi did not ask him to read it right away.


    Yong-ho intuitively realized that he had nothing more to talk with her. So, he said, standing up first, "Ophelia, my subordinate spirit, will lead you into a guest room. Could you wait a moment while I prepare the reply?"


    "Sure, that will do. Thanks for your consideration as the master of the Mammon family."


    Ophelia, who was waiting behind his back, led Gardimundi to a guest room next to the reception room. Since he revealed Ophelia''s identity, he wanted to show Gardimuni that he was treating her seriously.


    As soon as Ophelia returned shortly afterward, Yong-ho convened a small meeting attended by the key members of the House of Mammon.


    "Wow, she is quite straightforward, isn''t it? What the queen means is we should show her our ability to overpower the north within 20 days, right?"


    When Kaiwan spoke sharply, Catalina blankly blinked, not making head or tail of it.


    She made an embarrassed expression, suggesting to ask Kaiwan, ''Is that what it means?''


    Catalina quickly pretended not to have seen her. Fortunately, nobody paid any attention to Catalina.


    "She is straightforward, as always. Of course, it''s good that she is not beating around the bush with diplomatic rhetoric."


    Ophelia laughed bitterly. Whether it was a secret talk or an open talk, they were supposed to negotiate with language, so it had been the basic of diplomacy that they use rhetorics to hide their intention. In particular, the negotiator was supposed to be responsible for his language, and the more detailed his language was, the greater his responsibility if something went wrong.


    The unclaimed land in the north was not completely ruined like the west, but it was now like a lawless area like Gardimundi said. It was because Stravadi, the hegemon of the eastern area, devastated the northern area instead of occupying it in order to build up his power to challenge the House of Mammon.


    "Can I take a look at the queen''s letter first?"

 216 Alliance 3

    As if to change the atmosphere, Yong-ho opened the envelope of the Queen of Fury''s handwritten letter. When he opened it, there appeared a video just like it did last time.


    It was a pretty short video this time, too. In the video message, the queen, with her face a bit blushing, said she would look forward to meeting him in person after expressing her wishes that both of them could build a solid alliance on the occasion of their summit. It looked like she was expressing such wishes for the sake of formality.


    ''No matter how much you look at her, she looks suspicious.''


    Kaiwan signaled to Catalina with a glance after checking the queen''s blushed face through narrowed eyes. Catalina nodded as if she agreed.


    Ophelia said, "If you look at the military relations of the King of Violence, Queen of Fury, and the King of Gluttony, it is likely that the King of Violence and Queen of Fury have already established an alliance. Perhaps, the reason why the Queen of Fury is so anxious to form an alliance with us hastily is because she wants to build a perfect southern alliance."


    The King of Violence and Queen of Fury did not keep each other in check. Their armies were sharply monitoring the movement of the King of Gluttony''s forces.


    Yong-ho nodded, recalling what he heard from Sitri about those "purists" born in the demon world. If the southern alliance was really formed, Yong-ho would have nothing to lose.


    "It''s not just for our alliance with the Queen of Fury. We need to take control of the unclaimed land in the north as soon as possible," said Tigrius.


    He spoke, opening the entire map of the demon world illuminating in the air.


    "The reason the Queen of Fury and the King of Violence don''t move their troops yet is because they don''t know that the King of Gluttony was dead. Before they take action, we must take control of the unclaimed land first, so we can be ready to fight with them for hegemony over the territory of the King of Gluttony."


    Although the King of Gluttony and his Ten Warriors were killed, there were still many troops active in the king''s territory. In order to confront them and claim their credit with respect to the Queen of Fury and the King of Violence, it was necessary for Yong-ho to build up a formidable army.


    "We don''t have to occupy all of the territories of the King of Gluttony. We can just take part of the territory and hand over the rest to the Queen of Fury or the King of Violence because we don''t have to share our border with the north. It is also not a bad strategy for us to use the forces of the Queen of Fury or the King of Violence as a shield."


    Tigrius agreed to Ophelia''s idea.


    The three kings in the north were far too far away. That was why Yong-ho didn''t gather intelligence about them actively until now. He had to change it from now on. Now that he defeated the King of Gluttony and stood on par with the six kings, the enemies that he had to confront were the three kings in the north.


    "I will follow your order," Ophelia replied right away. Her heart was full at that moment.


    The three kings in the north were clearly burdensome and formidable. However, assuming Yong-ho''s fight against them itself testified to the growth of the House of Mammon.


    Strong confidence in Yong-ho''s victory and pride filled Ophelia''s heart.


    "Let''s get back to our main topic and discuss how to overwhelm the kings of the north. What do we need the most right now?"


    He looked back at his subordinate spirits gathered in the reception room.


    Kaiwan replied, sitting on his right, "I think it is the means of transport."


    Kaiwan used the power of distortion on the map of the demon world that Tigrius made with magic. He drew a line from the southern tip of the unclaimed area where the House of Mammon was located to the northern tip of the unclaimed area bordering the territory of the King of Fury. At a glance, it was quite a long distance.


    "As we all know, the northern area has been virtually devastated. It is no exaggeration to say that there is almost none who can dare to challenge the Mammon family''s power. I think even a handful of Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits here can rise up and suppress the northern area. But we need infantry in order to occupy and rule the north if our goal is not to destroy it simply. Right now, we absolutely need the means of transportation with which we can move our troops within a short period of time," said Kaiwan.


    Like Kaiwan said, destruction and occupation were different. No matter how strong an individual was, there were clear limits to the area that this individual could control.


    "How do you usually move troops?" Yong-ho asked.


    Opelia replied to his question casually, "If our troops are more than several thousands, we have no other choice but to march. But I hear that if our troops number several hundreds, we can use vehicles such as a giant flying spirit."


    "Oh, I see."


    Actually, Yong-ho guessed so. He had seen a section on the means of transportation in the catalog of the Dungeon Market.


    The catalog showed a giant flying spirit like a mixture of an insect and reptile that could hold hundreds of units in its arms, an enormous sky whale that could carry a large number of troops on its back, and a sailboat flying in the sky.


    There were obviously various means of transportation. To be honest, Yong-ho coveted all of them. But the problem was the budget. Since he continued to invest freely for the growth of his subordinate spirits, the shortage of the budget was tight.


    Although he had never mentioned the budget problem, Ophelia and Kaiwan already knew what he was agonizing because they had the same concerns.


    However, they didn''t agonize long. An unexpected voice whispered in the air.


    [If you have a budget shortage, there is a solution.]


    Everyone''s eyes turned to the flames of the red lotus in the air.


    Aamon asked Yong-ho, [My master, you have secured up to the 6th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. If so, what do you think is the remaining facility?]


    Each floor of the Labyrinth of Greed quickly came to his mind.


    The Garden of Life was on the first floor and the gateway to the Labyrinth of Greed is on the 2nd floor. The third floor was a gambling hall and the fourth floor was the workroom. The fifth and sixth floors were an armory and a prison, respectively.


    Then, what was the remaining facility there? Wasn''t it a must in any dungeon?


    "The treasure storage."


    Yong-ho uttered unwittingly, and Aamon made his flames burn more intensely as if he was laughing heartily.


    [The 8th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.]


    [A place guarded by Richard, the Leo Warrior.]


    [Right there on the 8th floor, there is the treasure storage of the great King of Greed.]


    Mammon''s treasure storage.


    A bright smile was on everyone''s face instantly.


    ***


    "But why is the 8th floor being mentioned more instead of the 7th floor?"


    It was long after they first talked about the treasure storage that Yong-ho raised the question about the 8th floor. In the meantime, he not only wrote a reply to the Queen of Fury but even saw Gardimundi off in person.


    In fact, if he took a step back and thought about it, there was nothing strange. The treasure storage was just on the 8th floor. So what? There was no correlation between Yong-ho''s success in securing up to the 6th floor and the floor layout of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    However, the reason why he expressed doubts about it was because Aamon did not explain about the 7th floor at all. While he was securing up to the 6th floor, Aamon always mentioned the next floor he had to challenge without any additional explanation.


    Aamon kept delaying the answer to his question, saying that he would know it soon.


    And it was exactly as Aamon said. It wasn''t long before Yong-ho, who reached the 7th floor with his subordinate spirits, knew why Aamon did not explain about the 7th floor.


    ''Well, is it just as I suspected?''


    Smiling bitterly, he looked at the large door located in front of the stairs leading from the 7th to the 8th floor. An impressive bull''s head with a towering horn was embossed on the steel door, which was very magnificent, and the word " Mammon''s Arena" was written on the wall next to it.


    "What the heck?! Are you disappointed?"


    "Oh, not really."


    Yong-ho, shrugging his shoulders in front of Gusion, who was making a sullen expression, looked around once more. He was now standing near the entrance to the arena. It was the "real entrance," not the one he used to come and go, led by a guy wearing a beast mask.


    The interior of the corridor was as large as the door. First of all, the ceiling was high, and the corridor was nearly ten meters in width.


    On the left and right of the corridor, there were stone statues that were carved so precisely that any visitor could be mistaken that they were real.


    Yong-ho was convinced when he saw a statue of a beautiful woman with ferocious eyes located in the middle of a giant steel cow and somehow pitiful Centaurus. They were the stone statues depicting the floor masters of the arena.


    He alternately looked at Gusion and his stone statue at the end of the corridor.


    At that moment, he broke into laughter before he knew it.


    "Is this the feeling I have when I come through the main gate of the arena?"


    The shapes of the floor masters of the arena were not limited to humanoids.


    The corridor lined with dozens of stone statues, including several monsters and giants, was very magnificent. Any timid visitor seemed to get cold feet even when they stepped in the arena.


    Following Yong-ho''s gaze at his stone statue, Gusion laughed cheerfully.


    "Yeah, the passage through which you used to come and go was like a doghole, compared with this."


    Yong-ho felt disgusted at his description of the passage as a doghole.


    Tilting his head, he looked behind Gusion''s back. He saw a familiar arena over there.

 217 Alliance 4

    "But the grain is the same."


    "How can it be different?"


    Yong-ho and Gusion, who exchanged small talk like that, headed to the arena. The rule that at least one of those visiting the arena must challenge the arena was also applied to those who entered through the front door.


    Yong-ho, whose challenge of the arena already became one of his daily routines, did not feel any big burden. All of his subordinate spirits were also relaxed because they had already visited the arena several times.


    Only Salami and Bucephalas looked around in surprise.


    After taking a seat in the special stand reserved for Gusion, Yong-ho asked, "There are almost no dungeon monsters around here. I wonder if we can move around freely on the 7th floor."


    The dungeon monsters that were filling the other floors hardly existed on the 7th floor.


    Gusion shook his head when he asked with some expectations.


    "The spirits of the arena cannot get out of the arena. The reason there are no dungeon monsters here is probably because of the strong space-time barriers that make up the arena. Should I say that there is a distortion that is so strong that small distortions disappear naturally? Dungeon monsters are introduced through the distortion created in the dungeon, so if the distortion itself is not generated, there will be no way for them to appear."


    "Do you mean that big waves absorb small waves?"


    "Sort of."


    Their conversation was cut off for a moment after Gusion replied.


    During that short moment of less than a few seconds, Gusion, who was sullen all along, tapped the handle of the special seat several times with his fingertips. He then said, "By the way, isn''t it too racy?"


    "About what?"


    Yong-ho looked back at Gusion as if he could not make it, while Catalina, who was sitting next to him, also pricked her ears and blinked. On the other hand, Kaiwan covered her mouth and giggled, as if she understood what he was talking about.


    Gusion said, "Man, I already told you I was on the 39th floor. Then you should have continued to break through the floors up to the 39th floor with a sense of challenge. When you came last time, you went right back. Although the passage of time is subtle here, I can find out that our young master is not in a hurry."


    "So, are you sad about it?"


    When Yong-ho asked mischievously, Gusion turned his head, pretending not to have noticed it.


    Since Gusion was originally a red skin, it was hard to tell whether he showed any feelings, but Yong-ho knew the Red Daemon like Gusion well thanks to Eligos and Ophelia. He could immediately discover that Gusion was embarrassed.


    In fact, Yong-ho also really wanted to conquer the arena. However, there were some legitimate reasons why he could not get focused on the arena alone.


    First, the arena was still useful to Yong-ho.


    The arena allowed Yong-ho to experience a "desperate struggle."


    The fastest way to accumulate evolution EXP was to experience desperate fighting. It was thanks to the arena that he could repeatedly use the power of evolution so far.


    Moreover, the arena allowed him to experience various battles. The arena with a mixture of behemoths, giants, powerful humanoids, etc., was truly a treasure trove of fighting experience for him. He could learn various battle patterns by fighting them and test various tactics and techniques as well.


    He could not obtain those skills by blindly outpouring the floor masters with mana only. The reason he smashed Yukrasion on the 25th floor with mana was to find out the maximum value of his newly acquired mana.


    The second reason was because of the growth of his subordinate spirits.


    The arena as a treasure trove of experience was equally important to them.


    That was why Yong-ho allowed them to challenge the arena despite the great danger.


    The value of the power of evolution was higher than Yong-ho expected for those spirits whose efficiency of essence absorption was not so good. It was important for Yong-ho to acquire the arena, but the growth of his subordinate spirits was more important. So, he needed to maintain the arena a little longer for them.


    ''Of course, the arena isn''t so easy to occupy even if I make up my mind.''


    Given that he easily beat the 25th floor master Yukrasion, he might sound conceited, but he was serious.


    The higher the floor, the stronger the arena''s defense was. Not only did the floor masters become stronger, but also, it started to damage Yong-ho''s power.


    Because of the characteristics of the arena where its difficulty level rapidly increased per 10 floors, it was highly likely that Yong-ho could not smash the floor masters with mana alone on the 30th floor and above.


    And the battle was not determined only by mana. Yong-ho''s actions up to now proved it.


    The enemies that he confronted, starting from Foras to the King of Gluttony, were always stronger than him. However, it was Yong-ho who eventually won.


    The third and final reason was time.


    Time often passed faster than expected in the arena where the passage of time was different from the outside. For Yong-ho, who had to keep an eye on the ever-changing external situation, staying in the arena where the time was unknown was a significant risk.


    Even now, he was constrained by time limits in the case of his summit meeting with the Queen of Fury. He couldn''t spend time only in the arena.


    When Yong-ho briefly explained his reasons, Gusion became more embarrassed, and Kaiwan bit her lips to hold back her laughter.


    ''But, I can''t delay occupying the arena forever.''


    The arena''s strength was mighty. Although the threat of the King of Gluttony disappeared, the King of Pride and the King of Envy were still active in the north. Yong-ho could not figure out the intentions of the King of Violence, and the Queen of Fury was not his ally yet.


    He thought of investing some more time in the arena for a while after successfully forming an alliance with the Queen of Fury.


    "So, you want to obtain the treasure storage on the 8th floor?"


    Gusion, who cleared his throat several times as if to hide his embarrassment, changed the subject. Yong-ho gently accepted it.


    "Yes, that''s my idea for now. My budget problem will be solved at once."


    It was a treasure trove of the "King of Greed," allegedly the ''incarnation of possessiveness.''


    It was evident that a tremendous amount of treasure was piled up like a mountain.


    Gusion nodded slowly and said, "Certainly, given your power, you can open the door."


    "Open the door?"


    "Well, the one who is guarding the treasure storage on the eighth floor is Richard. Did you hear about him from Aamon?"


    [I haven''t given him any specific explanation yet.]


    [I hope you can brief him on my behalf, Gusion.]


    Aamon''s answer was heard from the flames of the red lotus that already arose.


    Gusion nodded lightly and said, "Leo, the Silent Warrior Richard."


    Mammon''s 12 Spirits were the legends of the demon world. Not only Catalina and Kaiwan, but even Tigrius focused on Gusion curiously.


    "He is strong. He is in the top group of the 12 Spirits. To simply compare physical strength, he is on par with me."


    What Gusion said wasn''t anything like self-praise. The reason that Gusion''s nickname was ''Herculean strength'' was because he had the strongest physical ability among the 12 Spirits. When discussing the strongest among them, Gusion was always mentioned without fail.


    "He is silent as his nickname suggests. It doesn''t mean he can''t speak at all, but I''ve hardly ever heard his voice even though he and I went through all kinds of hardships together. Anyway, he''s reticent and brusque. And as is the case with this kind of guy, he is thoroughly sincere when it comes to his job."


    Gusion smiled at the end of his words because he recalled lots of memories related to Richard.


    He closed and opened his eyes. Then he pushed away the vague memories of him and looked at the present.


    "Richard is the gatekeeper of the treasure storage. So, he doesn''t care about anyone if he is qualified to come to the treasure storage. It is only when he faces an unjust intruder that he takes up his weapon."


    Gusion gave a short description of Richard, but Yong-ho could size him up roughly.


    Gusion continued, "As such, it is unlikely that he has prepared any trial or test for you.


    Even when Mammon was alive, he didn''t prepare anything like that. So, whether or not you can open the door of the treasure storage will depend on whether you have qualifications."


    "Is opening the door itself a test?"


    "That''s right. It would not be easy for you because you can''t open it just with strong mana alone."


    Stopping at that point, Gusion got up and urged him.


    "You can hear more about Richard from Aamon while going down. You know the rules of the arena, right? At least one member of your group must challenge the arena. Hurry up as you have a long way to go."


    Since Gusion kept prodding on him, Yong-ho led his subordinate spirits to the arena located below the stairs. Like Gusion said, he had no time to waste, so one of his subordinate spirits still staying on the lower floors was to challenge the floor master.


    When Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits disappeared, only Gusion and Aamon''s consciousness were left.


    It was Aamon who spoke first, [You are not pushing him unexpectedly.]


    Yong-ho defeated the King of Gluttony. He was closer to the King of Greed than any previous master of the House of Mammon during the past one thousand years. Nevertheless, Gusion did not push Yong-ho hard. He didn''t press Yong-ho to conquer the arena as soon as possible.


    What Mammon was worried about and the reason why he stopped Gusion from telling the truth about his death to the unqualified...


    Gusion let his shoulders droop with a bitter expression.


    "It''s because so many years have passed that I can feel the passage of time even in the subtle arena. I haven''t forgotten that day, but that doesn''t mean I can''t stay thirsty for revenge forever."


    Aamon quietly burned flames and whispered, [Too much time has passed.]


    [Too much time...]

 218 Alliance 5

    Gusion let his shoulders droop with a bitter expression.


    "It''s because so many years have passed that I can feel the passage of time even in the subtle arena. I haven''t forgotten that day, but that doesn''t mean I can''t stay thirsty for revenge forever."


    Aamon quietly burned flames and whispered, [Too much time has passed.]


    [Too much time...]


    "Yes, maybe even master Mammon would not have thought it would take so long for a new King of Greed to appear.


    It was just over a thousand years. Like Aamon said, too much time passed.


    "You said that Asclepius went crazy?"


    His voice was rather heavy.


    Aamon answered in a form of a question, [Are you worried about Richard?]


    Gusion could not deny it. But he said to himself and Aamon in no time, "Richard is a guy. He is as steady as a rock that won''t change even after a thousand years. Even if you or Scathach had not fallen asleep, or if you had been awake all along, I can assure you he will be there. He''s a good guy."


    If Asclepius went crazy, that was it. Gusion didn''t want to imagine any more tragedies.


    "The fighting has started. Is it Kaiwan''s turn this time?" Gusion asked in a bright voice.


    Aamon respected his friend''s intentions. Instead of mentioning Mammon''s 12 Spirits, he focused on Kaiwan''s fighting in the arena.


    ***


    [The door of the 8th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed is opened.]


    Lucia''s voice was a little lighter than usual. It was because she could not completely occupy the 7th floor due to the existence of the arena.


    Ophelia and Eligos, who displayed their wild nature, took the lead. Salami lit himself, illuminating from behind, and Skull and Tigrius scattered the lights in all directions to drive out the darkness.


    There was no single facility on each floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. There were several rooms on the first floor, a ''garden'', and some convenience facilities such as the dungeon spirits'' quarters and restaurants were also present on other floors.


    It was natural that each floor of the Labyrinth of Greed was as large as a medium-sized dungeon.


    However, the 8th floor was somewhat different. When they went down the stairs and looked around, there was only one way.


    "There seems to be nothing in between. Literally... It''s just a hallway."


    Catalina spoke, seeing through the darkness. Other floors had rooms attached to the corridor itself or passages leading to other directions, but the 8th floor had only a single passage.


    [Master, the 8th floor is a place that was created to serve as a treasure storage only.]


    [The only thing that exists beyond the corridor is a staircase and a treasure storage leading to the 9th floor.]


    [Yes.]


    Ophelia gulped at his short reply.


    The size of each floor of the Labyrinth of Greed was vast. If so, how many treasures were piled up on the whole floor used as the treasure storage?


    Not only Yong-ho but also his subordinate spirits quickened their steps.


    There were no dungeon monsters on the 8th floor perhaps because of the arena.


    Because of this, they could reach the entrance room of the treasure storage within several minutes.


    Ophelia and Eligos, who were walking ahead, didn''t even need to throw the lights.


    As soon as they entered the entrance room, a soft light poured from the ceiling, illuminating the dark room.


    It was a large and spacious room. On the left and right, there was a large staircase leading to the lower floor and a steel door that was larger than that of the arena.


    Everyone in the room naturally turned their eyes at one place. It wasn''t a staircase or a steel door. They looked at the man in front of the steel door.


    A giant was sitting on a huge stone chair. He wasn''t wearing anything except for a lion''s skin on his head, but he didn''t look naked thanks to his steel-like muscles. His tanned skin and sturdy muscles gave them the illusion of him wearing armor all over his body.


    The giant held a dark red club in his right hand. They couldn''t know what the material was, but it seemed to signify the bluntness of the club itself.


    Leo, Silent Warrior Richard.


    He opened his eyes. He got up silently and greeted Yong-ho and his party.


    His mouth, tucked between his shaggy beard, didn''t open. Holding the dark red club like a cane, he just looked at them.


    Upon close examination, he wasn''t a giant. He was taller than Eligos by a couple of heads. In the demon world where humanoid monsters such as ogres and trolls existed, he could be called a tall man, but not a giant.


    But he looked like a giant. It wasn''t just because of his wide shoulders and steel-like muscles. They felt something like his overwhelming presence that made them feel as if they were facing a giant, tens of meters tall.


    Richard was silent, which reassured Aamon. Yong-ho felt as if he saw Aamon''s smile.


    [Master, try to open the front door.]


    [Richard is the same. He is still faithful to his role as the guardian of the treasure storage.]


    His voice was filled with deep relief and delight. When Aamon had to kill Asclepius on the 5th floor, he didn''t express his feelings, but he felt great sadness.


    Only after hearing Aamon''s voice, Yong-ho realized that there were two cylinders in front of Richard. Yong-ho was so focused on Richard that he missed them even though they were right before his eyes.


    [Subordinate spirits, do not follow your master, but wait here.]


    [Only the master can make the attempt to open the door.]


    At Aamon''s declaration, they flinched while trying to follow Yong-ho.


    Catalina looked at Richard and Yong-ho alternately as if she was worried.


    Yong-ho nodded. As if to calm her down, he stroked her hair once and exchanged eye contact with Kaiwan. He smiled with an effort then walked toward Richard.


    Richard was still looking at him without moving. Though this kind of description wasn''t appropriate for the terrifying giant warrior, he truly had clear eyes. It seemed like he could see through any muddiness and dirt.


    Yong-ho stopped in front of the cylinders. There were two cylinders slightly higher than Yong-ho''s waist, with something on top of it.


    The cylinder on the left had a deep and large hole while the cylinder on the right had a small sphere that looked just the right size for resting a hand.


    [You can use the left device only when you have a ''key''.]


    [My master, use the right device to open the door to the treasure storage.]


    Despite hearing Aamon''s voice, Richard did not respond. His eyes were fixed on Yong-ho.


    Yong-ho took a deep breath and raised his right hand. He put his hand on the sphere on the top of the right cylinder.


    It was cold. He felt like he touched a marble. Shortly afterward, his attempt to open the door of the treasure storage began.


    Heat radiated from the sphere. The pleasant coldness transmitted through the palm of his hand evaporated at once.


    His test to open the treasure storage was simple. All he had to do was to stabilize the turbulence of the mana protecting the front door by inserting mana through the sphere.


    Yong-ho closed his eyes and concentrated. He understood why Gusion said that even he could not open it with his mighty power.


    It wasn''t a simple torrent of mana. Not only was it fast and strong, but it had seven attributes.


    Wind, water, earth, flames, lightning, rock, and darkness.


    When these seven attributes were added to the swirling storm of the blade, its power was really terrifying. Even though Yong-ho was injecting mana from a distance through the sphere. he felt as if he was thrown into the middle of the torrent.


    Yong-ho generated mana. He erected six horns to emit powerful mana befitting a king, and at the same time, he triggered the Godly Energy, a lump of Brigada equipped on his left hand.


    Yong-ho''s own attributes.


    Flames, coldness, and lightning.


    Catalina''s darkness, Kaiwan''s wind, Eligos''s land, and Tigrius''s light were also added to his attributes.


    A fierce light arose from the Godly Energy of Greed. Harmony, the power of Yuho Yuan, was once again triggered, and at the same time, Tigrius''s power of synthetic magic united seven different attributes into one.


    A cold sweat flew down Yong-ho''s forehead. His whole body vibrated, starting with his right hand.


    But Yong-ho smiled. Dissipating mana at once caused him intense pleasure.


    Yong-ho''s mana was thrust into the torrent of mana like a bomb. He confronted Richard''s seven attributes with his own.


    The wind and the flames clashed. Light and darkness became one, and the earth and water were in harmony. Lightning and darkness collided and scattered.


    Yong-ho''s right hand vibrated more violently. It was never easy to simultaneously use his seven attribute powers while releasing enormous mana.


    However, he overcame that difficulty. By combining all the attributes into one, he achieved a huge power of harmony.


    There was no explosion. The torrent of mana, which was like a mad vortex, naturally weakened. Finally, it scattered and became calm and still like a lake.


    Yong-ho breathed out roughly. His whole body was sweaty. He didn''t know how long he injected mana. However, when he opened his eyes, he felt an enormous sense of accomplishment. It wasn''t just because he opened the door of the treasure storage.


    He just achieved growth by struggling hard a moment ago. He felt like he learned how to use Brigada to bring out the power of a true king.


    He raised his head. There seemed to be a little sign of emotions in Richard''s eyes, who was indifferent. Instead of expressing his feelings, Richard stepped aside. He opened the way for Yong-ho.


    The steel door of the treasure storage opened automatically.


    A dazzling golden color caught Yong-ho''s eyes.

 219 Alliance 6

    "Pinch my cheek."


    Kaiwan spoke to Catalina with a blank expression, so Catalina pinched her cheek without any hesitation.


    It hurt. So Kaiwan pinched Catalina''s cheek a little harder then burst into strange laughter, mixed with emptiness, embarrassment, and joy.


    Even Salami and Bucephalas, who were basically not excited about treasures, admired what they saw. Eligos was rather scared while Ophelia sat down, overwhelmed by the amazing treasure. Her feet became wobbly at that moment.


    Even Tigrius, a detached old gentleman, kept gulping. Only Skull behaved as usual.


    With a hearty laugh, Skull threw himself into the piles of gold in front of him. He rolled on the floor like a stone beside Yong-ho.


    Yong-ho dived into the sea of gold. Of course, it hurt. It was impossible to swim in a sea of ??gold that he saw in the cartoon. He felt nice though. Even the pain was a pleasure.


    The treasure storage was vast. The whole 8th floor really looked like a treasure trove except for the pillars in between. And the treasure storage was filled with various gold and silver. His description of the treasure storage as ''the sea of ??gold'' was no exaggeration.


    Ancient gold coins, jewels with beautiful colors, various treasures made of gold and silver, each one of them had tremendous value, but there was nothing special inside the treasure storage. It was literally a treasure trove of great wealth.


    "You guys, come in!"


    Yong-ho, who was rolling there with Skull, shouted. Catalina, who wanted to jump in, fluttered her ears and tail. Like Yong-ho, she dived into the sea of ??gold and felt pain. However, she laughed like a fool like Yong-ho.


    Kaiwan, who was so excited, came in immediately. After taking off her shoes, Ophelia walked barefoot on the gold and trembled with thrilling pleasure. She even moaned, though briefly.


    Although Eligos felt fear in front of a huge amount of gold, he felt more joy than fear when he stood on the sea of ??gold, holding Ophelia''s hand. He was even moved to tears, recalling all sorts of hardships in the past.


    Bucephalas ran through the treasure storage, and Salami rolled over gold. Even the gentle Tigrius buried himself into gold as if he returned to his childhood.


    [Next time when you return from the human world, please buy me a hundred clothes!]


    [No, a thousand!]


    [Just buy me a department store!]


    Lucia shouted in joy, and Yong-ho nodded several times.


    He overcame the temptation to keep rolling several times and stood up quickly.


    Hearing Lucia''s words, something came to his mind suddenly.


    He thought of the most fundamental reason why he found the treasure storage, and what he could do now.


    He had to meet Sitri.


    Now was the time he did shopping at the Dungeon Market.


    ***


    It was because Yong-ho''s expression was very unusual.


    "Uhhhhhhhh"


    Yong-ho giggled, facing Sitri. His laughter was mischievous and sly on one hand, but silly on the other.


    Sitri, who always had a chair close to him, doubled the distance between the chairs by fidgeting with her hands quickly.


    She said, slightly putting her body back, "Don''t laugh like that because I''m afraid my love will cool off a little."


    Startled by her serious voice, who really didn''t like the way he laughed, Yong-ho cleared his throat, but he did it again.


    "Hmmm. Uhhhhhhhhh."


    It seemed like his condition was serious. Putting her body back a little more, she said in a nervous voice, "... Customer?"


    Now, she didn''t use the modifier ''My dear,'' which made him come to his senses again.


    Only now could he stop laughing silly and opened his mouth with a straight face.


    "Hmmm. Oh yes. I have something I want to buy."


    He was a little excited, but now he was back to normal.


    Sitri narrowed the distance between the chairs then said, "You want a catalog about flying spirits plus a five-star flying monster?"


    He nodded happily because she guessed right. Sitri pointed out the price of the flying spirit on the first page of the catalog, and he responded with a relaxed smile.


    Sitri closed and opened her eyes once. Then she laughed several times as if she got wind of it. She then corrected her posture. She looked straight into his eyes and said, "You have obtained his treasure storage, right?"


    He did not deny it. It was natural for Sitri, who was Mammon''s lover, to know the existence of the treasure storage. She must know how much gold and silver were there.


    "Well, I don''t think I can''t sell them at this price."


    "Sitri"


    Instead of answering, she narrowed her distance with him. She narrowed it down to almost where her knees would touch his. She then snapped her fingers. Then, the whole white world turned black. Only the surroundings of Yong-ho and Sitri were white now.


    Sitri once again closed and opened her eyes.


    Then she said with a charming smile, "From now on I''m going to start a ''secret deal'' between the king and the director of the Dungeon Market."


    As soon as she finished talking, new catalogs emerged behind her back.


    All the covers of the catalog were black. Titles made up of golden letters were somewhat different from previous ones.


    [Boarding objects]


    [Immortal]


    [Different species]


    [Fairy clan]


    [Demon clan]


    There were no star numbers in the black catalogs. Only dungeon spirits were classified.


    Sitri fidgeted with her fingers and put one of them on her lap. It was rather weird among the new catalogs.


    [King of Greed]


    Looking at the title, he then turned his eyes at her. She opened the catalog with a happy smile and explained it to him.


    "This is exclusively for your use, my dear customer. It is a secret ledger to record the details of my transactions with you."


    The catalog, named King of Greed, was completely empty.


    Yong-ho asked her immediately, "Do other kings also have secret ledgers like this one?"


    "Yes, they do. You are very smart to notice it so quickly."


    A secret deal between a king and a director.


    A catalog named King of Greed.


    He could naturally infer it. Sitri continued, "I''m sorry to the other customers who use the Dungeon Market, but those kings with Sin and Godly Energy are more special than other beings in the demon world because they are the big players who control the destiny of the demon world."


    It was the same even now. The King of Gluttony caused great turbulence of burning the entire unclaimed land in the south by supporting Embrio. The King of Pride raised up the army directly and shook the entire northern area. The King of Violence plunged the King of Gluttony into confusion and terror by simply deploying his troops along the borders.


    Each decision by the kings determined the fate of many people.


    Sitri wasn''t wrong.


    "The core of the Dungeon Market is the merchant group. Therefore, we provide special services to special customers. That''s what we call a secret deal."


    She let her shoulders droop then said with a gentle smile, "I''ll give you an example. A demon king living next door suddenly started to buy horses to attack a dungeon. Then, what will his neighbors think? And how do they act?"


    "Well, they will prepare for an attack or form an alliance with other neighbors."


    If the demon king bought something, it was because he needed it.


    Therefore, it was also possible to guess the intention of the buyer by checking his purchased goods.


    Sitri was satisfied with his reply.


    "You''re right because his purchase history itself is part of his information."


    Yong-ho suddenly recalled the story of "The Pentagon and the Pizza Box" he had heard somewhere.


    The Pentagon was a huge pentagonal building where the US Department of Defense was located. He was not sure if it was real or just an unofficial story, the story about the Pentagon was rather plausible.


    ''On a day when pizza delivery to the Pentagon surges, something serious will happen. For this reason, spies belonging to anti-American countries or groups are keeping an eye on pizza houses around the Pentagon.''


    The story derives from rumors that the day the United States made the decision to start a war with Iraq, the Pentagon''s pizza deliveries increased in record numbers due to their emergency work. It was a little bit different from the example that Sitri cited, but both had something in common because she said that she could infer some information about the buyer from his purchase history.


    Sitri continued, "Almost all the masters in the demon world use the Dungeon Market. I''m a bit embarrassed to say this, but in a sense, the Dungeon Market is allegedly an organization that governs the demon world."


    What if the Dungeon Market raised food prices drastically? What would happen if the Dungeon Market stopped selling items needed for dungeon operation or didn''t sell them to a specific target?


    What Sitri said wasn''t an exaggeration. The influence of the Dungeon Market on the demon world was so powerful.


    Because of this, the Dungeon Market had no rival. There was no option for the masters of the demon world to use a different Dungeon Market.


    And that was important, after all.


    "The Dungeon Market is one and only such place in the demon world, used by everybody. So, if you work really hard, it''s not impossible to find out the other party''s purchase history, especially when it comes to those items that cannot be easily found in the Dungeon Market."


    "That''s why they want a secret deal?"


    Yong-ho suddenly recalled secret accounts in Switzerland. With such accounts, they have to pay the account fee rather than receiving interest from the bank. Nonetheless, numerous people have used Swiss secret accounts, even paying high fees. Their reason was simple. Swiss banks never reveal the account holders of the secret accounts. They protected the account holders thoroughly.


    The Dungeon Market used the same method.


    They kept their transactions about which spirits were sold to whom at what price secret.


    Besides, they didn''t reveal the existence of the sold spirits at all.


    Sitri nodded then said in an alluring voice, "The secret transaction between the king and the director is kept secret, as the name suggests. Your purchase history is never disclosed to other customers. What''s more, you can buy things that you can''t obtain normally because kings have a great wealth to purchase them."


    She seemed to explain indirectly why she hadn''t offered such a secret deal to Yong-ho until now. Yong-ho was now qualified. He possessed not only Sin but also Godly Energy and wealth.


    Sitri bowed to him, and said a little playfully, "Products that are known to be available only through special auctions, or special products that cannot be found in general catalogs are the main targets of secret trade."


    Hearing it, Yong-ho said unwittingly, "The undead elite troops of the King of Gluttony."


    He also recalled his conversation with Ophelia about the Bone Dragon mobilized by Embrio.

 220 Alliance 7

    Sitri was neither positive nor negative. Putting her hand on his lap, she mentioned something else.


    "As the strongest Herculean power and the director in charge of the north, Orobas deals with the King of Pride only. Bfronz, with the best intelligence, deals with the King of Envy and the King of Lust."


    Each king had his own director to deal with.


    "Samael, the fastest wing, deals with the King of Gluttony, and Abrasax, with the strongest mana, deals with the Queen of Fury and the King of Violence. I deal with the reclusive Queen of Sloth and the ''King of Greed that does not exist.''"


    She winked at him at the end of her remarks with an alluring gesture.


    But Yong-ho brought up another topic just like she did.


    "What is it, Sitri?"


    "Pardon?"


    "Oh, I mean your nickname. The other five directors all seem to have nicknames. The fastest wing or the strongest mana for example."


    He asked it unwittingly, so he quickly wrapped it up, embarrassed. But she opened her eyes once and smiled softly, "Well, how about the best beauty?"


    Yong-ho blinked. He thought she was joking, but he felt she, not anybody else, could use such a nickname.


    This time, Sitri was embarrassed. She burst into laughter and said, "Oh, I was kidding. I feel good since you believe it. My dear customer, I''m sorry to say this but my nickname is a secret."


    She then held his hand then pulled him while standing up.


    "Please stand up. From now on, I''m going to start a secret deal with you."


    As soon as Yong-ho stood up hastily, the chairs behind their back disappeared. With the surroundings still dark, she sat behind him after fidgeting with her feet.


    She said, hugging him from behind, "Please close your eyes for a moment."


    Yong-ho followed her instruction with strange anticipation. When he closed his eyes, he felt the fragrant scent from her body getting closer.


    "Okay, would you like to open your eyes again now?"


    Sitri stopped hugging him and took a step back. He opened his eyes wistfully. He then opened his mouth foolishly. He looked blank just like he did when he saw Mammon''s treasure storage.


    A white space unfolded again instead of darkness, and the space was filled with something huge.


    Flying vehicles and large flying spirits were lined up.


    All be told, they were a few dozen.


    "My dear customer, you already have a cute car called Salami. Nonetheless, you want another flying device because you need a means of transporting troops, right?"


    The purchase items revealed the buyer''s intention.


    Since his partner was Sitri, he nodded, who, in turn, gently hugged his waist.


    Then she stepped forward with him.


    Huge sailing ship-shaped flying vehicles that were almost 100 meters long.


    Sky whales with storage spaces not only on its back but also inside.


    Flying vehicles with a futuristic design that could only be seen in movies.


    Battleships armed with various weapons.


    All of them attracted his attention.


    Yong-ho was so excited that he wanted to check the inside of the flying vehicle, but she still hugged his waist tightly and urged him to move forward.


    "Although you occupied the unclaimed land in the south, you will invite other kings'' suspicion if you buy this kind of huge flying vehicle suddenly. In other words, you might draw their unwanted attention."


    No matter how secretly he bought the items, the moment he released them, he would draw people''s attention. Because of this, he had to purchase the right items if he wanted to hide the treasure trove to some extent.


    "Since you have to carry the skull unit, the flying vehicle should be able to accommodate at least 200. Fortunately, the skull unit members are undead, they won''t take up that much space. If so, you could buy a smaller flying vehicle."


    A flying vehicle which was not so large and which could be purchased with his money.


    As he stepped forward, he found the flying vehicles getting smaller and more shabby.


    Although his natural greed wanted those large vehicles a little far away rather than near, he had no other choice.


    Sitri whispered into Yong-ho''s war, "But because you are the King of Greed, you have to ride something that suits that name. Moreover, you have occupied the unclaimed land, so you need to show off your power to some extent."


    Finally, Sitri stopped walking. Now, there were no flying vehicles or spirits on the left and right. Yong-ho looked back at her, and she smiled. She stared into the air instead of him, as if reminiscing about her memories, and soon leaned her head on his shoulder. Then she gently fidgeted with her fingers and revealed the objects hidden in the pure white space.


    It was red and huge.


    It was streamlined and long with a red dragon head attached to the head.


    Huge propellants were attached to both sides of the fuselage.


    Yong-ho remembered the word ''space battleship'' at that moment. His greed, which kept looking back all along, now raced toward the front and wrapped up the red flying vehicle.


    Shrouded in the thin smoke of greed, Sitri released her hands that were holding him. He stepped forward alone and stood in front of the red flying vehicle.


    "This is the eight-handed Baruna''s last work, one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits. It''s the private plane for the King of Greed that he left behind only its design because he could not complete it."


    It was supposed to be the plane that Mammon would ride during his days. Mammon was revived in numerous legends and stories. The moment Yong-ho brought out his legacy, people would look at him differently.


    In that sense, this flying vehicle was fine. It was Mammon''s plane, but he didn''t use it, or he couldn''t use it.


    Sitri bit her lips once. She corrected her expression with her back against him and turned around and smiled.


    "The king''s ship, red giant dragon Tiamet."


    He swallowed, looking at the giant vehicle. She smiled mischievously and said, "Let me sell it cheap because it''s only for you."


    He laughed heartily. Led by her, he approached the red giant dragon.


    ***


    "Calm down. You''ll see him quite soon."


    At Kirtimuka''s affectionate soothing, the Queen of Fury flinched as if she was pierced by a needle. Then she said annoyingly, "Nope. Why are you saying I am so nervous?"


    Though she spoke in a harsh tone, Kirtimuka smiled warmly.


    The Queen of Fury''s earlobes turned hot.


    "I haven''t said that!"


    The Queen of Fury cleared her throat when she was trying to play innocent.


    She quickly fidgeted with her hands to finish making the clothes she was at.


    "Stop the nonsense and put on this one."


    There were a lot of miscellaneous handicrafts near the queen. Whenever she was distracted or nervous, she made the habit of making handmade stuff.


    As the chieftain of the Gandharva clan, she could be called the queen of craftsmanship because of her manual dexterity. Kirtimuka, who received a jacket with embroidery, appreciated her warm considerations. She winked at the queen gently and put it on. She was wondering whether the clothes would fit her well.


    "Oh, it suits me well. Thank you."


    "I''m glad to hear that."


    The queen, who smiled at her, realized that Kirtimuka''s eyes began to twinkle again. She cleared her throat again and put down the tools she was holding in her hand.


    "Hmmm. Anyway, let me stop making clothes here."


    She caught her breath while adjusting her expressions. It wasn''t just because of the alliance with the Mammon family that the queen made clothes and embroidered. There were a few more things that were eating her up.


    She looked at Gardimundi and asked, "How about the King of Gluttony? Is he still silent?"


    It has already been more than ten days since the King of Gluttony disappeared at the border. The sudden disappearance of the king could be a big strategic variable because of the tense situation along the borders of the three kings'' territories where their armies were concentrated at the moment.


    Gardimundi narrowed her eyebrows while reviewing the intelligence tips collected by the Garura and Kalavinka clans. Then she said with a worried tone, "It''s strangely quiet over there. The King of Gluttony liked to visit his territory in person, but I haven''t seen him for a few days."


    "Isn''t he plotting a scheme against us?"


    "He might want to take a strategic advantage by hiding himself."


    Kirtimuka added. It was quite possible.


    The Queen of Fury closed her eyes for a moment and tried to organize her thoughts.


    Over several decades had already passed since she became the queen. And she was engaged in a war of nerves with him during that period.


    As her longtime enemy, she knew the King of Gluttony better than anybody else.


    She shook her head and said, "It doesn''t befit him as the King of Gluttony. He is not the type who acts like this."


    The King of Gluttony was clearly a cunning man. However, he never allowed himself to be a bait. His long silence must be his personal preference rather than any strategic thinking.


    The Queen of Fury moved her fingers and concentrated her mana. She instantly drew a map of the demon world in the air.


    She fixed her gaze on the border with the king. She was suspicious of the movements of the three outstanding masters of the king. Although she was not quite sure, she smelled a rat.


    "What about the King of Violence?"


    When she moved her fingers again, the map moved itself and placed the southwestern area in the center. Unlike Kirtimuka, who became nervous at the mention of the King of Violence, Gardimundi replied calmly, "He is also silent. The Dragon Legion under his command is still holding its place along the border. After all, it seemed that the king moved the dragons to the border to threaten rather than attack."


    "It''s really frustrating."


    She was not frustrated by the King of Violence''s action. If he really wanted to avoid the fight by threatening, that was fine with her. It was because she had one thing in common with him that they should avoid the war that they didn''t have to engage in.


    What frustrated her was the current situation.


    Thanks to the King of Violence''s deployment of the Dragon Legion, the King of Gluttony was silent. The King of Pride and the King of Envy were so busy fighting each other that they could not afford to pay attention to the south.


    Because of this, the eight-clan people of the queen had to remain tense but did not have to fight a bloody fight.


    It was good that there was no war. However, it was not good at all if the present precarious peace was a sign of a greater war. Sometimes, it was necessary to take some preventive action to prevent a bigger disaster.

 221 Alliance 8

    The Queen of Fury''s alliance with the House of Mammon also had great strategic significance. She wasn''t sure if the Mammon family had great power, but if she could join hands with them to counter the King of Gluttony, she felt she could produce good results.


    Although it was sad, the best way to stop war was something like a lovely dialogue. It was a powerful force that could even stop those refusing to talk.


    ''If you hit me, you''ll get hit, too.''


    This kind of warning was straightforward and coarse. But it was the most effective means.


    If the southern alliance became strong, the King of Pride would not start a war easily even if he beat the King of Envy.


    ''It''s not just because my heart is pounding.''


    As a matter of fact, the House of Mammon was a variable that the queen didn''t think about, but it was a very meaningful one. Her alliance with the Mammon family had sufficient strategic value.


    The Queen of Fury lightly pressed on her heart. She gently closed her eyes and counted the dates until her meeting with the master of the House of Mammon.


    "Calm down. It''s around the corner."


    "Nope, why are you saying I''m nervous?"


    Gardimundi burst into a silent laughter when the two repeated the same conversation ten days ago. She watched the two engaged in a war of nerves with their chins on their hands.


    Time flew like an arrow.


    There was nothing unusual during the past twenty days. The King of Gluttony still did not reveal himself, and the war between the King of Pride and the King of Envy in the north was still going on slowly.


    Vimana, called a ''moving fortress'' and the dungeon of the Queen of Fury, was a unique dungeon even in the demon world where all kinds of different species prevailed.


    Vimana was built on the back of a living giant and giant turtle spirit. To be precise, Vimana was the name of the turtle.


    A dungeon created naturally on the back of a super-large spirit.


    The Queen of Fury modified the dungeon somewhat and made it her palace.


    The only dungeon as unique as Vimana was the ''sky fortress,'' considered the dungeon of a nameless master in the north, which was built on a giant and giant sky whale.


    Anyway, the queen''s dungeon could move. However, instead of moving Vimana itself, the queen directly led her subordinates to the unclaimed land in the north because her moving Vimana would draw the attention of other kings.


    Finally, the day of her forming an alliance with the master of the Mammon family arrived.


    Since it was a secret alliance, the Queen of Fury was accompanied by only her close aides Kirtimuka and Gardimundi as well as five people from each of her eight clans.


    No matter how secret an alliance it was, she needed to show a proper decorum because the alliance itself was a sacred ritual. That was why she took a total of 40 people with her.


    Gardimundi took a fresh tour of the uninhabited wasteland in the north. Even though it was an open area, no one could be seen. It seemed that there would be nobody to spread rumors even if something happened here.


    However, the queen had to be prepared for contingencies. The master of the House of Mammon and his subordinates that she saw were far from weak.


    The 40 representatives of her eight-clan people formed their own groups and set up flags. As the power of their eight mysterious flags came together, a blocking barrier was created over the surrounding area. Now, nobody could guess what was going on inside by watching from a distance.


    "Anyway, calm down. Take a deep breath."


    "Oh, I''ve never been nervous."


    Although she said that, the queen took a gentle deep breath. Her chest went up and down a few times, which made her feel a little more relaxed.


    But where the hell was the master of the House of Mammon? The appointed time was close. Wasn''t it time he appeared?"


    Kirtimuka asked Gardimundi inquisitively. Since it was an open wasteland, he could be seen anywhere if he was approaching by now, but there was not a soul in sight, let alone the troops of the House of Mammon.


    Kirtimuka considered the Mammon master as the bridegroom for the queen, but if he couldn''t even keep the appointment, she would think twice. It was not just a promise, but a summit meeting with the queen to form an alliance.


    ''I wonder if he is late.''


    Instead of refuting Kirtimuka''s words, Gardimundi frowned and looked around again. If the Mammon master was willing to keep the appointment, it was about time he appeared from any direction in the open land by now.


    Kirtimuka frowned even more, and the queen was also a bit disappointed.


    Right at that moment, Gardimundi uttered with a blank expression, "No way!"


    Gardimundi raised her head right away, and the queen and Kirtimuka, who was looking at her, also raised their heads instinctively. They opened their eyes wide at about the same time. Gardimundi uttered in an embarrassed voice as if expressing feelings on their behalf.


    "Is he the Mammon master?"


    The clouds were scattered. There appeared a huge flying vehicle reminiscent of a red dragon from the far sky.


    ***


    Tiamet, the giant red dragon.


    The private flying vehicle of the Mammon master left a deep impression on the queen and her close aides with its overwhelming force.


    And this was not all the performance that Yong-ho prepared.


    The hatch of Tiamet, the giant red dragon that landed far away from the queen, was opened.


    The first to appear from the flying vehicle was Skull and his one hundred elite soldiers that had been selected from the Skull unit.


    The Skull unit, which marched, led by Skull, moved in perfect unison without any error, as if to boast of their synchronization. After a wonderful march, they lined up and opened a way.


    Since they were an undead army, they didn''t move at all after stopping. Their black armor uniforms shone in the sun.


    Yong-ho walked on the road between them. Behind him were Catalina and Kaiwan, dressed in their best costumes.


    Ophelia, Eligos, and Tigrius remained inside Tiamet. They were on standby just in case of contingencies.


    Kirtimuka nodded in satisfaction, looking at Yong-ho, who appeared confidently in time for the appointment. Gardimundi narrowed her eyes, watching Tiamet, the giant red dragon, because it was far from any ordinary flying vehicle.


    The Queen of Fury stiffened like a piece of wood. Once again she pressed on her heart.


    ''Wow, it''s real.''


    Her heart was pounding very hard.


    Yong-ho approached the queen. The nearer he came, the harder her heart was beating.


    "I''m honored to meet the Queen of Fury. My name is Yong-ho Cheon, the master of the House of Mammon."


    He first expressed due manners to the queen. Thanks to his practice overnight under the supervision of Kaiwan and Ophelia, the way he extended courtesy to her was perfect.


    But the queen could not respond. She just stared at him blankly.


    She didn''t respond for about five seconds. When Yong-ho and his close aides began to be embarrassed about her silence, Kirtimuka hurriedly shouted at the queen through her psychological interaction with her.


    ''Your Majesty!''


    Only then did the queen come to her senses suddenly. When she found him standing a few meters away from her, she held her breath once again, embarrassed by her pounding heartbeat. She was at a loss about what to do at the moment. She then hurriedly cleared her throat and barely opened her mouth.


    "Nice to meet you. I''m Dritarastra, the head of the eigh-clan people."


    Kirtimuka felt she ruined the whole thing. Her face got stiffened, and her voice was stiff.


    When Kirtimuka felt frustrated, Catalina rolled her eyes and looked at Kaiwan, who narrowed her eyes.


    However, Yong-ho himself did not feel anything strange about her response, for he didn''t properly focus on her voice and facial expressions.


    His heart was pounding. It wasn''t just because of his resonance with her. She felt a stronger impulse than he did when he encountered her at the auction house.


    Why? For what?


    He barely held down his strong greed that arose to engulf not only the queen but also her aides.


    He gulped while his heart was beating fast before he knew it.


    Was the queen standing before him right now different from when he met her at the auction house?


    He looked down at her lower body and stared blankly at the metal belt wrapped around her slender waist.


    He knew it now. Barely holding back his urge to utter exclamation, he murmured to himself.


    ''The Godly Energy of Gluttony!''


    The Gluttony inside him was crying for it desperately. It showed a terrible longing for its other half.


    It was a very fleeting moment.


    The desire of Gluttony was about to express itself outside. Unlike the desire of Greed, Yong-ho was not aware how the desire of Gluttony expressed itself outside. It was because he could detect the flow of the desire of Greed, but not Gluttony.


    But the problem was that the moment Gluttony inside him expressed itself outside, it could be detected by the queen.


    After all, he brought out the power of Greed. He did it almost instinctively because his action was very fast. His Greed that arose fiercely swallowed up the sin of Gluttony.


    It was tough because he had to suppress Gluttony without exposing the power of Greed to the outside. He controlled both sins by exercising strong control.


    A cold sweat broke out on his back. It wasn''t because he was worried that the queen would catch him possessing the two sins. It was because it was so tough for him to control both sins at the same time.


    It was only a few seconds.


    With utmost concentration, his Greed suppressed Gluttony. He made sure his Greed completely engulfed Gluttony. The sin of Gluttony did not reveal its craving anymore, even though the Godly Energy of Gluttony was right before it.


    Only then did Yong-ho let out a sigh of relief. He felt a sense of accomplishment. But soon he realized he had made another mistake.


    He didn''t have to feel relaxed just because the queen did not notice the sins of Greed and Gluttony for now. He was now standing in front of the Queen of Fury.


    All this happened only a few seconds, but he didn''t even know what kind of expression he made because he couldn''t pay attention to those around him due to his extreme concentration.


    He hastily looked straight ahead. The queen was blinking, with her head tilted.


    He quickly opened his mouth without thinking deeply.


    "Sorry. I heard the rumor that you are a beauty. I got distracted because you are much more beautiful than I heard about you in the rumors."


    It was ridiculous bullsh*t, just nonsense. Who the hell would be hoodwinked by this bullsh*t?


    ''What did he say?''


    But the queen''s response was strange.


    The queen, biting her lower lip slightly, looked down and twisted her body a bit.


    Her earlobes and cheeks turned red, which stood out because of her fair skin.


    This time, Yong-ho blinked blankly. Did his impromptu excuses pay off?


    Sensing his gaze, the queen smiled awkwardly and said, "I''m flattered, but thanks for your kind words."


    Then she lowered her head as if she was shy.


    He blinked again then looked at the queen, feeling somewhat different about her.


    While the two were interacting like that, Catalina raised her tail and Kaiwan looked at him fiercely, but no one noticed it because they just focused on Yong-ho and the queen.


    Everybody was silent for a few seconds except for Kirtimuka, who was moved, holding her hands together.


    Yong-ho, who also came to his senses, escorted the queen to the meeting place, as he had practiced, and the summit between the two began.

 222 Alliance 9

    The summit meeting, which they started awkwardly, lasted for about an hour.


    But it seemed they got familiar while talking during the summit, or they came to know better their own position while conversing seriously. Both of them regained their usual composure in the middle of the talks. They even exchanged jokes, though briefly.


    Since they already discussed the framework of the alliance through their correspondence, they didn''t need to talk long about the alliance itself. It was not an alliance that required the exchange of a treaty, but an alliance that literally established their friendship, so there were no details.


    The queen went back to her aides, escorted by Yong-ho. Watching her briefly, he concluded the summit by getting aboard Tiamet, the giant red dragon.


    But that wasn''t the end of the talks.


    The queen, who got aboard a small flying vehicle, sat comfortably in the captain''s chair.


    Leaning against the chair comfortably, she said, "He''s very strong."


    Her expression was serious. Kirtimuka, who was going to ask her a barrage of questions about the Mammon master, shut her mouth out of embarrassment, while Gardimundi agreed, calmly nodding.


    She lost her mind because her heart was beating so hard while meeting him, but she could find out several things about him.


    The queen participated in so many battles and earned the title of ''warmonger.'' She saw countless strong men and experienced countless fights.


    Accordingly, she realized from her experience that the Mammon master experienced deadly fighting that risked his life. It wasn''t once or twice that he participated in such fights. He experienced literally numerous battles.


    Actually, she tested him several times during the talks. She made a gesture that could make him trapped gently but fatally. Every time she did so, he responded.


    His response was not deliberate, but simultaneous.


    It was mana that they valued most in the demon world. However, the one with strong mana was not necessarily a strong man. There were more important things in a fight.


    She could discover from her senses and experience that the Mammon master was strong.


    He was much stronger than she expected.


    "Gardimundi, the Mammon master, Yong-ho Cheon, is the flame his real power?"


    Kirtimuka''s eyes sparkled at her question or the way she called Yong-ho. Unlike Kirtimuka, however, Gardimundi focused on the very reason the queen raised the question.


    She replied in a calm tone in a break with her usual cheerfulness.


    "I''m not sure. It is true that he handles flames freely, but I can''t say he is the Demon King of Flames. As you know, there are many ways to deal with the flames even without using your power."


    "As for the rumors that the Mammon master beat a bone dragon, you said you didn''t think the rumors were false, right?"


    The queen sorted out her thoughts once again, with her lips closed. Watching her quietly, Gardimundi added, "There is one more rumor I''ve come across recently."


    Gardimundi was a born scout. When she stayed at the tavern in the Free City, she didn''t just spend time gambling.


    In addition to her existing information, she could gather additional intelligence about Yong-ho while gambling, drinking, and buying things at the tavern.


    "I did not report to you because I was not sure, but I hear that the Mammon master seems to have artifacts that increase the abilities of his subordinate spirits."


    "Increasing his spirits'' abilities?"


    "Yes, it''s rumored that his artifacts increase their ability to change drastically, so much so that even their appearances are changed."


    In fact, she heard that some of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon benefited from his artifacts.


    But Gardimundi took a step back and thought about it. Was it really because of the effects of their artifacts? Was it probably the power of the Mammon master?


    Gardimundi didn''t even have to explain because the queen felt the same way.


    "Maybe I think we will get much more benefits from this alliance that we think."


    It was a sad fact, but the best deterrent against war was the powerful force that made the enemy dare not to attack.


    If the House of Mammon really possessed more power than expected, and if the queen could form a true alliance with the Mammon master, and the King of Violence could help her, she could build a really strong deterrence.


    Definitely, peace would continue for decades to come even under the cold war situation.


    The queen and Gardimundi were serious at the moment so was Kirtimuka.


    She asked carefully while checking the queen''s expression.


    "Your Majesty, how did you feel about the master of the Mammon family?"


    As a Yacha, Kirtimuka was clumsy at concealing her feelings.


    Since she knew why the Yacha woman asked such a question, the queen quickly got up and turned around. She succeeded in concealing her blushing face, but she couldn''t hide her earlobes that turned red.


    "I''m tired. Let me have some rest today."


    Kirtimuka was satisfied with her response. She politely bowed to her with a mischievous smile.


    "Sure. Have a good sleep."


    As Kirtimuka and Gardimundi left the captain''s room, she threw herself on the extra bed.


    Since she was really going to hit the sack, she turned off the light.


    When she met Yong-ho, she felt really strange.


    She felt her heart was pounding hard, but it was different from when she experienced it at the auction house.


    This time she felt more intense feelings and a stronger impulse.


    Was this really love like Kirtimuka said? Or was there something she was missing?


    She kept thinking about it in bed. Anyway, she had to keep in close contact with him for a while. She could check her feelings in the process.


    ''Let me go to sleep now.''


    Pulling herself together, she closed her eyes. But she opened her eyes within a few seconds.


    She raised her hands and placed them on both cheeks. Her face felt hot.


    ''What should I do? I can''t sleep.''


    When she closed her eyes, Yong-ho''s face came to her mind. Her heart began to pound again, and she kept tossing and turning in bed.


    ***


    [She is strong.]


    [Her mana is not the problem. It is a matter of pure strength.]


    [The Queen of Fury is stronger than the King of Gluttony.]


    Yong-ho heard Aamon''s whispering from the flames of the red lotus in the air.


    He nodded. Actually, he felt it throughout the talks. He seemed to know why she had the nickname ''warmonger'' despite her fresh and pleasant images.


    "What the King of Fury has must be the Godly Energy of Gluttony. It''s a pity that it''s in her hands."


    Ironically, he had the Godly Energy of Fury. In other words, the two had each other''s Sin that they needed. It would be nice if they could exchange the two because they formed an alliance, but it was impossible right now.


    He briefly recalled the Godly Energy of Gluttony wrapped around her waist and understood why there was something sly in her attributes. He bit his lips slightly and quickly shook it off his mind.


    Tigrius said, "The queen seems to have good feelings toward you more than I expect. We need to be cautious, but if you make good use of the alliance, I think you can think of taking control of the territory of the King of Gluttony. As you know, there are many things you can take even if you don''t occupy the territory."


    It wasn''t just the heart of the dungeon and the essence of the king. The numerous dungeon spirits that Yong-ho could make his own subordinates and the wealth that the King of Gluttony had accumulated over the years were also something he had to take into account when he decided to march into the king''s territory. The king and his Ten Warriors were killed.


    Ophelia said, "I think it would be okay if we deploy troops after reinforcing the Cadiz Fortress first. The west was devastated, and all the eastern masters have pledged their loyalty to you. So, if you are not concerned about the King of Violence and the Queen of Fury, you can concentrate all your power on the king''s territory."


    In fact, the king''s territory was a treasure without an owner. Yong-ho could march his troops without any hesitation when other kings could not move for fear of the King of Gluttony''s sudden disappearance.


    When they were engaged in serious conversation, Catalina, with her ears drooping, turned her gaze and looked at Kaiwan. When she signaled to Kaiwan as if she was asking for the latter''s advice, Kaiwan responded she would try to find the solution at night.


    Yong-ho, who did not know what was going on between Catalina and Kaiwan, focused only on what Ophelia was talking about. He sighed, tapping the map of the unclaimed land in the south, which was spread on the table.


    "Am I the problem then? Although I have Tiamet and Salami, it takes too long for me to travel between the Labyrinth of Greed and Cadiz Fortress."


    Yong-ho and Tigrius had to stay in Cadiz Fortress in order to attack the territory of the King of Gluttony. But Yong-ho had a lot to do in the Labyrinth of Greed. He had to conquer the arena. He also had to be recognized by Richard, the gatekeeper on the 8th floor. He also had to finish the synthetic evolution of Skull and the reinforcement of his subordinate spirits that he had put off for now.


    While no one could quickly come up with the right solution, the flames of the red lotus arose. Aamon whispered, [My master, if that is the case, there is a solution.]


    "Is there just a good solution on the 9th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed?"


    Yong-ho asked as if on cue, and his subordinate spirit''s eyes twinkled.


    The flames of the red lotus waned a bit as if to express embarrassment.


    [Well... that''s right.]


    Ophelia, who got so excited perhaps because of her experience on the 8th floor, approached the flames of the red lotus and asked, "What is the solution?"


    Since they were as thrilled as she, other spirits cast a glance at Aamon.


    Even Tigrius showed interest.


    Aamon laughed warmly then whispered to not only Yong-ho but the other members of the Mammon family.


    [The integrated control center for the door of space.]


    [It manages the space leap to the dungeon under his control. And...]


    Aamon blurred at the end. As if to make them fret about his answer, Aamon paused for a moment and continued, [Protecting the 9th floor is Scorpion, the grand magician Magnadon who destroys the earth.]


    Ophelia''s expression changed. Tigrius held his breath while Kaiwan and Catalina were amazed at the same time.


    Grand magician Magnadon.


    His nickname was the Earth Destroyer. The one who changed the map.


    He was the most erratic and the greatest magician of Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    The flames of the red lotus arose fiercely, radiating both yearning and joy at the same time.

 223 Synthetic reinforcement 1

    The demon world was vast, so were the kings'' territories. Because of this, it often took more than one day for them to reach from one dungeon to another by riding a horse.


    Kings generally had dozens of dungeons under their control.


    Given the distance between dungeons took more than one day to reach, it meant dozens of days to travel back and forth between them. So, they needed to cross the whole kingdom to travel from one dungeon to another in the farthest place.


    Mammon, the great Ging of Greed, thought about this problem.


    ''It''s inefficient.''


    [So, Mammon installed the door of space in all dungeons. And he connected all the doors to make it one.]


    The flames of the red lotus arose inside the giant red dragon, Tiamet, which was returning to the House of Mammon.


    Aamon continued to explain, [Of course, Mammon was not the first who created the door of space. He wasn''t the first demon king to travel back and forth dungeons through the door of space, either.]


    [However, he was the first to connect dozens of dungeons. It can be said to be one of Mammon''s great achievements.]


    There were quite a few means of transportation with which they could move a long distance in an instant, just like Sitri''s cat carriage or the flying carriage of the Dungeon Market that he used when he visited the auction house of the Dungeon Market.


    But even those transportations were slower than the door of space where they could move instantly.


    "Really? Is it true that there is a control center on the 9th floor that manages all the roads and doors?"


    When Yong-ho asked, the flames flared up more strongly.


    [Yes.]


    [However, you will not be able to use the connecting roads that Mammon had made.]


    [You must create the new connecting roads of your own.]


    "That''s efficient."


    Yong-ho''s being able to move between the dungeons under his command in an instant meant that the range of activities of Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits, who were like tactical nuclear weapons in the human world, could be enormously expanded without attracting the attention of the enemy at all.


    [But it''s not perfect.]


    [There are only dozens of people who can move through the connecting road all at once. And you can only use it twice a day.]


    [Keep this in mind.]


    It was impossible for Yong-ho to mobilize large troops by using the door of space. However, he was not disappointed.


    "That''s why I have Thiamet."


    It wasn''t just Tiamet. He planned to purchase a few more flying vehicles in the future. The option to purchase a large flying spirit and evolve it was also attractive to him.


    A large armed fleet flying through the sky.


    He felt like his wild ambitions were surging just by imagining it.


    "Then, are you going to go back and challenge the 9th floor?" Kaiwan asked, who sat right next to him.


    It was the grand wizard, Magnadon, who was on the 9th floor as one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    In the legends, he was like a disaster, splitting the land and breaking mountains.


    Aamon said firmly that Yong-ho''s fight against Magnadon was inevitable. Magnadon was different from Scathach or Richard. Whether he was crazy or not, Magnadon would chant an attack spell as soon as he saw Yong-ho.


    Catalina, who was sitting across Kaiwan, asked Yong-ho a bit timidly, "Would you like to make the Silent Warrior Richard your subordinate spirit?"


    His relationship with Richard, the guardian on the 8th floor, was very subtle. He didn''t advise or help him like Scathach or Gusion, nor did he attack Yong-ho like Baphomet or Asclepius.


    He was just faithful to guarding the entrance to the treasure storage.


    At her question, Yong-ho said, with his shoulders falling, "I would like to, but I have a little problem."


    "You mean any more vacancy for the spirit?"


    Kaiwan asked right away. Yong-ho nodded.


    Aamon spoke again, [The master can afford to have one more subordinate spirit.]


    [Of course, if your power grows a little more, you can afford to have more subordinate spirits.]


    When Aamon mentioned ''one more,'' he was referring to one like Mammon''s 12 Spirits, not a general dungeon spirit.


    Ophelia added, "The number of subordinate spirits is confined to five or six even if you are a king. The King of Gluttony who controlled at least seven subordinate spirits was very exceptional."


    The King of Gluttony had eight subordinate spirits, but what Ophelia actually saw was seven. Whether it was seven or eight, however, it was clear that the king had more subordinate spirits than generally accepted.


    [Each of the Seven Deadly Sins has its own special powers.]


    [As the current master of the House of Mammon, you probably know what the fundamental power of greed is.]


    Although what Aamon said was somewhat off the main topic, Yong-ho just nodded again because he understood what Aamon was trying to say.


    "Possessiveness. Was that the reason why Mammon could have as many as twelve subordinate spirits?"


    Greed wanted to have possessiveness because pure possessiveness was the source of greed.


    More subordinate spirits.


    It didn''t matter whether Yong-ho had five or six. Greed longed for possession of more of them.


    [Of course, it is thanks to the power of greed that Mammon could have 12 subordinate spirits. But his addition of the power of Gluttony and Fury also helped him control as many as 12 spirits.]


    [If he had not possessed three Sins, he would not have made 12 spirits his subordinate spirits, no matter how strong Mammon was.]


    Right now, Yong-ho had Greed and Gluttony. One day, he would be able to control as many as 12 subordinate spirits like Mammon.


    "Anyway, is it a matter of choice for you right now?"


    Kaiwan pointed out the heart of the matter.


    He agreed and said, "Richard hasn''t recognized me yet. He only allowed me to use the treasure storage. I can obtain the power of ''trust'' that he allegedly had. But I''m not sure if I can make him one of my subordinate spirits."


    It was also not easy for him to force any reluctant warrior to be his subordinate spirit. Besides, this was the task of making one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits his own spirit. It was natural that he thought the task almost impossible.


    [If I dare to recommend you, I think it''s better to make Gusion your subordinate spirit first rather than Richard.]


    [Richard will never have a new master unless he is persuaded first.]


    [He would rather take his life if he was forced against his will.]


    Richard was the man who kept the treasure storage of his deceased master for one thousand years. It was ridiculous to compare his loyalty with that of the 12 Spirits, but there were few who could be compared with him in terms of loyalty.


    "Skull Skull."


    Suddenly Skull shouted.


    Catalina, who had watched Skull for as long as Yong-ho, understood what Skull tried to say.


    Flapping her ears several times, she said, holding his hand tightly, "I am on the same page as Skull. I will never serve any other master than you."


    "Me, too, because I''m yours," said Kaiwan jokingly, hugging his arm.


    Embarrassed but delighted, he raised his head and said to Eligos, who was moving up or down his lips hesitantly, "Hey, Eligos. You don''t have to express it because you know your heart. Same to you, Ophelia and Tigrius."


    Eligos''s red skin turned even more reddish, and Ophelia smiled gently, looking at him.


    Tigrius cleared his throat to get out of embarrassment.


    Aamon whispered to everyone, [I said just one vacancy for the spot of our master''s subordinate spirit. But I think it''s not sufficient.]


    [The subordinate spirits of the master are rapidly becoming stronger. The master must also grow enough to accommodate them all.]


    [The power of evolution will lead the master and his subordinate spirits to a higher place.]


    That was the case with Mammon''s 12 Spirits in the past.


    Even after reaching the peak of the demon world, Mammon and his 12 Spirits continued to grow.


    Yong-ho clapped his hands loudly.


    "Okay, I have to conquer the 9th floor in order to have Ophelia and Tigrius be in charge of Cadis Fortress and go through rigorous fighting in the arena. Let''s get ready as soon as we return."


    Cadis was the northern fortress he occupied before his summit meeting with the Queen of Fury.


    It would take quite a lot of attention and renovation to rebuild the fortress that had been thoroughly destroyed by the invasion of two foreign enemies, Embrio and Stravadi.


    Turning his face away from Ophelia, who was about to cry, and Tigrius, who gently cleared his throat, Yong-ho made the announcement.


    Kaiwan hugged his arm a little harder and asked, "You said you have work to do before that?"


    "Of course, I do."


    Yong-ho''s gaze turned to one of his subordinate spirits.


    "Skullkull?"


    ***


    [Name: Black dirge]


    [Category: Demon Sword]


    [Black dirge is a magic sword whose creator is unknown.]


    [Currently, the most prevalent theory is that ''Kakura la Doom,'' who was a blacksmith, made it with all his heart and soul for revenge.]


    [Black dirge, a magical sword in the form of a giant claymore, puts a powerful curse of death on the user.]


    [Anyone who surrenders to this curse is resurrected as an undead and becomes a puppet of the Black dirge. Black dirge with a puppet repeats an indiscriminate massacre and increases the number of undead.]


    [However, those who overcome the curse will be able to perform necromancing with the power of the curse of the black dirge.]


    [Since the user uses the power of the magic sword, he can use it even if he is ignorant of magic.]


    [Tip of the Dungeon Market]


    [Because the curse itself is to resurrect the opponent into an undead, the initial undead can use the black dirge.]


    [Warning from the Dungeon Market.]


    [Even if the user of the black dirge is an undead, anyone who is weak-hearted can be controlled by the black dirge.]


    [Once the curse is activated after purchase, no return or refund is possible for any reason.]

 224 Synthetic reinforcement 2

    Yong-ho, who put down the item description catalog of the Dungeon Market, saw the black dirge on the decoration table. With the black evil energy blowing out like smoke, it looked like a magic sword. He felt like he would be cursed just by putting his hand on it.


    He picked up the second description catalog.


    [- Defective product -]


    [Category: Undead]


    [Detailed Category: Lich]


    [It is a Lich created by using the grand wizard from an alien world as the material at the Dungeon Market.]


    [In general, it is common to use ''alive'' for the production of a Lich. Even those who have become Lich themselves prepare rituals in their lifetime.]


    [There was a low chance of success because the grand wizard from the alien world was already dead when he was found. ]


    [Thanks to the accumulated know-how of the Dungeon Market, the grand wizard''s body was successfully revived as a Lich, even though he had been already dead.]


    [But, unfortunately, the Lich, who was born like that, did not have a proper ego.]


    [Although he was born with powerful magic and some necromancing magic, it is impossible to operate him properly because he does not have an ego.]


    It was not a prototype this time. It was a spirit that Sitri specially saved from a warehouse where defective products were piled up.


    A huge skeleton, almost the size of Skull, was hanging next to the black dirge. Like the black dirge, it was blowing out a black evil energy, but it looked emaciated and wobbly. Even when its eyes were supposed to glare, they were just sparkling dimly.


    It was a defective product that could not be sold because it had no ego.


    However, there was no better material for Yong-ho than this.


    "Okay, let''s buy this."


    Yong-ho did not agonize which of the Lich and black dirge he would merge with Skull, for he had a much more efficient third option.


    Synthetic reinforcement.


    It was different from general synthetic evolution.


    Combining something called an ''item'' and something called a spirit, so it could be strengthened through synthetic evolution.


    This kind of synthetic reinforcement was possible only once for Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits. However, it did not require evolution EXP.


    Green light flashed in Yong-ho''s eyes and the green flames also arose from his arms.


    His subordinate spirits, who were watching inside an empty room in the corner of the 5th floor, gulped while holding their breath. He finally put his hand on the black dirge and Lich''s shoulder. Then he activated the power of evolution!


    There was a tremendous light created.


    No, it was not light, but darkness. The light that emitted momentarily blurred his vision, creating a darkness in which he could see nothing.


    The darkness was cleared again. Yong-ho urgently received the dungeon''s reserve mana from Lucia. Slowly stepping back, he looked at the newly born Lich through synthetic reinforcement. The Lich had already changed on the surface. His hazy eyes and drooping posture were still there, but his body itself turned more combative. He looked very sharp perhaps as a result of merging with the sword.


    Black evil energy raged. Combined with the Lich''s powerful mana, the curse of the black dirge became more powerful.


    Yong-ho gulped at the spectacular scene. Instead of stepping back, he turned around and looked at Skull.


    "Skull."


    The curse of the black dirge was stronger than expected. The Lich, who had no ego at all, was rather free from the curse, but Skull, who had a free will, was not.


    What if Skull was defeated by the curse of the black dirge?


    "Skull Skull."


    Skull spoke. He stepped forward with his purple eyes glaring sharply. Yong-ho could not understand what he was saying, but he understood it. Instead of worrying, he trusted Skull.


    Skull stood by the Lich. Yong-ho saw the purple smoke rising up from Skull engulfing the Lich.


    Yong-ho caught his breath. He felt his subordinate spirits behind his back were extremely tense, swallowing.


    "Skullkull."


    Skull laughed. Yong-ho laughed along and soon stepped forward. He put his hand on Skull''s sturdy shoulder.


    Time for synthetic evolution.


    Yong-ho clenched his teeth. He poured out more mana than before. The Lich threw out a black evil spirit, with his mouth wide open, as if he was screaming, and Skull firmed up his determination by bringing out purple flames fiercely.


    Once again, the light rose in Yong-ho''s eyes, and the light gave birth to darkness.


    With his mana being exhausted, Yong-ho felt something different. He sensed a completely different power from it when he combined and reinforced the Lich and the black dirge.


    Mammon''s Godly Energy.


    A purple light, close to black, emitted from the magic field on his left arm. It wasn''t what Yong-ho intended. The death sealed inside the magic field or the power of Baphomet arose by itself.


    No one explained it. But Yong-ho understood it.


    Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    They made the zodiacal signs their motif.


    It was a succession of 12 signs of the zodiac. Right at this moment, Baphomet''s death determined his successor.


    A purple light, almost black, filled the room. It became more and more purple than black, and at one point, it emitted an intense light before disappearing.


    It happened only for a few seconds. However, Yong-ho could never forget those moments.


    Catalina opened her mouth before she knew it and flapped her ears and tail.


    Kaiwan made a rather silly smile. Eligos and Ophelia blinked again and again, while Tigrius uttered exclamation quietly.


    His subordinate spirits felt each other through Yong-ho.


    Yong-ho understood the man more directly who was standing right before his eyes.


    The growth of his subordinate spirits soon triggered their master¡ªYong-ho''s¡ªgrowth.


    Then it spread to all of the other spirits.


    The six horns towering over Yong-ho''s head shuddered. Other spirits also quickly erected their horns, keenly realizing that one of them had reached a whole new level.


    It wasn''t something like the Death Knight.


    It couldn''t be compared to anything like the Lich.


    It was called Brunani No Life King.


    King of the Undead.


    Violet light was burning from the inside of Skull''s empty eyes.


    "Skull Skull"


    ***


    The energy of death was raging violently. It was powerful enough to overwhelm mana and cause dread and fear onto the living.


    Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits knew this energy of death. They had experienced the real energy of death, which was qualitatively different from the power emitted by the Bone Dragon or other undead.


    Capricorn, Baphomet, the demon of slaughter.


    He was one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits as well as the incarnation of death from another world.


    Someone swallowed, so did Yong-ho.


    He looked at Skull with a tense expression.


    His body got a little bigger. The Lich''s sharp look, who was merged with the black dirge, was reflected in him.


    The glaring eyes located between the skulls wrapped in purple flames were gentle.


    Instead of flashing for a moment, they were flames that seemed to burn forever.


    "Skull?"


    Yong-ho carefully called him. He was worried a little bit that he might have been swallowed up by the black dirge.


    His subordinate spirits also concentrated. Their connection with him was in full swing.


    Skull replied, "Skull Skull. Skullkull."


    His voice was the same, mixed with laughter this time. There was a very brief silence in the room, and soon, they all smiled.


    Yong-ho sighed a breath of relief.


    It was Skull. Although he succeeded Baphomet''s death and took the power of the Lich and the demon sword to surpass the Death Knight and Lich, his essence remained unchanged.


    ''He is still the same Skull that I know.''


    Yong-ho was glad to confirm it, but he felt a bit sad because he expected Skull would be able to speak properly.


    "Wait a minute. Did you say Skull Skull?"


    Yong-ho blinked. Catalina, who was in a good mood, flapping her ears and tail, looked at Skull, startled as if she realized something suddenly.


    Kaiwan opened her mouth, "Didn''t he make a noise that was different from usual? What I mean is¡­ ''Skull Skull.''"


    Skull said it again, and Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits were surprised again.


    Obviously, Skull was saying ''Skull Skull,'' but Yong-ho could understand its meaning. Apart from him saying Skull Skull, Yong-ho felt like some sort of its meaning was conveyed directly into his head.


    It was as if Skull said something like, ''Why are you so surprised? I am still the same as usual.''


    When Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits were embarrassed again, Skull was also embarrassed this time.


    Skull tilted his head slightly and spoke again, "Skullkull?"


    Was he saying ''Master''?


    "Oh my God," Yong-ho uttered admiration.


    Tigrius said, with a twinkle in his eyes, "It''s a powerful telepathy. As a result of synthetic reinforcement of the Lich, he seems to have realized the sorcery, namely his innate magical power."


    "Sorcery?"


    "It refers to magic that is emitted by relying on one''s will and innate strength without arithmetic calculations. It''s similar to a supernatural power or the way you control the flames."


    Yong-ho has also studied magic several times since he came to the demon world, so he knew what Tigrius was referring to as "arithmetic" magic.


    ''Oh, I see.''


    He couldn''t imagine how Skull used magic while calculating arithmetically. It was much more like him to just use his supernatural power by instinct.


    "Skull, do you know what kind of magic you can use?"


    At Yong-ho''s question, Skull flashed his eyes as if blinking.


    After a little pause, he answered, "Skull Skull. Skull."


    He seemed to reply, ''I don''t know yet... But I think I know what I can do.''


    A purple flame arose from Skull''s right hand. The flame soon turned into lightning, and Yong-ho realized that it was a lightning bolt with the energy of death.


    It was the lightning magic that Skull acquired when he became a Magic Knight.


    Skull handled lightning freely just like Yong-ho handled flames. Skull scattered the flames into the air and created a new flame.


    Again, the flame had the energy of death this time, but it was different from the one a while ago. The lightning earlier was the power to kill the living, but this one was the power to resurrect the dead.

 225 Synthetic reinforcement 3

    "It''s not just a Death Knight with Lich magic. Skull must be more than that. He could be called the King of the Undead. It''s no exaggerated title," said Tigrius, with great excitement.


    Yong-ho, who recalled the title of "No Life King," also nodded.


    But he had one question.


    Why was it that Skull couldn''t speak properly even though he had been reborn as such a powerful being?


    ''Is it because of me?''


    The power of evolution was Yong-ho''s power. Because of this, the evolution that his subordinate spirits experienced reflected his unconsciousness.


    Because of this, Catalina''s ears and tail changed in a way that she could flap them well, or Salami had a handle on his back.


    Yong-ho briefly imagined Skull speaking fluently, but he soon felt very strange about it. In his opinion, Skull would be better off remaining as Skull crying ''Skull Skull.''


    As if he read Yong-ho''s mind, Skull laughed, as always. The sound of Skull''s laughter rang friendly.


    "Aside from synthetic evolution, I was really amazed by the power of synthetic reinforcement. I still can''t believe my eyes even though I witnessed it. I was amazed that you gave the power of artifacts to the spirits¡­"


    When Eligos expressed admiration, Tigrius nodded violently, too.


    Returning from an old gentleman to a wizard after a long time, Tigrius repeatedly emphasized the fact that Skull absorbed the core powers of the black dirge.


    Kaiwan hugged Yong-ho''s arm and said, "As I said before, I want at least a dragon heart. Please get a dragon heart and strengthen me through synthetic reinforcement. Can you do that?"


    Synthetic reinforcement could give the power of artifacts to his subordinate spirits. If Yong-ho could obtain a dragon heart and reinforce it through synthetic evolution, as Kaiwan urged, she would be able to use not only amazing mana but also the dragon''s unique power just like Dragon Breath, Dragon Peer, etc.


    Synthetic reinforcement could bring about a much more diverse combination than synthetic evolution that was only available to some spirits as undead or golems.


    As if something came to his mind, Yong-ho asked Aamon, "Aamon, did all the twelve spirits of Mammon go through synthetic reinforcement?"


    [Some of them did, but others didn''t.]


    [Let me remind you for the sake of caution. I did not go through synthetic reinforcement through a spear.]


    [It was not Mammon''s will that I became a spear.]


    At that moment, Catalina flinched because she thought Aamon was born through synthetic reinforcement through a spear.


    Aamon said, creating a soft flame as if he was smiling.


    [Master, you have only one chance to bring about synthetic reinforcement per each spirit.]


    [However, if you save it, you can make a big mistake.]


    Skull gained the power of the black dirge by mixing his synthetic evolution with the Lich, who went through synthetic reinforcement. In other words, Skull still had an opportunity for synthetic reinforcement.


    ''Well, this kind of expediency is also possible. It would take a long time to collect EXP enough to be able to bring about synthetic evolution once again.''


    It was Skull that experienced the most evolutions among the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family. Probably, the pace of him accumulating evolution EXP would be comparable to Aamon by now.


    However, Yong-ho felt satisfied with it. Skull still had room for growth. Skull still had a potential that he hadn''t fulfilled yet.


    Yong-ho recalled the artifacts in Mammon''s armory that Asclepius guarded. Those artifacts that he could put to use for the synthetic evolution of his subordinate spirits came to his mind one after another.


    While he was lost in thought, Catalina, who checked his expression, rolling her eyes, raised her hand like a student asking a question.


    "Aamon, can I inherit Elune''s power just like Skull inherited the power of the 12 Spirits?"


    Everyone was so surprised by synthetic reinforcement and the growth of Skull that they forgot one fact, which was as important as synthetic reinforcement and Skull''s growth. Namely, Baphomet''s death made Skull his successor. He delivered the essence of death to Skull.


    The essence of the 12 Spirits was latent in Yong-ho''s magic field. It was the same with the power of Elune or Asclepius, who had already died.


    She wanted to take over that power, so she could be the successor of Mammon''s 12 Spirits?


    Aamon smiled at Catalina, who singled out Elune. Then he answered gladly, [Yes, that''s possible.]


    [Especially, your essence is very similar to Elune. If you are qualified, Elune''s power, "justice," will choose you.]


    Catalina was glad to hear Aamon''s reply, with her face blushing. Her tail fluttered in step with her slowly flapping ears.


    Kaiwan giggled at that and said, "Are you going to be a new addition to the 12 Spirits? I mean a mix of old and new generations of 12 Spirits. Yong-ho''s 12 Spirits look great."


    Actually, the process was going on. Aamon, who was Mammon''s spirit, belonged to the seven subordinate spirits of Yong-ho''s, and Gusion and Scathach would also stand by him.


    "Okay, we must first conquer the 9th floor to do so. Let''s move on courageously."


    As Yong-ho spoke vigorously, Kaiwan smiled and winked at him.


    "Sure. Why not?"


    Me, too."


    "Skullkull"


    When Catalina sneakily cut in, Skull also chimed in openly.


    Yong-ho told Eligos not to, who was checking his expression at the moment, then ordered everyone including Ophelia and Tigrius.


    "Let''s take a break today. We''ll have to tough it out, starting tomorrow."


    He needed to conquer the 9th floor in order to normalize Cadis Fortress and attack the territory of the King of Gluttony. Of course, the King of Gluttony was gone, and he formed an alliance with the Queen of Fury, but he still had a lot of work to do.


    Kaiwan grabbed Yong-ho''s arm while everyone dissolved at his order.


    She whispered gently, "By the way, Yong-ho."


    "Huh?"


    "Which one is prettier, me or the Queen of Fury? The Queen of Fury or Catalina? Who was more beautiful?"


    Obviously, she asked the question, recalling the mistake that he made while talking with the queen. Kaiwan smiled gently, and Catalina pricked her ears.


    Instead of facing Kaiwan''s narrowing eyes, he kissed her forehead lightly and then turned around. Kaiwan was still hanging on his arm, but he didn''t reply.


    Kaiwan pinched his waist slightly, and Catalina quickly caught up with him.


    Skull laughed loud on behalf of him.


    "Skullkull."


    No telepathy was transmitted to him this time. But Yong-ho was grateful for the fact that instead of speaking properly, Skull was acting just like him.


    ***


    More than twenty days have already passed since the death of the King of Gluttony.


    With all of the Ten Warriors, the core power, gone, there were few things Orlando, the butler, could do. He had sought the help of the three powerful masters defending the borders.


    According to Orlando''s wishes, the three masters agreed to select a suitable successor among the children of the king. They had no disagreement over the fact that for the time being, they had to hide the death of the king.


    Orlando, the butler, was relieved.


    And the three masters had a meeting among themselves without Orland. Although they argued over their achievements in the presence of the king in the past, they were surprisingly on the same page after the king was gone.


    It was futile to install the king''s successor.


    None of the children of the king had the sin of Gluttony.


    Only six countries existed in the demon world, and the number of countries equaled the number of kings.


    What did it mean?


    It was simple. It meant that a country could not survive without a "king".


    The three masters did not think of defending the king''s territory. They didn''t even have the ambition to fight each other to be the next king.


    To whom would they dedicate themselves and their dungeons and dungeon spirits?


    Who would pay the most for their sales?


    It was natural that the three masters saw eye to eye on this. It was only those who had the same temperament as the three masters who could survive under the king.


    They couldn''t move quickly now because they didn''t know how the king died.


    So, they needed to watch the situation a little more, while following Oraldo''s will.


    However, it was possible for them to exchange opinions among themselves.


    The three masters discussed which king would guarantee them the most efficient outcome, and they were surprisingly of the same opinion.


    Although they departed from different parts, all of them turned their eyes at the same place in the map of the demon world.


    ***


    The sky of the demon world was red.


    And a crimson dragon spread his wings under the red sky,


    The King of Violence.


    He was the largest and most powerful supreme being among the dragons.


    He wasn''t in his Rare hideout place anymore. He stood on the most important land in the demon world, which was unknown to most of the beings in the demon world.


    Mammon''s memories left behind in the Godly Energy of Greed confirmed it.


    It was this land. Right here, the great King of Greed, Mammon, died.


    The King of Violence looked around again. The stairs leading up to that high sky no longer existed.


    It was the thing of the past, dating thousands and hundreds of years, closed a long time ago.


    Mammon was a man who saved the demon world in a place no one knew and disappeared from history because of his betrayers.


    The King of Violence raised his head high. Looking up to the sky, he let out a low voice. A strong wind from somewhere scattered the truth that the King of Sloth told, and the voice of the King of Violence.


    The King of Violence no longer had any lingering attachment. He soared into the sky, leaving the land behind, where Mammon met his last moment.


    He crossed the red sky of the demon world, which was not blue and should never be blue.

 226 Scorpio Magnadon 1

    There had been numerous kings since the beginning of the demon world.


    Those with the power of the Seven Deadly Sins reigned as kings and established their own kingdoms.


    However, no family has succeeded in carrying on the lineage of a "royal family".


    The only exception was ''the royal family of the King of Pride.''


    The reason why they did not create a royal family was simple.


    Their Sins were not carried on to their successors. It was also impossible to transfer the Sins in the usual way.


    It was highly likely that a family who once possessed the Sin would produce offspring with the power of Sin, but even such a family could not form a royal family.


    It would be easier if they killed the owner of the Sin and take away his essence. In that case, they could kill the old king just before his death and inherit his Sin.


    It was cruel, but at the same time, it was natural. Even in the human world, not the demon world, there were heinous children who killed their parents for money. They could do something crueler if they inherited the Sins.


    However, the Sins were not inherited that way.


    Anyone who had the qualifications of a king could take away the Sins by killing the opponent as if to absorb their essence, but there was no way of knowing if the person had a king''s qualifications. Even if the person who claimed to be the successor was not qualified as a king, the one who was old but obviously a king would lose his life for nothing.


    There was only one certain way to overcome the power of the Sin.


    It was possible only when a king killed another king.


    In other words, the king who had a Sin should take another king''s Sin by killing him.


    Therefore, the royal family was not created because there was no family that could satisfy the condition that the successor already had the Sin.


    But the royal family of the King of Pride was different.


    The King''s Sin was naturally inherited from generation to generation.


    It was highly likely that the first king of Pride, who acquired the Sin of Pride for the first time, had found some other way.


    Maybe the "succession" of the Sin itself was a special ability embedded in the Sin of Pride.


    The only royal family in the demon world.


    The King of Pride at that time, the master of the royal family of Pride, looked down on the earth from the highest point under the sky.


    Everything was going on smoothly.


    The war with the King of Envy was going on well according to his plan. The King of Envy was slowly crumbling, and the King of Lust wasn''t making a move, crouching in his stronghold. In the south, the King of Gluttony, who could not be more vulgar, and the Queen of Fury were busy keeping each other in check.


    He didn''t expect that the King of Violence intervened in their fight, but it was not a variable enough to shake his plan.


    So, everything went well. There were no significant variables.


    "I just feel repugnant."


    It repulsed him for a long time that the Queen of Fury and the King of Gluttony, who were only negligible in his eyes, were leading a happy life after taking possession of undeserved treasures. Besides, there was one more thing that made him feel displeased.


    The abandoned land in the south was unified. Although the unification was not complete, it was only a matter of time.


    The House of Mammon.


    A family that once enjoyed glory and fame. However, like most families that produced a king, the family crumbled because it failed to continue its lineage.


    He felt repugnant about the fact that a family without the Sin unified the unclaimed land in the south. The kings in the south couldn''t attack the unclaimed land because they were busy holding them in check.


    The King of Pride himself could not attack it either because he was in the north, totally opposite from the south.


    But that wasn''t all. There was one fact that made the King of Pride feel anger, not just displeasure.


    An alien''s blood was running in the current master of the Mammon family. The King of Pride was not sure which idiot of the Mammon family installed him as their master. The pure blood of the demonic blood was once again disgraced. A negligible master resurrected the failing Mammon family and unified the unclaimed southern land.


    The King of Pride caught his breath to subdue his anger.


    It was only now that the negligible kings were rampant.


    Everything was going as the King of Pride planned.


    The King of Pride turned his gaze back to the north from the south. He looked at the territory of the King of Envy, which would be his first target of attack.


    ***


    The Garden of Life was brutally invaded by skeletons and damaged by farming tools here and there, but fortunately, some of it was left intact enough to be called a garden.


    On the remaining lawn near the shore of the lake where Scathach''s mansion was located, Yuria slightly lifted her skirt. After politely bowing, she opened her arms wide, watching Scathach sitting in the yard of the mansion over the lake.


    "Okay, let''s start."


    Scathach responded with clapping. Yuria turned around with a rather tense look and said to the nearest ones who were lined up behind her back.


    "Baduk and dungeon meerkat, flip!"


    "Wal! Wal!"


    "Meowing! Meowing!"


    The moment Yuria ordered them, Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat, jumped high and somersaulted into the air.


    It wasn''t surprising to see Baduk, with strong muscles, be comparable to an Ogre, jumping more than a few meters and turning it into a somersault, but the dungeon meerkat was different. No matter how light she was, it would have been impossible to jump many times over her body and tumble around.


    Yuria happily watched them doing a somersault several times then looked back. She shouted loudly, "White wolf, flip!"


    The leader of the wolf herd led by Embrio, which had unusually grey hair, made a sullen expression as if to boycott her order, but eventually, he hit the ground and made a somersault.


    Yuria''s face turned red with excitement. She cried out louder.


    "Now, everyone, do it together!"


    The grey wolf, the leader of the herd, was turning a somersault with others. A dozen wolves also jumped high and somersaulted into the air without any complaints.


    Everybody was amazed at a dozen wolves tumbling at the same time. Scathach got up from her seat and applauded.


    "Great. You''re really doing well. I was impressed with you, sis!"


    "Hehehe."


    When Scathach praised her, Yuria smiled shyly and twisted her body a bit as if she was shy. But when they heard the baby dungeon meerkat struggling with a moan, Yuria stopped them immediately.


    Lucia, who was watching them doing somersaults, uttered admiration somewhat differently from others.


    [She has such a strong ability to control the crowd.]


    [It looks like as a result of repeated evolution, her ability as a Princess Crazy Ant has been sublimated into a monster tamer''s talent.]


    Monster tamer did not mean a simple trainer. A monster tamer was a trainer who brought out more of their power by empowering monsters.


    Just like the ability of the Queen Crazy Ant to rule her colony sublimated into the talent of a monster tamer, Yuria''s power was quite strong.


    The power of evolution reflected Yong-ho''s unconsciousness. As a result of repeated evolution, Yuria could no longer be called Princess Crazy Ant anymore. It would be impossible for her to become a queen ant because too many parts of her body had been already ''humanized.''


    However, she acquired a powerful ability to control the crowd instead of becoming a queen ant. If she could use her ability well, she could lead a mighty legion that could not even be compared to her Crazy Ant colony.


    [Isn''t she praiseworthy?]


    Lucia saw the Garden of Life on the 1st floor and the treasure storage on the 8th floor at the same time.


    Yong-ho nodded, standing on the 8th floor or on the stairs connecting the 8th and 9th floors.


    Like Lucia said, she was praiseworthy. He was suddenly moved, feeling a tug at his heart.


    ''Maybe the doting daddy feels the same way toward his daughter.''


    He giggled quickly before he knew it then got things about Yuria out of his mind.


    It was time he had to focus on more important things.


    A week passed after his summit meeting with the Queen of Fury.


    During that period, Yong-ho, who had enough rest as well as training in the arena, headed to the 9th floor with all of his subordinate spirits.


    Scorpio, grand wizard Magnadon, who destroys the land.


    His nickname was never an exaggeration. As Mammon''s wizard, he was the best wizard of his time.


    The 9th floor had exactly the same structure as the 8th floor. But they had different dungeon monsters occupying several empty rooms on their floors.


    Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits moved forward, literally sweeping away the dungeon monsters. Soon, they reached a large door. Compared to the eighth floor, it could be the entrance to the treasure storage.


    [Master, please stop for a moment.]


    [I feel the energy of my old friend.]


    Aamon''s voice was transmitted not only to Yong-ho but also to all his subordinates.


    He stopped as Aamon instructed and looked at the steel door embossed with a large scorpion. He immediately found out which energy Aamon was talking about.


    Seven colors of mana swirled in front of the steel door. The combined mana soon became a circle, and it soon changed into the shape of a human again.


    It wasn''t real. Like Elune''s memory that appeared on the third floor, it was an alter ego left by magic.


    Grand wizard Magnadon.


    He was a being as if he personified a scorpion. He covered almost all of his body with a red cloak, but a large, heavy tail not covered by the cloak proved it.


    His hair, with a white beard on bronzed skin, was no different from a human, except for his red eyes and pupils.

 227 Scorpio Magnadon 2

    The translucent Magnadon''s alter ego didn''t attack Yong-ho recklessly just like Aamon first said. He said, looking straight at Yong-ho, "Has the master''s successor finally appeared? It''s been such a long time."


    [Magnadon.]


    The flames of the red lotus arose right next to Yong-ho because even Aamon, who was usually calm, couldn''t stand it.


    Magnadon was certainly alive that last day. He didn''t die.


    Then, why didn''t Magnadon himself, not his alter ego, appear?


    Magnadon looked at the flames of the red lotus with mixed feelings of longing and joy.


    He responded to Aamon''s call with a smile.


    "Yeah, Aamon. I am already dead. Not long after I arrived at the Labyrinth of Greed, my energy was all exhausted."


    As soon as he finished talking, he shook his head.


    He continued even before Aamon could say something, "Aamon, my friend, don''t make an expression like that. Who do you think moved the whole Labyrinth of Greed? And who do you think maintained the Labyrinth of Greed and our 12 Spirits? As a matter of fact, I was injured severely at that time. As I used up all my energy, it''s natural that I died."


    It was as if he was talking about somebody else. He even laughed heartily on his own then turned his eyes from the flames of the red lotus to Yong-ho. He nodded politely out of courtesy.


    "I apologize for the late greetings. I am Magnadon, my lord Mammon''s wizard."


    "I''m Yong-ho Cheon, the master of the current Mammon family."


    When Yong-ho introduced himself, Magnadon moved his eyelids as if he was hesitating for a moment. He opened his mouth again after looking back at Kaiwan, who stood by him with a somewhat nervous expression.


    "You are the new King of Greed. If so, you must be my lord''s successor. But I didn''t expect it would take over a thousand years for you to appear before me like this. I think my lord''s arrangement for his successor paid off anyway. In any case, I''m glad that his successor has appeared."


    He muttered to himself then didn''t give Yong-ho and Kaiwan any chance to respond just like he did with Aamon.


    He said, opening his arms wide, "Let me tell you bluntly. There are lots of magic traps inside this door that I have made myself. Indeed, it is a series of traps that reflect the producer''s malice."


    He was a typical evil sorcerer, given that he was laughing, mentioning his malice.


    Magnadon stroked his long white beard and said, "At the end of the room, there is a control device that can control the traps. And beyond that, there is a control tower that I can describe as the true purpose of the existence of the 9th floor. This is the trial I have prepared for Mammon''s successor. And surely, Aamon might wonder why I have put so much effort into something like the control tower. Tut, tut. That''s why you can''t go far. The control tower is more important than you think."


    Magnadon took a step closer to Yong-ho as if he wanted to emphasize his point.


    "The ''network'' built by Mammon in the past does not include only the dungeons under his command. His network reached all over the demon world."


    It was an important point. It was like a solid rock amid a flood of words he poured out.


    Magnadon laughed again after reading his expression.


    Then he continued with a satisfied expression, "Of course, over a thousand years have passed. Many parts of the network collapsed, and probably, there are lots of places where the gates of space built everywhere in the dungeon world were destroyed, so you might not be able to pass. But there are still some places left intact. I think you know about it even if I don''t tell you anything more."


    What Yong-ho first expected was just the door of a space where he could move between the dungeons.


    But if it was true that the network was also connected to other places beyond the unclaimed land in the south as Magnadon said, this was a really big deal.


    Magnadon took another step back. This time, he bowed deeply to Yong-ho then pointed to the steel door with a theatrical gesture.


    He said provocatively, "It''s my masterpiece. I hope you can lightly break through it."


    Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits turned their eyes at the steel door all at once.


    The embossed scorpion moved according to Magnadon''s gestures, and the steel door was soon opened.


    ***


    "Kill it! Wipe Shield!"


    "Hey, Yong-ho!"


    Yong-ho and Kaiwan''s voices were mixed in the air. At the same time, Yong-ho, who held her waist, lifted her high and blocked the front while Kaiwan activated the power of distortion toward the front.


    Various magics threatening to devour the two began to scatter into the wrong places when the power of distortion distorted the attack trajectory of the magics.


    "Yoshi! Grando Season!"


    "What the heck is he saying now?!"


    Yong-ho cheered up, watching the magics exploding in the wrong places, and Kaiwan concentrated on the power of distortion while cursing profusely. She converted Yong-ho''s mana transmitted through the Brigada ring into the power of distortion.


    Yong-ho and Kaiwan were currently located halfway through the trap room prepared by Magnadon. Like Magnadon warned, the room was full of magical traps with Magnadon''s malice.


    Yong-ho had seen the greatest number of magic since he came to the demon world.


    Of course, it did not mean that Yong-ho suddenly went crazy. Normally, he would have used himself, not Kaiwan, as a shield. Although they were arguing over this issue, both already agreed before they left. It was Kaiwan who mentioned it first.


    ''Hey, Yong-ho, just in case, use me as a shield and run. As you know, I''m much better than you in controlling the power of distortion.''


    When Kaiwan, who had the power of distortion, was determined to defend, the strength of her defense was beyond imagination. However, in that case, she could not move, which was a fatal weakness. So, she tried to solve this problem by letting him hold and present her as a shield against the opponent''s attack.


    They agreed on this, and it was Kaiwan who brought up this issue first.


    "But, this is unfair! How come you are using me as a shield even if I okayed it?"


    "You asked me to do so, right?"


    "Granted it, I feel terrible more than you think."


    What she imagined was rather romantic, such as Yong-ho running with her in his arms as if she was a princess.


    But he grabbed her waist and lifted her up. Although she was ready for it, she felt really disappointed when he treated her roughly like a shield. In short, she was upset.


    Right at that moment, when she was screaming, he violently swung her to the right.


    "Kaiwan! To the right! Shield of Darling!"


    "Arrggg, I''m going to see you later at night. Got it?"


    Why ''night''? He laughed instead of flinching.


    Although he was in the midst of an enormous magical storm at the moment, he kept laughing.


    Magnadon, who watched them from a distance, made a comment befitting him, "He really looks silly, but awesome."


    In fact, Magnadon could not find any more appropriate word than ''awesome.'' It was a trap room made by Magnadon himself, who was called the best wizard during Mammon''s reign. Each of the activated magic was very powerful and fatal. But Yong-ho was breaking through the trap room very fast and recklessly braving it from the front at that.


    That kind of breakthrough was generally impossible. Strong gravity magic was in effect in the trap room. Normally, anybody trapped in the room could not even walk because their legs were held by an invisible force.


    Yong-ho wasn''t just running with Kaiwan as a shield. He also continuously released mana.


    He stopped the interference of gravity magic with a lump of pure mana.


    Magnadon widened his vision to check the paths that Yong-ho passed by. From the entrance of the trap room to the middle point where Yong-ho started using Kaiwan as a shield, a huge number of corpses were scattered everywhere. All of them were the bodies of the dungeon monsters that Yong-ho used as his shields.


    What Yong-ho did as soon as he encountered the trap room was to bring back as undead all the bodies of the dungeon monsters he had encountered on the 9th floor. Of course, Yong-ho did not do it himself. No Life King, Skull, who was reborn as the powerful undead king, supervised the work.


    Skull did not memorize complex magic spells. Having learned necromancing as sorcery, Skull resurrected the dead by releasing the energy of death with only his will.


    As they didn''t go through any special process, the only thing Skull had to do was to resurrect them as zombies, which were moving bodies. But that was enough. Hundreds of corpses themselves were excellent shields for Yong-ho.


    Magnadon also glanced at the other subordinate spirits near Skull. With their eyes closed, each of them was concentrating to deliver even a little stronger and pure mana to their master Yong-ho through Brigada.


    A smile was on Magnadon''s. Although they were not comparable with Mammon''s 12 Spirits, he loved their close connection with their master. Their ability to exchange mana with Yong-ho smoothly proved that he was not only very competent, but he also had firm solidarity with them.


    Magnadon looked straight ahead again. Yong-ho was still blocking the magic, wielding Kaiwan. It was an unsightly scene, but Magnadon, who thought a demon king was supposed to be evil in nature originally, expressed satisfaction with his personality rather than blaming it.


    ''If he really conquers the next floor, I have no other choice but to recognize him.''


    The last magic trap in the trap room.


    the swirling magic storm of the Seven Attributes.


    Magnadon, the greatest wizard of the demon world, could use all of the seven major magical elements of wind, fire, water, earth, lightning, light, and darkness. The vortex of the seven major attributes created by Magnadon was very destructive and dangerous in itself.


    ''It will be difficult for him to push them out with just mana. Since the vortex itself is big, it would be impossible to distort the orbit like he did a moment ago.''


    If so, what would he do? How could he conquer the floor?

 228 Scorpio Magnadon 3

    Kaiwan, who focused only on the power of distortion instead of blaming Yong-ho as if she gave up, sensed that something had changed. The mana swirling in front of her eyes was different from what she used to know.


    "Yong-ho¡­ What the heck?!"


    Even before she called him, Yong-ho pulled Kaiwan, who he put up as a shield, into his arms suddenly. He looked straight at her with more intense concentration than before. Kaiwan, who was held in his arms all of a sudden, immediately shut up after trying to say something. Instead, she buried her head on his chest and focused her consciousness on the Brigada ring. She passed mana to him.


    The vortex of Seven Attributes''s mana.


    Yong-ho already experienced it. He recalled the trial he had to face in order to unlock the 8th-floor treasure storage.


    It was foolish to confront this kind of force with the same force. Rather, he had to adapt to it. It was important for him to naturally go with the flow of mana.


    The silver light of harmony, symbolizing Yuho Yuan, arose from the Godly Energy, namely the magic field attached on his left arm. He changed the attributes of the sequentially released mana. By substituting the attributes of Yong-ho himself and his subordinate spirits into the vortex of mana one by one, he harmonized with it instead of colliding with it.


    Magnadon opened his mouth wide. Although he originally made the vortex of the Seven Attributes in mind, he never thought there would be anybody who could really overcome it.


    The vortex of the mana began to crumble little by little. Each of the Seven Attributes disappeared one by one, and when it happened, the speed of the vortex also slowed down.


    At last, the vortex disappeared. The mana of the last flames faded from the air, just like the green flames of Yong-ho.


    The sky after the storm was supposed to be calm.


    There was a zone of mana created in the trap room.


    Yong-ho opened his eyes. Cold sweat broke out on his back, but he smiled.


    Kaiwan, who opened her eyes slightly and looked up at Yong-ho, hugged him tightly. Although she was upset that he roughly swung her as a shield, she forgot it now and thought he was cool. Her heart was pounding.


    Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits at the entrance opened their eyes one by one and breathed a sigh of relief. Catalina flapped her tail pleasantly.


    Now, Yong-ho passed all the tests. Once he went through the room with no mana, Magnadon''s test would be over.


    When everyone thought so, Magnadon laughed slyly once again. Originally, the trap was supposed to catch him off guard. So, Yong-ho needed to realize that it was the most dangerous moment when he felt relaxed.


    The last trap was simple. It was a lump of pure and powerful mana. It was also the last mana that Magnadon himself left behind while dying.


    At that moment, mana poured from the ceiling to the floor. Kaiwan, held in his arms, hurriedly raised her head, but it was too late. She had no time to activate the power of distortion.


    Various voices could be heard from everywhere. Each of Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits at the entrance was screaming.


    Magnadon saw it. He blinked and soon laughed out loud. The Godly Energy of Fury mounted on Yong-ho''s right hand opened its mouth wide like a beast. A lump of Brigada, it accepted the Sin of gluttony. It literally swallowed up the pouring mana.


    It was possible because what poured out of the ceiling was a mass of pure, not processed, mana.


    For the past one week before he challenged the 9th floor, Yong-ho spent the whole time in the arena. He wanted to learn how to use the Godly Energy of Fury and the Sin of Gluttony that he obtained recently.


    The King of Gluttony used the Godly Energy of Fury to devour everything. Of course, the original purpose of the Godly Energy of fury was far from it, but it was a pure and huge mass of Brigada. It was more than enough as a medium to release the power of the Sin of Gluttony that the king had.


    If the attribute of Greed was possession, that of Gluttony was devouring.


    So, the Sin of Gluttony devoured Magnadon''s lump of mana. Greed then possessed it.


    After overcoming the last trap, Yong-ho didn''t hesitate to move on and threw himself into the safe zone.


    "Arrived!"


    Standing on a large platform, he turned around and looked at the entrance. Catalina flapped her ears and tail while Ophelia and Eligos clapped. Tigrius also did not hide his admiration.


    Magnadon put his hand down while stroking his beard. As if he put down a heavy baggage, he let his shoulders droop and said warmly, "Young Master, you have passed all my tests. I would like to recognize you as the true successor of the House of Mammon."


    Magnadon didn''t just pay lip service. Yong-ho felt a new force was added to the magic field on his left arm. He naturally raised his left arm and saw a new light.


    It was golden like the glory of the morning.


    ''Passion,'' the power of Magnadon, was reflected in the Godly Energy of Mammon.


    ***


    Unlike Elune, Magnadon did not disappear immediately after transferring power to Yong-ho.


    He still had one more mission left.


    "As Aamon has already told you, you have to create a new network of your own. But you don''t have to abandon the old network built by Mammon at all. It would be best for you to build a new network based on the old one. The network created by Mammon is truly vast."


    Magnadon, who poured out his words eloquently, fidgeted with his hand, standing on the platform at the end of the trap room. Then, the entire trap room vibrated, revealing the true image of the 9th floor.


    The doors of the space rose from the 9th floor. It was not one but nine in total.


    In addition, a waist-high cylinder rose above the platform. Magnadon triggered the "controller" by moving his hand again on the cylinder.


    A light map of the demon world emerged above the cylinder. Magnadon moved his fingers again, and blue magical light appeared everywhere above the map.


    Yong-ho knew it without his explanation. They must be the network of the doors of space that was left intact even now.


    "The light also shines in the north¡­ There are also light in the territory of the King of Gluttony!"


    Ophelia shouted before she knew it. Though there were not many, there was some blue light outside the southern unclaimed land. Although there was only one light, it was there not only in the territory of the King of Gluttony, but also that of the Queen of Fury, that of the King of Envy, and even that of the King of Pride in the far north.


    Mammon did not build a network only in his dungeons. He hid the doors of space throughout the demon world.


    Catalina, looking at the light map with her eyes open wide, reached out and pointed to the blue light in the territory of the Queen of Fury.


    "Don''t you think it''s moving?"


    Indeed, it did, like she said. The blue light she pointed at with her fingertips was moving really slow.


    Instead of explaining, Magnadon operated the controller to enlarge the blue light that she was pointing at. Then, a window of light with tips about the location of the blue light appeared in the air.


    "Vimana. Oh my¡­ That turtle is still alive?"


    Magnadon burst into laughter lightly. As if he was glad to know that the turtle, which he saw during his time a thousand years ago, was still alive, his voice was filled with a pleasant surprise.


    But Ophelia and Tigrius''s expressions changed instantly. She approached Magnadon and asked urgently, "Magnadon, did you say it was Vimana? Turtle demon Vimana?"


    "Yes, it''s even famous these days, right?" Magnadon said as if to humor a child.


    Ophelia raised her hand and covered her mouth. There was still a big surprise in both of her eyes.


    "Ophelia?"


    Yong-ho called her in a low voice, as he could not figure out what she was talking about.


    Only then did she come to her senses and said calmly, "Vimana is the dungeon of the Queen of Fury. It''s a dungeon placed on top of a giant turtle monster. It is a kind of movable fortress."


    Yong-ho recalled the ancient universe view he had seen one day. It was a picture of an elephant on a turtle then a land on it again.


    However, that picture disappeared from his mind instantly because he understood what she meant.


    "Wait a moment. If so, is any door of space in our network connected with Vimana?"


    "Exactly. If you want it, you can always go to Vimana through the door of space. If my memory serves me right, her dungeon is inside Vimana''s shell," said Magnadon, who grasped the situation while talking with them so far, with a laugh.


    The door of space connected to the dungeon of the Queen of Fury, not anyone else.


    Given that the network was still intact, it was clear that the Queen of Fury did not know the existence of the door of space Mammon had built.


    The Queen of Fury was a strong ally who formed an alliance with the Mammon family.


    However, he didn''t need to let her know the door of space. The door of space located in the shell of Vimana would certainly play an important role someday.


    "It seems important that this network is still intact not only in the territory of the King of Pride but also in the King of Gluttony''s territory. If you use it well, you will be able to target only the core of the King of Gluttony''s territory."


    Tigrius reminded everyone of the core point. As he said, what was important to the Mammon family right now was not the network connected with the Queen of Fury, but one connected with the King of Gluttony.


    The King of Gluttony was no longer alive. His right-hand men, the Ten Warriors, were also gone. Except for the Mammon family, there were no outsiders who knew this.


    Yong-ho already learned the war of the demon world while fighting in the unclaimed land. It wasn''t necessarily the best way to conquer the territory and own it.


    What mattered was to lap up the cream.


    Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits looked at the map of the demon world.


    As if they promised to do so, their eyes turned to one place.

 229 Surprise Attack 1

    It was no exaggeration to say that the soul of the dungeon and its master were one in body and soul. The growth of the dungeon master soon led to the growth of the dungeon and vice versa.


    Lucia also had a strong control of the dungeon now that could not even be compared with in the past. Nonetheless, she still needed more power.


    The Labyrinth of Greed, or the dwelling place of Mammon, the great King of Greed, demanded much more power than now. In particular, Lucia had to skip the 7th and 8th floors to conquer the 9th floor, which was a big challenge for her because she had to cross the two floors remotely to reach the 9th floor.


    Lucia barely managed to take control of the 9th floor. But her control was incomplete. She needed to grow a little more in order to completely control the 9th floor and control all the remaining floors of the Labyrinth of Greed, including the 7th and 8th floors.


    The easiest way to grow the soul of a dungeon, Lucia, was to feed her the dungeon''s heart with the essence of the dungeon that was collected from the heart of another dungeon.


    Here was the problem. The number of dungeons in the unclaimed southern area was reduced to less than half because of the civil war that took place in all sides of the east, west, north, and south. Yong-ho, who had to dominate the enormous territory of the unclaimed southern area, had to stop the dungeons from shrinking anymore.


    Because of this, he gave up the idea of obtaining the essence of the dungeons from the dungeons in the unclaimed southern area. What he should aim for was the dungeons outside the unclaimed area.


    There was prey, of course. It was also very tempting and could be obtained relatively easily.


    Numerous dungeons located in the territory of the King of Gluttony.


    Although the masters under the command of the King of Gluttony were still alive, the king who controlled them and the greatest deterrent against the invasion by other kings, disappeared. And it was only the House of Mammon that knew the fact. Missing such a golden opportunity was simply ridiculous.


    In general, there were two basic ways to attack dungeons.


    One was the standard attack by mobilizing a massive military force.


    The other way was to mobilize a small number of elite troops.


    The stronger the elite troops were, the less damage they suffered. Besides, they reduced the time of attacking the dungeon. Since the size of the troops themselves was small, it was good to mount a surprise attack that the other party never expected.


    However, it was a bad way to dominate the dungeon. Moreover, it carried a high risk because they had to send the elite troops into the dungeon where there might be an unknown danger and trap. In the worst case, the existence of the attackers would be put in jeopardy.


    Yong-ho experienced both the pros and cons of the second method as the attacker as well as the defender in the past.


    He did not mobilize many troops to attack the eastern area. It was Yong-ho himself and his six subordinate spirits that attacked Stravadi''s dungeon.


    Because of this, he did not lose a single spirit in the process of capturing Stravadi''s dungeon. At that time, he took the initiative to attack Stravadi''s dungeon, so he could minimize the damage to his troops.


    The King of Gluttony used the same method as his when he attacked the House of Mammon. However, the king suffered a great loss, contrary to Yong-ho. The Ten Warriors that he sent first were annihilated. Then he himself went out next only to lose his life.


    The reason that the King of Gluttony moved in person was because he lost the Ten Warriors, his right-hand men and loyal bodyguards. When the king was killed in the battle, his territory was reduced to something like an empty shell. The two dungeon battles not only cost the king his life but also shook the foundation of his kingdom.


    Yong-ho was lost in thought while looking at the map of the demonic world that marked the territory of the King of Gluttony.


    After thinking hard, Yong-ho made the conclusion.


    He could not use the first method, namely using the massive troops to attack the territory. Although Skull and his unit, as well as the Black Orc squadron, which were the elite forces of the Mammon family, were powerful but numerically too few.


    He realigned the troops in the process of occupying the unclaimed area in the south, but the number of troops he could mobilize at the moment was less than 2,000.


    It was unreasonable and absurd for anyone to attack the north with these troops. Moreover, if he attacked the north with massive troops, it was highly likely that the absence of the King of Gluttony would be exposed to the other kings too quickly.


    As it was always the case, he needed time. The later the news about the death of the King of Gluttony became known, the better. And the less the other kings including the Queen of Fury held him in check, the better.


    Because of this, he had no other choice but to choose the second option, namely using the elite troops.


    He had to attack the dungeon by using the best elite troops.


    Although the King of Gluttony was gone, the dungeons under the command of the late king could not be compared with the unclaimed land in the south.


    Moreover, it was better for him not to mobilize all his subordinate spirits to realize his bigger dream in the coming days.


    From his point of view, the attacker who would infiltrate the dungeon under the King of Gluttony should not be the House of Mammon. For him, a mysterious force with unknown identity would be the ideal attacker.


    If that was the solution, what should he do?


    What other troops should he use than his subordinate spirits to attack the dungeons under the command of the King of Gluttony? Were there any available troops in the Mammon family?


    Of course, there were such troops. They certainly existed.


    Yong-ho expressed a small appreciation to the King of Gluttony, who was like a tree that gave everything to him generously.


    ***


    "That''s fine with me, but why do you want this place?" Said Gusion with a sullen expression, the owner of the arena.


    Yong-ho responded by warming up slightly in the arena.


    "It''s strong here. It''s good to fight. Right now, they are in the thick of farming in the Garden of Life."


    Gusion wanted to remind him that the Garden of Life was originally a place for ornamental plants, not for fight or farming, but he only sighed. He suddenly recalled Scathach''s letter in which she complained about the stench of fertilizers.


    "I miss Scathcah."


    "You will see her soon."


    After answering readily, Yong-ho relaxed his shoulders. He took a deep breath and corrected his posture before looking at his subordinate spirits who stood in the arena like him. They were standing in a large circle with the center empty.


    "Everyone, get ready. We''re going to start right away."


    As soon as he spoke, each of his subordinate spirits took their position.


    Kaiwan giggled and let down her whip sword, and Catalina erected her tail stiff as if she got nervous. Ophelia and Eligos relaxed their ankles and wrists, respectively, and Tigrius gently swung his cane.


    Skull, the most important figure in carrying out Yong-ho''s plan, announced that he was ready by laughing loudly.


    After checking the condition of his subordinate spirits, he looked back. He shouted at Gusion, who was sitting in the special stand at a distance.


    "You can help me just in case, right?"


    "I don''t think you need my help."


    Gusion was being sarcastic pleasantly. In fact, he was so glad to know that Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits grew up to the point that they did not need his help.


    Yong-ho caught his breath again. He bit his lips slightly, which became dry as he became tense, and licked them. He then closed his eyes and concentrated his consciousness.


    What he was trying to wake up was his desire for gluttony and the mana of the King of Gluttony that he swallowed with the power of greed.


    His greed possessed everything that belonged to the late king. It was indeed a very greedy extortion.


    Yong-ho found out about one of them. He deceived one that he had found with the Sin of Gluttony and the mana of the King of Gluttony. Yong-ho made himself mistaken for the King of Gluttony then ordered that the door of space be opened.


    The contract formed by magic followed Yong-ho''s command. By carrying out the contract, Yong-ho opened the door of the hidden space.


    When the space opened in front of Yong-ho, there appeared several beings with great power.


    Vampire Lords, Death Knights, Elder Liches, Bone Dragons.


    Each one of them was the top undead who could overwhelm people with their names alone. The number of those spirits purchased by the King of Gluttony in a secret deal with the Dungeon Market for a battle with other kings was less than a dozen, but each one of them was already tantamount to an army of monsters.


    Yong-ho did not call out all of the undead in the space. He only summoned those monsters that the King of Gluttony had reserved to attack the House of Mammon. Although he intended to do so from the beginning, he could summon them successfully because he used the most recent records on their summoning.


    Five Vampire Lords and eleven Death Knights.

 230 Surprise Attack 2

    Suddenly summoned, they were in a big confusion. Apparently, they appeared after being called by their master, the King of Gluttony, but the king was not seen anywhere.


    They looked at him all of a sudden because they could feel the late king''s mana in him.


    When a spirit reached the level of a Death Knight, he would form his own ego and a fairly high level of intellectual ability, let alone the Vampire Lords, the ruler of blood.


    They were thinking while looking at him. The man they were looking at now was obviously the master of the House of Mammon that their master, the King of Gluttony, had ordered them to attack. If so, should they attack him now? Or should they wait and watch the situation a little more?


    But they didn''t have to agonize. Yong-ho had no intention of giving them any time to make the choice from the beginning.


    His subordinate spirits released their mana at once. Just like those present at the auction house did, they ruthlessly released mana massively.


    The Vampire Lords and Death Knights became trapped in a storm of mana out of the blue. But that wasn''t all. In addition to the storm of mana, there was one more thing that threatened and scared them.


    The Death Knights instinctively sensed it. The Vampire Lords looked back in great astonishment.


    Death was standing there.


    No Life King, namely Skull that inherited the power of Baphomet, the incarnation of death.


    The undead who belonged to death felt fear of death before their eyes. The purple energy of death enveloped them.


    And the last shock struck the undead¡ªsix towering horns on Yong-ho''s head.


    Greed and Gluttony released their powers at the same time. The Godly Energy of Mammon and that of Fury radiated the light at the same time.


    The undead couldn''t properly control their bodies like those who forgot to breathe. They were overwhelmed by the powerful mana that closed in on them from all sides.


    The undead army originally prepared by the King of Gluttony.


    They were his subordinate spirits based on their mutual contact. So, no matter how much Yong-ho possessed the Sin of Gluttony and mana of the late king, it was impossible for him to perfectly control them.


    So, it was necessary for Yong-ho to renew the contract. As was the case with Salami in the past, he needed to make the contract radical and compulsory.


    "Alright. Let''s move on from now on."


    He shook his head slightly from side to side. Each of his subordinate spirits also released the mana of Gluttony and Greed through their own Brigada.


    Wicross, the Red Moon Knight and the head of the Vampire Lords, gulped for the first time since he became a Vampire Lord.


    Yong-ho approached him. While grabbing the flames of the red lotus from the air, he ordered, "It''s time for re-education."


    ***


    "This is the mask you mentioned."


    "As you requested, I made it in the shape of a dragon."


    Yong-ho nodded when he saw Burgrim''s small blackboard. After congratulating Burgrim in satisfaction, he took the item Burgrim brought to Catalina and Kaiwan.


    After completing the true and correct re-education of the undead army, Yong-ho ordered his subordinate spirits to rest and headed to his room. He met Burgrim without waiting long. Burgrim, who always worked hard, finished the stuff in a short time that Yong-ho asked for.


    What Burgrim brought was a mask in the shape of a dragon''s head.


    Since it was worn over the entire head, the mask was actually more like a helmet rather than a mask. Although the color was different, its basic shape was similar to the helmet of a silver dragon armor.


    While touching the metallic shiny mask, Yong-ho quickly wore it on his head. Just like Burgrim paid special attention to it, he didn''t feel any stuffiness when he put it on.


    "How do I look?"


    "It''s awesome."


    Catalina clapped, flapping her tail. Seeing her ears flapping as always, he thought she was really impressed with the mask.


    "It''s great, isn''t it?"


    Yong-ho also liked it quite a bit, so he smiled happily and looked at Kaiwan this time.


    However, unlike Catalina, Kaiwan frowned and snapped, "Isn''t it too childish? The color seems too red. More than anything else, you look like a child when you are happily smiling like that."


    Yong-ho snorted at her comment and said, "I don''t think you are not qualified to make such a comment as a woman yelling at me to be ready for punishment, wielding a whip sword every time we spar."


    Kaiwan flinched at Yong-ho''s point that hit the nail on the head.


    "Nope, I didn''t."


    Yong-ho didn''t have to keep a straight face by narrowing his eyes because Catalina stopped fluttering her ears and tail and said seriously, "Yes, you did."


    "Yeah, I did," Kaiwan reluctantly agreed.


    When Yong-ho agreed with Catalina, Kaiwan had no choice but to admit it.


    With her face and neck turning red, she was at a loss about what to do.


    But he was not cruel enough to deal another blow to her. He took off the mask and touched it again and smiled.


    It shouldn''t be the House of Mammon that would strike the King of Gluttony''s territory.


    A mysterious force.


    The being who, wearing a red dragon mask, controlled the elite squad of the highest undead.


    "Now, then, shall we get a kick out of it from now on?"


    [Master, do you know you look like a very bad villain right now?]


    [I like you better because you''re a villain.]


    [I''m really excited to see the mask and attire that your subordinate spirit Kaiwan would be wearing.]


    Lucia spoke to everyone loudly, and Kaiwan, who was blushing, flinched.


    On the other hand, Catalina laughed quietly.


    And the next day Yong-ho began to attack.


    ***


    Dungeons were like castles or fortresses in the human world.


    Inhabitants of the demon world built their houses around dungeons, and their villages and cities were also settled near the dungeons.


    Because of this, it was possible to hide the dungeon''s internal facilities and scale, but it was almost impossible to hide the fact that the dungeon existed. The kings knew where the dungeons were located in the territory of another country, and they also knew the total number of dungeons very well, even if there was a slight error.


    There were a total of 56 dungeons and 40 masters or lords under the King of Gluttony.


    Yong-ho could know it accurately because he took away everything from him.


    The 56 dungeons could be divided into four major sections. The center, which was directly ruled by the king, and the three regions bordering the territories of the King of Violence, the King of Pride, and the Queen of Fury.


    Most of Mammon''s networks were lost, but there were still some left intact. There were a total of five doors of space in the territory of the King of Gluttony, so Yong-ho decided to use the door of space near the territory of the King of Violence.


    Yong-ho devised the plan very carefully. He decided on the order of attack after selecting the list of nearby dungeons from the door of the hidden space at the foot of the rocky mountain.


    His fight this time was different from his dungeon battles in the southern area. Those masters in charge of the dungeons in the territory of the King of Gluttony were united. So, when he decided to target any particular dungeon, it was not just the soldiers of the dungeon in question. If Yong-ho''s forces dragged their feet on conquering the dungeon, it was certain that the king''s reinforcement army would be dispatched from other dungeons.


    ''I feel like a bank robber?''


    So, time attack was important. It would be only after Yong-ho''s forces conquered at least four dungeons that their attack was noticed by the allies of the King of Gluttony.


    It was a bright moonlit night.


    Yong-ho, who passed through the door of space of the control room on the 9th floor, stood in front of a cave located deep in a lonely rocky mountain. The reason why the door of space could be maintained even after more than a thousand years was because it was so well hidden like this. Probably, the rest of the intact networks of Mammon were similarly located deep in the mountains where nobody could get access to.


    After breathing in the cold night air, he put on a red dragon''s mask. The reason why he chose the red dragon was because of its association with the King of Violence.


    Of course, it was impossible for Yong-ho to divert all charges toward the King of Violence with just this small prop. It was too shallow to do that, and Yong-ho didn''t even want to make an enemy of the king.


    All he needed was just a little bit of confusion. And this kind of trick was enough to cause such confusion.


    Yong-ho looked at his subordinate spirits who stood before him after passing the door of space one by one. He was accompanied by three for this operation.


    "Skull Skull."


    Skull, covered with silver armor, cried out excitedly. He was the king of the undead, which would be good as the incarnation of death, but he was a sacred knight now, wearing silver armor that completely covered his body. To conceal his identity, Skull wore a red and ornate cloak and held a sword and shield with colorful decorations instead of a hammer.


    Catalina wore silver armor like Skull to conceal the fact that she was a dark elf. Her tail, which clearly revealed her attitude, was wrapped around her waist so that it was not exposed outside.


    And the last member, Kaiwan said while frowning, "I feel like playing a penalty game."


    "You wear it like that usually, right?"


    Kaiwan, dressed in a red leotard found in the armory on the 5th floor, kicked his shin, but he gently avoided it.


    After howling at him, she raised a whip instead of a whip sword. She swept up her hair dyed in gold then put on a dark red butterfly mask. It was a costume and mask that really suited her.


    Yong-ho checked the time. It was time for him to move slowly.

 231 Surprise Attack 3

    Yong-ho''s target today was the dungeon located closest to the rocky mountain. Almost flying down the mountain, he ran toward the dungeon entrance without any hesitation. He heard the dungeon meerkats whimpering, but he lightly ignored it and smashed the dungeon entrance with the skills that he had earned from Gusion.


    The lights at the entrance to the dungeon that detected the intruder were turned off. The sound of the dungeon spirits'' rushing steps was heard deep inside.


    Kaiwan threw a lighting fixture she had around her waist and drove out the darkness. At the same time, Yong-ho concentrated on his consciousness. He found the key with the power of Gluttony and opened the door of space.


    Five Vampire Lords, headed by Wicross, lined up next to him. Ten Death Knights stood behind Skull, holding their own weapons.


    At Yong-ho''s order, Wicross, who was reborn as his loyal bodyguard as a result of true re-education, summoned the squad-level skeletons and Vampire Lords.


    When he first invaded the dungeon, there were only four defenders inside it, but they numbered more than one hundred now.


    Yong-ho lightly clenched his fist. Instead of using Aamon, he grabbed the sword he had picked from the armory and whispered to his subordinates, "We''re going to go the most direct route."


    His announcement was his order.


    The smoke of Greed rose from all over his body.


    Skeletons and zombies generously threw themselves to dismantle the traps.


    Although hundreds of dungeon spirits at the gathering site were ready to defend in unison, they could hardly do nothing. The attack by the ten Death Knights, led by Skull, was a disaster for them.


    All the Death Knights were assigned to Skull''s unit. Because of this, they could synchronize with Skull and show a much more brilliant performance than Yong-ho expected.


    The Death Knights could reach a higher level by sharing their battle experiences. Moreover, this time, Skull also benefited from them. The Death Knights'' combat experience reinforced Skull further, and they further enhanced the combat power of his entire members.


    Faced with the Death Knights wielding their swords like one, the dungeon ministers collapsed like scarecrows.


    Yong-ho''s Greed also presented the correct path to conquering the dungeon. After smashing the resistance of non-living dungeon spirits such as Living Armors and Golems, Yong-ho and his subordinates reached the heart of the dungeon in no time.


    "Who the hell are you bastards!?"


    Kaiwan rushed toward the master of the dungeon shouting at her. She wasn''t grabbing a whip sword as usual, but she had a whip in her hand instead. The black leather whip, which was faster and sharper than her usual whip sword, wrapped around his body quickly. As always, she shouted, lifting the master stuck at the tip of the whip high and said, "It''s time you got punished."


    She threw him down on the floor roughly then blushed inside her mask. After striking him down several times, she murmured as if she made excuses, "I was just absorbed in my role."


    Instead of asking her what it was, Yong-ho just smiled at her. It seemed to be fun to bother Kaiwan a little more, but his priority was striking the dungeon first.


    Catalina took the essence of the dungeon master who collapsed on the floor after losing his consciousness. Yong-ho also went into the heart of the dungeon and extracted the essence of the dungeon. Since the dungeon''s soul was already killed, there was no obstacle other than the dungeon shield.


    After extracting the essence of the dungeon radiating brightly, he gave them the next order because his target was not just the essence of the dungeon only.


    The smoke of Greed led him to a new path according to his wishes.


    As soon as he reached the dungeon treasure storage, located not far from the heart of the dungeon, the Vampire Lord summoned new skeletons to have them collect the gold and other jewelry of the treasure storage and put them in the leather sacks prepared in advance.


    Once the leather sacks were full, Yong-ho sent the Vampire Lords and Death Knights back to the ''summoning room'' made by the late King of Gluttony. The skeletons, each carrying one leather sack, followed their master, the Vampire Lords, so when Yong-ho was done with their reverse summoning, he was left behind with Skull, Catalina, and Kaiwan.


    The reinforcement units from other dungeons had not yet appeared. Yong-ho signaled to them with a glance to get out of the dungeon.


    The night was still long, and he had lots of work to do.


    There were still 55 dungeons left under the command of the King of Gluttony.


    ***


    While Yong-ho was in the thick of attacking the dungeons, Ophelia and Tigrius were busy reinforcing Cadis Fortress.


    It was clear that Yong-ho''s guerrilla attack would contribute to collapsing the remaining forces of the King of Gluttony. It was no exaggeration to say that Yong-ho''s attack would quicken the collapse of the king''s forces by at least a month or more.


    That was why Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits Ophelia and Tigrius would have to hurry up to prepare for their collapse. There was not much to worry about in the west, thanks to Embrio''s destruction of the western area early on. The eastern area was now in a stable stage, and the southern area was long occupied by Yong-ho.


    Ophelia and Tigrius needed to raise up the army to "conquer" the territory of the King of Gluttony while reinforcing the defense of the northern part with Cadis Fortress as the center. Cadis Fortress today was more of a bridgehead for attack than an axis of defense.


    The demon world was a place where the strong prey upon the weak.


    The Queen of Fury was just an ally of Yong-ho''s. She was an outsider to the House of Mammon. And it was the same case with the King of Violence whose intentions were never known to other kings.


    The strength of the queen and her subordinate spirits, who could be called her swords, was enough to stand up to other kings. However, she didn''t have enough forces to deter them.


    In some respect, this kind of turbulent times, coinciding with the collapse of the remaining forces of the King of Gluttony, gave the House of Mammon a golden opportunity to form the new forces.


    Yong-ho had to move fast enough to make the other kings feel that he made a surprise attack.


    The reason he chose to attack the dungeons close to the territories of the King of Violence or the Queen of Fury was because he wanted to reduce the dungeons that the two kings could occupy later.


    In that respect, Yong-ho''s guerrilla attack was not just directed at the remaining forces of the King of Gluttony. In a broader context, it could be called a surprise attack against the King of Violence and the Queen of Fury.


    The House of Mammon was long buried in history after losing its glory in the past.


    Yong-ho''s counterattack to restore his family''s past glory was already well underway.


    ***


    On the surface, the current demonic world was relatively peaceful.


    Although the forces of the King of Pride and the King of Envy were continuing the war in the north every day, there was peace maintained in other regions, even though it was peace amid tension.


    But it was just peace on the surface.


    It wasn''t just the House of Mammon that was preparing for the counterattack secretly.


    Other kings also continued to get ready for the war behind the scenes.


    The three masters who enjoyed the most power under the command of the King of Gluttony joined hands together and wrote a letter, and they urgently dispatched an envoy to the king to whom they would donate their country.


    Abrasax, who boasted of the strongest mana among the five directors of the Dungeon Market, once again met with the King of Pride. Originally, Orobas who had the strongest Herculean power was supposed to make a secret deal with the king, but neither Abrasax nor the king didn''t think so.


    Bifrons, the most intelligent among the five directors, had a meeting with the King of Lust.


    The king was supposed to request all the five directors if he wanted a secret deal, but he didn''t this time. It was Bifrons who made the request to the king first.


    The King of Lust wanted to reject the request, but he couldn''t because Bifrons made the offer that he could not reject.


    Samael, the fastest wing, discovered belatedly that one Lich had disappeared from the warehouse where the Dungeon Market''s defects were piled up. As the one who boasted of the best intelligence power among the five directors of the Dungeon Market, she could find out easily who took Lich.


    She knew it was Sitri who was responsible for this theft.


    It was no exaggeration to say that she, as the oldest member of the five directors, simply existed in the demon world for ages.


    But she had been pretty active recently. And it was the new master of the House of Mammon that made her busy.


    Samael remembered the warning Sitri gave her at the special auction house. But still, she had no intention of stopping now.


    Yong-ho Cheon, the new master of the House of Mammon.


    There was something mysterious about him, something not known at all to the demon world.


    Samael pulled out a letter from the office desk drawer and opened it. It was a letter related to the last secret deal requested by the King of Gluttony.


    Those who could move history were preparing something on their own behind the scenes.


    And some of their activities had an organic relationship with each other.


    It was peaceful on the surface. It seemed as if the current peace would continue in the future.


    But it was different.


    Their movement behind the scene would soon become a big current and affect everything on the surface.


    The King of Violence, returning to his own hideout place, belatedly read the letter from the Queen of Fury. In the letter, she said she formed an alliance with the House of Mammon and asked him what he would do in the coming days.


    ''What do you think of the master of the Mammon family, uncle? Do you feel he is a good person? I think he is.''


    The new King of Greed.


    The King of Violence put down the letter. Instead of writing a reply, he watched over the world as the king of the greatest race of dragons.


    There was a gentle ripple above the water. Soon, it was clear that the current below the water would shake the whole demon world.


    ''This time, no matter how much you don''t want to stay away from it, don''t think you can avoid it.''


    The King of Violence recalled the Queen of Sloth. Since she had been secluded for a long time, she was forgotten in the demon world, but she was also inevitably involved. Her contract with the King of Violence himself proved it.


    The giant red dragon, the King of Violence, established himself in the place where he was supposed to be after decades of absence. He closed his eyes comfortably. Past events that provoked his doubts were almost sorted out in his mind. Now it was the future events that sparked his curiosity.


    The king wanted to take a nap. As an observer of the world, he was waiting for the era of turbulent times in the near future.

 232 The King of the Arena 1

    Gusion had a dream.


    It was a dream that he could definitely call a nightmare. He, who woke up from his dream, breathed out wildly. A cold sweat broke out all over his red body.


    Too much time had passed.


    It was a very long time that he could not feel even in the arena where he could hardly feel the passage of time properly.


    Gusion closed his eyes again. He could not dream anymore though. However, the scenes that he saw in his dream and the fragments of his old memories came to his mind vividly.


    It was definitely a nightmare. But at the same time, it was a yearning dream. It could be called his good old memories. There were so many people he couldn''t meet unless they didn''t appear in his dream.


    At first, he was angry. He was frustrated, and finally, he conceded that he could not reverse all of these things. Maybe he might have been tired of overwhelming time.


    But he was not impatient. He calmed down his troubled mind. He tried to understand what Mammon wanted. Naturally, he recalled the successor of the King of Greed, Mammon.


    He smiled before he knew it. Just thinking about him made him feel a lot better.


    Gusion opened his eyes again and looked into the darkness. He took a deep breath in the cold air floating in the arena and stood up.


    He would witness it quite soon. He would decide sooner or later.


    "Master."


    He called the name quietly. He didn''t hear the master''s reply.


    He woke up from his memories to face a reality where the king did not exist.


    ***


    One month and 15 days have passed since Yong-ho mounted a guerrilla attack on the King of Gluttony''s territory.


    He attacked seven more dungeons during that period. Almost all of them were dungeons located in the western part of the king''s territory.


    Lucia, who fully absorbed the essence of the dungeons, grew up rapidly and succeeded in taking complete control of the 8th and 9th floors despite skipping the 7th floor. In addition, Yong-ho could refill Mammon''s treasure storage with the gold and other jewelry he collected from the seven dungeons. Of course, the treasure storage almost looked the same as before. In fact, there was no sign of the treasures decreasing even when he took a huge amount of gold to buy the red titan dragon, Tiamet. Indeed, it was a huge treasure storage befitting the King of Greed.


    Ophelia and Tigrius developed Cadis Fortress well. It was no exaggeration to say that money ruled the world. The more money they spent, the more concrete results they got fast.


    One month and a half were never short. The long silence of the King of Gluttony was enough to make other kings have doubts about his whereabouts. Yong-ho''s guerrilla attack spread little by little to the territory of the King of Gluttony and other territories.


    Yong-ho never wasted time. In order to make the best of the time for the Mammon family, he had to spend it well and efficiently.


    He attacked the arena with his subordinate spirits. He embodied the new power he gained through actual battles. And there was one more thing he should not miss.


    [The door of the 10th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed is opened. ]


    [Which of the 12 Spirits is waiting for you this time?]


    [Pit-a-pat pit-a-pat.]


    Yong-ho shook his head at Lucia''s charming briefing.


    There were only two of Mammon''s 12 Spirits that he had to beat.


    Since the two won in many battles with brilliant records, Yong-ho could find out all the detailed information about them quite a bit just by browsing through a few books.


    It was Aries Yustia, who defended the Grand Library of Mammon on the 10th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    Nicknamed "the Navigator,'' she was both the king''s adviser and a prophet.


    [Master, the Grand Library is a treasure of knowledge. It is no exaggeration to say that it contains all the knowledge of this world.]


    [Yustia''s wisdom will also help you a lot.]


    As always, Aamon''s advice was universally sound. However, it was still a library anyway. It could not be denied that Yong-ho was more interested in the various living facilities on the 11th floor than the library on the 10th. Moreover, it was none other than "Virgo" that guarded the 11th floor.


    The 11th floor was filled with various personal spaces including the rooms of 12 Spirits. Guarding the 11th floor was Virgo Yuno, the last member of the 12 Spirits. According to many legends, there were many episodes about her beauty, so it was natural that Yong-ho was interested in her as a man.


    ''Of course, it''s just my curiosity, nothing more or less.''


    Murmuring to himself like that, he looked at Catalina, who was sitting next to him. She tilted her head and fluttered her tail as if she was curious about his unexpected glance.


    Just like the 10th floor suggested, it was full of powerful dungeon monsters. In addition to the Night Shade, also called the Prince of Darkness, spiritual monsters with dark attributes such as Specter and Race were waiting for Yong-ho and his party.


    It was difficult for Yong-ho to deal with dark properties, especially spiritual monsters, among various dungeon monsters. It was because Yong-ho could attack them physically, and the unique energy of the dark attributes poisoned the living.


    However, Yong-ho already possessed not only darkness but also the attribute of light.


    His subordinate spirits received the mana of the light attribute from Yong-ho through Brigada, and as always, they attacked the 10th floor fiercely.


    [This is the entrance to the main library.]


    [It''s been a long time since I came here.]


    Aamon whispered in front of the steel door with the embossed head of the sheep.


    There was a deep yearning in his voice.


    Skull and Eligos opened the steel door at Yong-ho''s order. The peculiar smell of paper came out from inside the door. At the same time, Yong-ho found himself amazed at the size of the library.


    It was huge. It looked like it was as large as the treasure house in terms of size. The ceiling was high enough to fit five floors. It was very large on the side, let alone its depth.


    It had only a few pillars with no separate walls, so the vastness of the library caught his eye immediately. It was no exaggeration to say that books were everywhere.


    It was as if even people who didn''t like books felt like reading books, enchanted by the atmosphere. In that respect, it was absolutely true that Aamon said that the library contained all the knowledge of the world.


    ''Cayan would have loved it here.''


    Kaiwan recalled her younger brother before she knew it. So, she quickly changed her expression after clenching her teeth. Fortunately, no one noticed her because others were distracted by the massive library, except for only one.


    "Haven''t you ever seen a library? You don''t see me?"


    An old woman shouted at her. Only then could all of them, who were hooked on the huge library, fix their eyes on somebody right before their eyes. Although nobody was right before their eyes, there was clearly a skinny and tall old woman sitting in the seat reserved for a librarian about ten meters away from them.


    [Yustia.]


    Aamon raised his voice first. When the flames of the red lotus arose in the air, a smile was on her face, who looked like a dry old tree.


    "Aamon. You still look as great as you were a long time ago."


    She was wearing a black dress that covered her body up to the neck. A pair of sheep''s horns stood on her neatly curled gray hair, and light emerald pupils were shining below it.


    Old woman Yustia, the king''s advisor and a prophet.


    Perhaps, because of her upright posture or because of her peculiar disposition, she gave out an air of confidence when she spoke or acted.


    "I''m Yustia, a librarian in charge of the Grand Library. As you can see, I''m a lonely old woman. Understand me when I speak to you curtly. I''m the oldest among the 12 Spirits of Mammon. Man, I''ve lived longer than Aamon."


    At that moment, Yong-ho recalled a notorious cursing old woman he had seen on TV in the human world several times. Of course, Yustia didn''t use any abusive language.


    Yong-ho stepped forward and introduced himself, "I''m Yong-ho Cheon, the current master of the Mammon family."


    "You''re great. You don''t look like a mere successor. Nice to see you anyway. Since you''re the legitimate successor, I can''t say anything short. Please understand me if my tone is a little messy."


    She laughed heartily then turned her eyes at the flames of the red lotus instead of talking to him. She asked Aamon, "Aamon, how much time has passed? I don''t know because I was asleep while the door was closed."


    [One thousand and hundreds of years have passed.]


    She closed her eyes at his reply. One thousand years was never short even for her who had already lived such a long time.


    "Much more time has passed than I expected. Too much time has passed. But it''s not all bad. The passage of time must have devoured the traitors. It might be much better for guys like Gusion."


    She spoke eloquently. Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits focused on some of her words.


    Traitors who must have been devoured by the passage of time.


    That turned out better for Gusion.


    It was obvious that her mention was related to Mammon''s death.


    Yong-ho opened his mouth, Yustia opened her eyes.


    She looked straight at Yong-ho and said, "Hear it from Gusion, not me. It would be best for Gusion to tell the story of Master Mammon to you."


    She wasn''t strict. Rather, it was more like the kind of advice that a grandmother gave to her grandchildren.


    She shrugged again and said. "But the order is in a mess. You came up to the 10th floor, but you have yet to conquer the 7th floor?"


    [Yustia, you know the arena well, don''t you?]


    When Aamon replied indirectly, she frowned. Then she hysterically said, "I wonder if the previous masters of the Mammon family have been piled up in the arena over the last thousand years."


    He didn''t have to reply. Aamon just ignited the flames of the red lotus, and Yong-ho made an awkward expression.


    Yustia said with a sigh, "Oh My God! Dang it, Gusion. I knew that that damned arena would devour the Mammon family. The lineage of the Mammon family has been carried on for over a thousand years even when its masters were caught in the arena one by one. But I can''t say that this is also bad. That means the accumulation of power in the arena is tremendous."

 233 The King of the Arena 2

    She was no more fussy and cold-hearted. Yong-ho even felt she was a pleasant woman.


    "Oh, I think I talked about useless things too long. An old woman like me shouldn''t take away our prince''s time anymore. Come here. Let me hand over my power."


    Yustia suddenly beckoned to him. Surprised more by what she just said than her calling him a prince, he asked instinctively, "May I ask if you have any test?"


    Since she looked like an old woman, he used honorific language before he knew it. Besides, he recalled his grandmother he had seen in the human world only a few times.


    Yustia clicked her tongue then said, "Nope. As a prince, you have only Greed but also Gluttony, let alone half of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon. Besides, you were formally recognized by that fastidious old man Magnadon. What more tests do I need to give you now? Tests are just cumbersome stuff to me. Come over here quickly. Let me hand over my power to you right now."


    She just wanted to get it done quickly. Kaiwan and the other subordinate spirits were all smiles.


    When he sat right in front of the desk, Yustia signaled to him with a glance to reach out.


    He held out his right hand without hesitation.


    She overlapped her dry and wrinkled hand on his right hand then said slowly, "My power is ''patience.'' Doesn''t it perfectly suit an old woman like me?"


    He smiled awkwardly at her instead of replying. Instead of putting him on the spot, she injected her power into him. A subtle gray color had been added to the magic field on his left arm.


    "Don''t worry too much because you are going to make Gusion your subordinate spirit then Scathach. Of course, you have to make Richard your subordinate spirit. I think I can join them lastly."


    She laughed then let go of his hand. Then she opened the desk drawer one after another and pulled out a thick stack of cards.


    "I feel sad if I have to leave after just handing over my power to you. I''m not a heartless woman. As you know already, my nickname is the Navigator as well as the king''s prophet. Of course, in a world with so many possibilities, you can hardly make a prophecy. Identifying the big trend comes from insights based on information."


    She moved the cards busily in her hand. The cards looked like tarot cards, given the way she mixed them.


    "But using these cards can also help us prepare for the future. Isn''t it better to rely on the small starlight to find the way rather than drifting in the vast sea?"


    With a warm smile, Yustia put a well-mixed stack of cards on the desk. Just like before, she looked into Yong-ho''s eyes and said, "Then let me read the fortune for your love¡ªthe eternal subject of interest for the young people. How about it?"


    "Well, as for my love horoscope¡­"


    Yong-ho looked at Kaiwan, but she looked at Yustia only.


    "Okay, then let me take a look at our prince''s love horoscope."


    Speaking like an actor, she drew a card from the stack of cards and laid it on the desk. Not only Catalina and Ophelia, but all the subordinate spirits gathered around the desk and looked at her fingertips.


    Right at that moment, Kaiwan asked in a rather sharp voice, "Wait a moment. Why are you drawing three cards?"


    Yustia laughed insidiously, and Kaiwan and Catalina looked at Yong-ho at the same time. He raised his hands to show his palms to prove his innocence.


    "Now, then I''ll turn the cards over."


    While they were rolling their eyes sharply, Yustia turned over one of the cards.


    Everyone turned their eyes at the card again.


    ***


    "How about writing a letter to him first?" Kirtimuka said, wearing the shawl she received from the Queen of Fury for the seventh time this month. Her master, the queen, who was like her younger sister and daughter, stopped moving her fingers for a moment. But she soon resumed sewing. It seemed like she wanted Kirtimuka to support her with more specific action.


    Kirtimuka covered her mouth with her hand because she could not hold back her laughter at the Queen of Fury acting cute.


    About two months had passed since the alliance between the queen and the House of Mammon was made. During that period, there were no exchanges between the queen and the master of the Mammon family. In some way, that was natural because there was no reason for them to communicate with each other on a daily basis just because they were allies. Rather, frequent exchanges between them would be a red light. It was common that there were few exchanges between allies unless there was a war involving one of them, which was widely accepted not only in the demon world but also in the alien world.


    Nonetheless, the Queen of Fury was nervous and impatient. At least in Kirtimuka''s eyes, she seemed so. Otherwise, she would not have shown such an eccentric behavior as making dozens of clothes in two months.


    Kirtimuka stopped smiling and looked seriously at the queen. As the head of Gandharva, she was young. Just because she was born with the power of Sin, she ascended to the position of queen representing not only Gandharva but also the entire eight-clan people. But from the perspective of Gandharva who lived for hundreds of years, she was still only a young girl.


    Kirtimuka wished for the queen''s happiness. That was why she stopped cracking a joke like she did in the first place and considered her marriage quite seriously.


    It seemed that the master of the Mammon family had several women who looked like his lovers, but this was not a big problem.


    Each head of a lord''s house was said to be the king of a small kingdom. It was very important for them to continue their family lineage, so it was common in the demon world that the master maintained polygamy or monogamous marriages. Particularly, the eight-clan people decreased in the process of escaping from the northern area, so it was common to allow any form of marriage as long as they could produce many offspring.


    Dritarastra was a queen with the Sin of Fury. Moreover, she led the people consisting of eight clans.


    It was no exaggeration to say that it was a fait accompli for the Queen of Fury to become the official wife of the master of the House of Mammon the moment they married. The marriage of the two was not just a union between a man and a woman, but a union between the eight clans and the Mammon family. Although it might sound repugnant, their union could be described as a ''political marriage.''


    Moreover, it would be a marriage between the queen and the master of a prestigious house. Ideally, the House of Mammon would be absorbed into the queen''s eight clans, which would not go against the common sense of the demon world.


    Kirtimuka didn''t mention this kind of formality at all because she didn''t want to offend the queen''s thrill of first love, though it came to her belatedly.


    "It would be okay for you to convey your best wishes to him in a simple letter. Since you have formed an alliance with him only recently, you might want to exchange gifts that would promote your friendship with him."


    The queen pricked her ears at her suggestion. Kirtimuka waited, and the queen slowly raised her head and moved her hands.


    She said after pretending otherwise, "Hmm. Promoting friendship?"


    "Yes, promoting friendship is necessary."


    Kirtimuka cheered her up again. The queen opened her lips slightly. Then she said reluctantly as if she could not help it because of Kirtimuka''s repeated recommendation, "Then shall I do that?"


    Kirtimuka nodded happily. However, another one cut in at that moment.


    "I am opposed to that. I don''t think it would be nice for you to show him that you are impatient. When you are pulling hard to get, timing is very important," said Gardimundi.


    She flew through the open window into the queen''s room. Kirtimuka tried to complain about her intruding into the room without passing through the main door, but the queen acted first.


    Standing up quickly, the queen was no more a laughing girl but the ruler of the eight clans.


    She looked at Gardimundi because she was holding a small red box in her hand.


    Instead of arguing with Kirtimuka, Gardimundi approached the queen and knelt. She handed over the red box to the queen.


    "The reply from the King of Violence has finally arrived."


    The box made of a red dragon''s scales meant the letter was written by the King of Violence himself. The queen took a deep breath after receiving the box. She was tense and nervous before she knew it because she received his reply in about three months.


    Kirtimuka, who overreacted when it came to the King of Violence, waited for the queen to read the letter, with her face stiffening like the queen.


    Gardimundi was also tense now, though she was in a jolly mood at first.


    The Queen of Fury took the letter out of the box and opened it. The voice of the King of Violence came out of the letter cast with a spell.


    [My decision to move the dragon corps was to keep the King of Gluttony in check. I never intended to threaten you, so don''t worry about it.]


    [The dragon corps will stick to their current position. Unless they are attacked, they will never attack first. So, keep this in mind.]


    [I heard rumors about the master of the Mammon family.]


    [I think he is more than qualified to be the target of your alliance.]


    [It would be nice if we could build a sincere relationship with him.]


    The queen smiled at the king''s brief comment because she liked not only his viewpoint of Yong-ho and the reason why he moved his troops.


    The King of Violence was not an enemy to the queen. He was an ally. That fact alone could relieve the queen.


    Kirtimuka openly breathed a sigh of relief. Although she feared the King of Violence and watched out for him, she still trusted him. She couldn''t even imagine that the great dragon would act foolishly enough to deceive his master with a fake letter.


    But Gardimundi was still tense because the King of Violence continued.


    [Dritarastra, Queen of Fury!]


    [If you have truly made an alliance with the Mammon family, and if you intend to maintain that alliance, move more actively. Don''t just be content with forming an alliance, but use the power of the alliance. If you can, use me and the Dragon Legion.]


    [The choice is yours, as always.]


    [I''ll watch your choices, as always.]


    That was the end of the letter. The Queen of Fury put the letter back in the box and flopped down on the seat she was sitting.

 234 The King of the Arena 3

    There were some other things in the second half of the letter.


    The Queen of Fury was by no means a fool. By inferring from the King of Violence''s comment that she could use the alliance actively, she immediately understood what the king proposed or what kind of advice he offered.


    "The King of Pride and the King of Envy are at war. Because of this, they won''t be able to concern themselves with what''s going on in the south," said Gardimundi.


    Kirtimuka opened her eyes wide after grasping the true meaning of their conversation in the end.


    "Are you going to join hands with the Mammon family and attack the King of Gluttony?"


    The queen did not answer. She thought of the alliance for defense, not for an attack.


    Gardimundi said again, "The King of Lust did not intervene in the war between the King of Pride and the King of Envy. It''s highly likely that he would remain an onlooker this time again. The current turmoil could be an opportunity for us, too."


    Her analysis made sense. The King of Violence''s dragon legion itself was a threat to the King of Gluttony. If the Mammon troops and the queen''s army were marching into his territory from the south and the west respectively, the King of Gluttony had no choice but to divide his army into three.


    The queen could devise such a plan because the power of the House of Mammon was much more mighty than she thought. Although her plan was quite up in the air, she could win the war if she made the decision to act.


    But that would be the first strike on her part. In other words, the Queen of Fury would start a war, something she had never thought of.


    Of course, it was not the first time the queen conceived of such a plan. Although she didn''t reveal it to anybody else, she considered it many times from the moment she thought about forming an alliance with the Mammon family. Besides, some of the heads of her eight clans secretly asked her to take the lead in the attack.


    "Your Majesty took the lead in every battle because you wanted to minimize the damage on both sides."


    Gardimundi approached the queen and knelt on the floor to talk to her at her eye level.


    "It''s not different. It''s based on the same logic. It is clear that if you save the King of Gluttony, you will bring about a great disaster someday. At a time when the north is in turmoil, we have to stabilize the south. If you succeed, the King of Pride won''t dare to invade the south even if he beat the King of Envy and took everything from him."


    The queen closed her eyes. She knew what Gardimundi was talking about. Her point was reasonable and attractive.


    But this would mean the start of a war. She could not make the decision to start a war by exchanging a few words with her close aides, nor she should not.


    "Gardimundi."


    "Yes, Your Majesty."


    There was no excitement or thrill on her face anymore. Gardimundi felt heartbroken about it but nodded. Politely bowing to her, Gardimundi stood up. She threw herself out of the window and flew away.


    "Kirtimuka."


    Kirtimuka flinched at her calling. The queen caught her breath again. She recalled her eight clans who were on standby all the time, preparing for a possible war with the King of Pride because of the turbulence he brought about.


    The queen said with a sigh, "Please summon the heads of the eight clans."


    She didn''t make the decision yet. She had to hear their opinions first.


    Kirtimuka left the room. The Queen of Fury looked down at the clothes she stopped sewing and closed her eyes instead of holding the needle. She tried to regain her composure in the darkness.


    ***


    "Now, calm down and listen. It would be a lot of fun if you can guess who the woman this first card symbolizes."


    After telling them gently, Yustia removed the hand that was covering the card. On the card was a picture of a knight standing with his back in the twilight.


    "These cards that symbolize¡­"


    Yustia drew several cards in succession and laid them out on the desk. She presented three cards again.


    "Oh my God! It''s been a while since I saw this kind of card."


    Catalina and Kaiwan looked tense. In particular, Catalina, who thought of ''shadow'' in the knight standing with his back in the twilight, gulped because she thought it was her card.


    Yustia said, "Let me give it to you straight instead of beating around the bush like the fortune-teller who thinks of it as his own monopoly. The owner of this card was born under the star of a pushover. Besides, she is under the protection of a drunken dragon. Nobody could deny it''s a useless pushover. There was one among Mammon''s 12 Spirits who was born with this fate."


    "Are you referring to Elune?" Kaiwan immediately asked.


    Catalina covered her face with both hands, about to cry.


    Yustia giggled at her and continued, "That''s not necessarily bad. The one who is protected by the drunk dragon is unlikely to die, even though she will suffer from distress and sadness. I would say she is very resistant to bad luck."


    "Is it good for her?" Catalina asked with her ears drooping. She seemed to ask Yustia why she was teasing her.


    Yustia chuckled once more and explained about the rest of the cards.


    "This woman is showing her faithful love to the prince more than anyone else. If you can guess who she is, you had better be nice to her."


    Having said that, Yustia glanced at Yong-ho, and Catalina flapped her tail.


    "Here is the second card. Queen."


    Everyone''s eyes focused on Kaiwan when the woman on the card was standing with a whip.


    Kaiwan thought the woman on the card was her, but she was embarrassed because of the straightforward description of her figure.


    "Oh my¡­"


    "Why?"


    Kaiwan asked hurriedly because Yustia''s expression was not bright.


    Shaking her head violently, Yustia said, grinning at her, "I don''t know who she is, but she has a crush on our prince. She is deeply loving him. She pretends to be arrogant and lofty, but she is like a very dedicated and obedient angel to the prince."


    Everyone turned their eyes at Kaiwan again. She blushed.


    "Oh, that''s not true!" She retorted.


    They responded with a gentle smile when she tried in vain to deny it.


    At last, she pinched Yong-ho''s waist for help.


    "Now, then let''s look at the third card lastly. I see this one on the card resembling our prince."


    Catalina and Kaiwan, who were suffering from embarrassment, looked at the card sharply.


    Even Yong-ho looked at the third card, pretty much tense this time. He could not figure out who the one on the card was.


    Yustia quickly flipped the card over and placed new cards from the stack of cards in succession. She immediately interpreted without having them wait for her reply.


    "It''s a pure virgin. Huh huh, this girl is also born with the star of a pushover. She is also protected by a drunken dragon, but she seems to be a good friend of the first woman. In other words, the two sympathize with each other."


    Catalina blinked, and Kaiwan looked at Yong-ho. However, Yong-ho was tilting his head.


    Even if this woman matches the keywords of a virgin and a pushover, he could not figure out who she was.


    "She is just a possibility at this point. As I said at the beginning, it is impossible to make absolute prophecy in a world where there are so many possibilities."


    Yustia cleared all the cards at once then leaned her skinny figure against the back of her chair. She turned to Yong-ho and said, "I''m tired because I am talking too much after a long time. Prince, can I stop here and see you later?"


    Yong-ho obtained the power of patience with her formal recognition. Since Lucia was still too weak to take over the Grand Library, he did not have much more to do here.


    "Take good rest then."


    "Thank you, prince."


    Ophelia and Tigrius showed interest in the library''s collections, but they could do it some other day. The two left the library with regret, not to mention Eligos and Skull.


    Yong-ho, who looked around the library once more, was about to turn when Yustia whispered to him, "No one can predict when the storm will blow. But I don''t think it''s good for you to put off making Gusion your subordinate spirit too long. The Mammon family needs more power to confront the storm."


    Yong-ho nodded. After bowing to her politely, he left the main library.


    It wasn''t just because of Yustia''s advice. For the past one month and 45 days, he always stayed in the arena except when he attacked the dungeons of the King of Gluttony.


    It was time for him to keep the promise he had made to Scathach.


    The night had passed and the morning drew on.


    He headed to the arena and faced Gusion.


    ***


    Time passed fairly everywhere.


    When the sun set and rose, another day began for everyone as always.


    A war was going on in the north. The forces of the King of Pride and the King of Envy were engaged in a fierce battle every day. Outsiders criticized this battle as a boring protracted war to avoid the final showdown, which was undeniable.


    However, from the standpoint of those involved in the fighting, it was never a boring protracted war. When the fighting began, people died and got injured. It was true that the forces of the King of Pride won a series of battles, but that did not mean they had no casualties. A considerable number of dungeon spirits of the King of Pride were killed in action.


    It was definitely the same day as always. However, when the confrontation in the morning was over, the King of Pride issued a new order. Like he did 15 days ago, the king advanced some of his troops to attack the dungeons belonging to the King of Envy.


    Fighting broke out both inside and outside the dungeons. The fighting was so fierce that they wanted to behead those who ridiculed the war as a protracted confrontation. Although both sides sent only a fifteenth of their total forces, that was the only military strength that those directly engaged in the fighting could turn to. Each of their lives was at stake.


    Yaksini, one of the dungeon spirits, barely breathed, falling on the ground. Covered with blood, sweat, and tears, she could not see anything before her eyes. Shouts and screams coming from everywhere deafened her ears.


    Yaksini was from the clan of Yaksha, one of the eight clans under the command of the Queen of Fury. Just like her clan was treated so in the north, she was a slave.


    She foamed at the mouth. She found it hard even to breathe now. She felt extreme pain in her left arm then she had no feeling in it soon. Only the pain she felt when her bones and flesh were crushed tormented her.


    Screaming was continuing everywhere. Yaksini felt a strange silence amid the miserable screaming and angry shouting. Maybe this was the peculiar sensation she felt at the moment of death.

 235 The King of the Arena 4

    Fortunately, she didn''t feel anything like a kaleidoscope. Living as a slave in the north was a continuation of misery. She didn''t want to suffer in the past until the moment she was dying.


    Today was different from yesterday.


    Yaksini felt it. It was not limited to her as an individual.


    It was sort of some intuition, something like the unique superpower of a member of her clan who was awakened to it right before she died.


    Yaksini tried to open her eyes. The tears that ran down her cheeks washed away the impurities around her eyes. She couldn''t even rub her eyes. She barely opened her eyes and looked at the sky.


    As if they were outsiders watching the war in the north, the sunlight was pouring out so hotly.


    Blood splattered around her again. Something big and heavy fell down with a thumping sound, and the battle around her gradually moved to another location little by little. It was because the tide of the war was decisively in favor of one warring country.


    It looked like the pattern of repeated fighting over the past few months. However, Yaksini felt something definitely different this time. It was funny. She was now on the verge of death after being dragged onto the battlefield as a mere slave. What she felt different from yesterday was meaningless to her, despite the reverse of the tide of the war.


    However, Yaksini stared into the sky desperately as if she had a fever. The flying vehicles and giant flying spirits that she wished she could ride one day made a huge shadow over her head, making everything around her dark.


    She realized something in that darkness. She now understood what was different.


    Today was clearly different from yesterday.


    It was clear that tomorrow would be more different.


    The Queen of Fury stared straight ahead with her face stiffened. She was not in Vimana, her home and fortress. Standing in a temple located in the center of her territory, she was waiting for the heads of her eight clans.


    The temple was circular and it had eight pillars. The Queen of Fury was the head of the eight clans, but she was different here in this temple. She was not recognized as the queen, but only as the head of the Dritarashtra-Gandharva, one of the eight clans.


    Because of this, she was equal to the heads of the other seven clans. She never reigned over them nor was she trampled from below.


    Dritarastra felt a strange sensation. It was too ominous for her to blame it for her being nervous.


    Kirtimuka and Gardimundi, who always took care of her, were not here. It was only the heads of the eight clans who could stand here, where they would determine the future of their people.


    Dritarastra clenched her fist and pulled herself together. She felt a bit relaxed when she recalled the face of the master of the Mammon family, just like Kirtimuka advised, although she blushed as a side effect.


    The tall, red-haired and bearded Biryubakcha bowed to Dritarastra, who also returned his greetings by lowering her head. As if he was heralding the arrival of other heads, they began to appear one after another in the temple.


    Deva, Dragon, Yaksha, Gandharva, Asura, Garura, Kalavinka, Mahoraga.


    It had been a long time since the heads of the eight clans gathered in one place. Moreover, this was not a meeting where the Queen of Fury and the heads of their own clans attended.


    She came here as the head of the Gandharva clan, not as the Queen of Fury, which was very significant.


    "As the head of the Gandharva clan, I would like to make a proposal to you, head of your own clans."


    She slowly opened her mouth. Her cold and calm voice was different from her usual affectionate voice, or her harsh voice resonating on the battlefield.


    The heads of the eight clans already knew why she called for the meeting at the temple.


    They listened to her, according to the tradition.


    The meeting went smoothly. However, while chairing the meeting, she suddenly looked up at the sky before she knew it.


    Something was different. She couldn''t figure out what it was exactly, but she felt it was different.


    She struggled to suppress her anxiety. She continued to talk in front of them.


    She proposed they would attack the territory of the King of Gluttony.


    ***


    Sitri raised her head. It seems that she took a nap before she knew it.


    The cat wagon flying through the sky already landed on the ground. The carriages of the five other directors lined up on the roof of the main store of the Dungeon Market, located in the center of the demon world.


    It took some time for Sitri to wake up from her memories. She looked at the other wagons with her half-closed eyes. They were four, all told. Apparently, all but Sitri herself already arrived.


    She wasn''t late for the appointment. There was still a little more time left before they could see face to face at the meeting, which was not a meeting in a virtual space.


    It was unusual for the five directors to actually get together in one place. But it was already the third time they met this year, which meant that the demon world was in turmoil.


    Sitri once again gently closed and opened her eyes. Finally, she woke up from her memories and looked at the present. She swallowed the cold air at the main store of the Dungeon Market, which was shrouded in darkness night and day, although it was close to the sky.


    She felt wistful at the moment. She stood up from the carriage, frowning her eyebrows slightly.


    The reason they called the meeting today was because of the agenda of the King of Gluttony. As someone who had been more enthusiastic about a secret deal than any other king, the King of Gluttony not only broke the secret deal unilaterally but also he was not seen for more than two months.


    As for the simple seclusion, the Queen of Sloth and the King of Lust secluded themselves for a long time, which was nothing new to the five directors. Moreover, unlike the King of Lust, the Queen of Sloth could not exert a great influence on the demon world because she did not have any big power.


    The King of Gluttony had been very active before he was missing. Whatever the reason, his disappearance could have a great impact on the entire demon world.


    Of course, Sitri already knew why the King of Gluttony suddenly disappeared. But she had no intention of commenting on it at all. Just like she did, as always, she would retire when the time came. As one of the founders and the longest-serving directors of the Dungeon Market, she was content with her current role.


    While walking through the corridor heading deep into the building, Sitri recalled Yong-ho. A smile was on her face before she knew it. He looked like Mammon, but at the same time, he was different. She loved him for that all the more because that little difference proved that Yong-ho was Mammon''s child and that he was his true successor.


    Nobody knew it except for Sitri herself, but it was Mammon who drafted the plan on the Dungeon Market. As a true king, he envisioned the Dungeon Market for the revival of the whole demon world. It was because of Mammon''s wish that the Dungeon Market supplied food at a low price while giving up big profits.


    Mammon had devised lots of more things. The current Dungeon Market was somewhat different from what Mammon originally had devised. But Sitri wasn''t greedy. Although she was the longest member, she was only one of the five directors. Maintaining the current food supply policy of the Dungeon Market was in her best interests.


    In return for that, she retired from her active role. It was because she was exhausted, but the biggest reason was because she wanted to keep the food supply policy in return for giving up her authority and influence, and she did.


    She passed the long corridor and reached the conference room. Other directors were already seated at the circular table that was identical to the virtual space.


    Orobas, the strongest power.


    Bifrons, the most intelligent.


    Abraxas, the strongest mana.


    Samael, the fastest wing.


    Orobas greeted Sitri with a glance. At first glance, it might seem an amorous glance, but Sitri knew he didn''t mean it. He was the oldest director after her.


    Bifrons was seated with his eight eyes closed. He seemed to have sensed that Sitri arrived, but he didn''t move at all.


    As always, Abraxas sat weirdly and fiddled with strangely shaped toys. After saying hello to Sitri with an insidious smile, he focused on the toys again.


    "How are you?"


    Samael greeted her with a gentle smile. She forgot what happened at the last special auction house. Because of this, Sitri responded with a bright smile.


    Sitri sat in the only empty seat at the table and greeted other directors.


    Bifronz opened his eyes. Abraxas was giggling after putting the toys back into his bag, and Orobas greeted Sitri again. Samael hid his deep feelings with a gentle smile.


    Sitri buried herself in the chair and drooped her shoulders. It was the same meeting, as always. But somehow she felt different this time.


    Bifrons opened his mouth and proclaimed the beginning of the meeting.


    ***


    The arena was quiet. It seemed as if the cold air blocked all the sounds of the world.


    Catalina flapped her long ears and looked at the stand. In addition to the previous masters of the House of Mammon, there were many other people gathered. All the arena spirits also gathered in one place.


    Kaiwan laughed bitterly. Ophelia shuddered lightly, and Eligos swallowed. Tigrius fixed his eyes faraway.


    Skull stopped walking. He watched Yong-ho stepping forward alone without stopping.


    He crossed the stand and stood in the arena. He looked at the man on the other side.


    "Did you know it''s today?"


    "Because I lived long enough, I had something like a premonition."


    Gusion laughed brightly. He was wearing a leather combat suit instead of his usual black suit. Red heat was arising from the black gauntlet that he wore on his fists.


    "You''re the first to challenge me on the top floor."


    It was really long. It had been over a thousand years.


    Finally, the King of Greed had returned. Yong-ho was the successor who inherited all that Mammon had longed for so much.


    Gusion spat out the cigarette in his mouth.


    He said, grinning like a child, "Let me tell you in advance. I''m not going to give you a break. Even if I am defeated and become an arena spirit, I won''t regret it."


    Yong-ho also smiled at his provocative declaration. He laughed heartily and wore the silver dragon armor. Grasping the air, he got the flames of the red lotus. Then he released the Sins of Greed and Gluttony.


    Six towering horns on his head. They were clearly the power of the king.


    Yong-ho was on par with the six kings who ruled the demon world. Gusion admitted it calmly. Then Gusion released all the power available to him, even though it was less than that during his heyday. Six horns arose above his head.


    Gusion had Herculean power. He possessed the strongest short-range attack power among Mammon''s 12 Spirits. Except for Aamon, virtually, Mammon''s alter ego, he was the strongest among them.


    He was a legend and a living myth.


    "Come on, you who challenges me, the king of the arena!"


    Yong-ho saw him and did not delay any more. He rushed, creating the flames of angry greed.


    Gusion was the king of the arena.


    At last, the two giants clashed.

 236 Gusion 1

    The weight of years was heavy. It was never easy even for those mighty beings who lived for more than a thousand years to remember the things of the distant past.


    It was even hard for them to count the number of their past events. Thousands and tens of thousands of days were blocking the gap between now and the past.


    But Gusion remembered it. He could vividly recall what had happened more than a thousand years and an even more distant past than the day King Mammon died, as if it were yesterday.


    He watched the king from behind.


    The king''s back view.


    He once decided to follow him. He was immature in those days.


    "Master."


    My Lord. My King.


    Gusion looked at the present, not the past. At that moment, he saw a man rushing toward him in an eternity of moments that had been split every second.


    The successor of the king and the man who resembled the king but looked different.


    Gusion clenched his fist. With a hearty laugh, he moved on fast. He focused on the present with the time that started flowing again.


    He clashed with Yong-ho. There was a big roar when they clashed.


    ***


    The time he climbed the 30th floor, Yong-ho could not use the power of his subordinate spirits. He could bring out the power of Mammon''s 12 Spirits through Mammon''s Godly Energy, but he could not inside the arena.


    Therefore, his fighting on the 30th floor reminded him of his final battle with the King of Gluttony.


    And that was the same when he fought on the 39th floor, the top floor of the arena.


    Hitting the ground hard, he activated the heart of the Demon God. Without going through the due step gradually, five of the seven claws immediately penetrated his chest.


    It hurt. At the same time, however, he felt power was soaring from inside.


    He pondered over it overnight. His fight against Gusion was not supposed to last long. For nearly half a year, he had been with Gusion. Given that the passage of time was not so clear in the arena, he might have spent more time with Gusion than he thought.


    Gusion did not spare his power. Since the day Yong-ho first asked Gusion to teach him, he tried to pass on to Yong-ho everything he knew.


    So, Yong-ho knew that it was impossible to maintain the distance with him or to make use of his superior mana to engage in a protracted fight. There was only one way for him to defeat the beast named Gusion, which was the primitive battle between the power of the two.


    Yong-ho was determined to demonstrate all his power available. Gusion might have felt the same way. This was going to be a fierce battle.


    Yong-ho concentrated. Gusion clenched his fist.


    Yong-ho tightened his legs and hit the ground. With tremendous power, he traversed the space quickly. He saw Gusion throwing his punch.


    Yong-ho avoided his first blow. Needless to say, it was a miracle. As the strongest Red Demon, there was no mistake in Gusion''s punch. Since his body and mana worked together at the moment he intended, Yong-ho could not discern the flow of Gusion''s mana as he used to. That was why it was a miracle that he avoided Gusion''s fatal blow. It was impossible for him to explain how he avoided Gusion''s attack. Maybe he did it instinctively or by experience.


    Yong-ho''s eyes moved. He looked over Gusion''s huge left arm. His eyes met Gusion''s.


    Gusion was laughing.


    Bang!


    There was a deafening roar for the second time. Once again, a miracle happened. Gusion rotated his body then threw his right punch, but it missed the target. Before his punch broke the ground, Yong-ho rushed toward him bravely. He rotated his body in the same direction as Gusion and stood behind his back.


    The waves that shook the atmosphere reverberated on the ground this time. The ground that could not withstand Gusion''s mighty punch was torn in all directions.


    Yong-ho moved his right hand. He didn''t sense the moment he did it. At the moment, no one could have guessed, Aamon, with ultra-high green flames, became a flash of light.


    Gusion punched his jaw while the magic spear of Aamon cut through the air. Gusion, getting close to Yong-ho, threw a punch for the second time.


    His punch bounced out. A shield of distortion released from his left hand twisted the trajectory of Gusion''s fist. Both eyes met over Yong-ho''s silver dragon armor which was smashed by his punch. The two launched another attack against each other.


    There was a series of roaring whenever they clashed. Their close-range fighting brought about unimaginable results. Their mana collided. They hit then avoided each other''s attack. Since their fighting was straightforward and simple, it was so intense and fierce.


    Gusion''s armor was stained with blood. The leather clothes that covered his red upper body were already burned with the green flames.


    Yong-ho wasn''t that different from Gusion, either. The silver dragon armor was already in tatters. Each time he attacked Yong-ho, its fragments scattered in the air.


    They now sped up their attack. The breathless fighting seemed to blow away Yong-ho''s consciousness at any moment.


    On the other hand, Gusion felt extreme joy. It wasn''t just because Yong-ho was fighting better than he expected. He just took great delight in fighting itself.


    While over a thousand years were passing outside the arena, Gusion trained himself. He didn''t care about the loss of mana caused by the death of his master¡ªMammon. He was a Red Demon who fought physically. Although his mana was weak, he was not weakened.


    He was still the strongest Red Demon ever.


    Bang!


    There was a change in his blazing fast attack. Instead of attacking Yong-ho, Gusion soared vertically. He jumped more than a dozen meters at once and rotated his body. He hurriedly raised his head and rushed down to Yong-ho with a mighty punch. His vertical attack was like a meteor burning the atmosphere.


    Gusion''s striking was so powerful as to break everything on the ground, but it missed its target. But he didn''t care. What he wanted from the beginning was not to destroy Yong-ho.


    The air shook with the release of mana. The floor of the stadium collapsed at the moment his punch hit the ground. Hundreds of fragments that lost gravity because of his overwhelming force scattered into the air.


    Yong-ho saw him amid the chaotic moment. As Gusion was on the offensive, he was not distracted by anything around him. He threw his right punch toward Yong-ho, who missed the chance to counterattack in the fast-changing environment.


    This time, Gusion didn''t use his fist. Instead, he grabbed Yong-ho''s left hand with his right hand. Without ever crossing each other''s gaze, Gusion used his Herculean power. Gusion let out a powerful force by swinging his right hand as hard as he could.


    Yong-ho screamed. His left arm was torn out. His muscles were torn and his bones broke. The shock of his left arm being ripped from his body made him feel hazy.


    Gusion threw away his left arm. Blood gushing from his left shoulder splattered over him and Gusion. Gusion didn''t clench his right hand, which tore off his left arm. With the fragments of the destroyed ground falling down, Gusion resumed his attack.


    Yong-ho couldn''t avoid or prevent it. None of that was allowed. For the first time since they fought in the arena, Gusion mounted a perfect attack.


    Yong-ho, who was struck between his left chest and waist, was thrown away tens of meters and hit against the wall of the stadium. He felt like his body was being smashed just by the impact of it colliding against the wall.


    Gusion saw Yong-ho. He was squirming, stuck in the smashed wall of the stadium.


    Gusion clenched his teeth. Without any regret, he moved toward Yong-ho. As he promised to Yong-ho at the start of the fighting, he needed to beat him and end the fighting. His decisive attack created this situation. If Yong-ho had struck him down decisively, he, not Yong-ho, would have fallen on the ground.


    Gusion raised his head and looked outside the stadium. Kaiwan and Catalina were crying. Ophelia was trembling, squatting on the stand, Eligos denied what was happening before his eyes. Tigrius gnashed his teeth with his eyes closed. Only Skull stood firmly, facing Gusion.


    Gusion turned his gaze from them. He took another step. He grabbed his right hand stained with Yong-ho''s blood. The flames of the red lotus blocked him at the moment.


    It was a waterfall of fire. Starting from the red lotus, it became the green flames. A huge chunk of mana engulfed Gusion.


    Gusion felt the presence of Aamon from the flames. United with Yong-ho, Aamon was different from his other subordinate spirits. Even inside the stadium, Aamon could enforce his own intentions.


    Aamon''s efforts were useless. Gusion generated mana and grabbed the curtain of fire with both hands. He pushed Aamon out, who was rushing toward him without giving up.


    The fight was already over. Yong-ho could not beat Gusion in his current situation. He was so wounded that he could not even stand up.


    So, Gusion had to wrap up the fighting now.


    The curtain of fire was gradually split. Gusion looked straight ahead, stepping through the gap of the splitting curtain.


    Yong-ho was sitting among the fragments of the collapsed wall. Barely raising his upper body, he raised his right hand.


    Gusion looked into his eyes and felt great joy and sadness together. Fighting spirit was still burning in his eyes.


    Yong-ho opened his lips. Gusion was tens of meters away from him, but Gusion could hear his voice. So, he hurried. He urgently released power and tore the curtain of fire. Then he rushed to Yong-ho.


    Yong-ho saw him charging toward him. Instead of closing his blurry eyes, he grabbed his chest with his right hand. He managed to speak it out, "Synthetic reinforcement!"


    He could not put it off anymore, nor should he.


    A green light was flaring up in his eyes. Once again, Aamon intercepted Gusion rushing toward him. The waves of the green flames helped Yong-ho gain time.


    Mana, the target of the synthetic reinforcement, began to swirl in the heart of the Demon God. Greed and Gluttony roared at once.


    The moment Gusion finally crossed all the waves of the green flames, a strong light arose.


    The sixth claw was triggered from the heart of the Demon God who became united with Yong-ho in a true sense.


    The arena beyond the fighting area reverberated. A terrifying mana was released from his body, along with the green flames. A temporary seventh horn in the shape of light came out between the six horns.


    Yong-ho was exhausted and his bones were broken. Even handling the released mana was difficult for him. He didn''t even know how long he could stick it out.


    Nonetheless, he could still fight.


    Gusion laughed. He burst into laughter before he knew it. He gladly clenched his fist.


    Yong-ho also laughed. With his right hand, he grabbed the air. Then he stood up and let down the magic spear, Aamon, the red lotus.


    The two looked at each other, then fought again.

 237 Gusion 2

    Now, the fighting between Yong-ho and Gusion was completely different from when they fought first. There was nothing like a hairbreadth escape or continuous counterattack.


    It was literally a primitive fight.


    The two attacked and counterattacked. They only thought of beating each other with a stronger attack.


    They slugged it out. Gusion''s punch twisted time and space. Hundreds of thousands of Gusion''s punches rained down on Yong-ho''s body like an avalanche. But Yong-ho penetrated the avalanche with his secret weapon.


    The Godly Energy of Fury took hold of the space around Aamon instead of jumping through space. The avalanche crashed.


    The fighting ground could no longer withstand their battle. Mammon''s shield protecting the stand was long destroyed. Not only Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits but also the arena spirits shuddered at their fierce fighting.


    Once again, blood splattered in the air. The two instinctively felt they reached the limit of their physical strength.


    Gusion''s left arm did not move. Yong-ho''s mana, which was going up endlessly, was slowly disintegrating. There was not much time left for his survival.


    The two stopped attacking all of a sudden. They burst into laughter at the same time. Since they were covered with wounds, their laughter was misery itself. They even threw out blood simultaneously.


    "Young Master, you''re a real tough cookie."


    "Our fighting was too long. Let''s stop here and go see Scathach."


    They laughed again at their feeble voice. Both knew their next fighting would be the last.


    So, they didn''t need any more talking.


    Gusion clenched his fist. Yong-ho concentrated all his power on Aamon.


    The two clashed again. Both engulfed each other. Yong-ho''s green flames and Gusion''s red mana not only brought about a huge impact, but it also generated enormous light and heat.


    A shock wave hit them at the same time.


    Gusion thought, falling on the ground. Even though he lost his right arm entirely, he felt something else rather than pain.


    ''Master.''


    He felt dizzy. He was overcome by fatigue that he forgot while fighting. It seemed like he would lose consciousness any time soon. But still, his heart was beating.


    Gusion didn''t close his eyes. He clenched his teeth to maintain consciousness even though his vision was already blurred. He felt the strong fishy scent of blood in his nose.


    Gusion recalled one day in the distant past. The day was like now, but different.


    It happened more than a thousand years ago.


    He smiled even when he was almost dying. Today was not that day. But he could see something similar to what had happened on that day.


    Now the fighting was over. Yong-ho won.


    Gusion couldn''t stand it anymore. Tears flowed from his eyes.


    "My King!"


    His low voice soon became magic. He broke the invisible chains that held Gusion and many others around for many years.


    Mammon''s shield was lifted. A pure white light covered the entire arena.


    "Master!"


    In the light, Catalina was crying loudly, which she kept holding down until now. She was about to run toward him, crying. But Kaiwan held her. As a former spirit of the arena, Kaiwan instinctively realized what kind of moment it was now. She also wanted to cry her eyes out like Catalina, she held it back. She had to watch the reunion of the king who finally returned and his vassals.


    Eligos supported Ophelia, who couldn''t stand up properly because her legs became wobbly. Tigrius groaned with admiration. The lifting of Mammon''s shield that lasted for more than a thousand years was a spectacular scene itself.


    Instead of laughing heartily as always, Skull breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked at his master with purple eyes.


    Since the shield of the arena was dismantled, Yong-ho and Gusion also recovered their original bodies. Their armor in tatters, as well as exhausted mana, were not perfectly restored, but they managed to face each other in a respectful manner.


    The spirits of the arena stood behind Gusion. They showed due manners to the new king and their new master by raising their weapons.


    "My king, the great King of Greed who has finally returned."


    Gusion did not hide his tears. He raised his clenched fist on his chest. Then he led the chant on behalf of the arena spirits.


    "Gusion and the 112 spirits here swear allegiance to the master of the Labyrinth of Greed."


    His oath was simple but strong. Followed by Gusion''s chanting, the arena spirits raised their voices at once, which displayed their magnificent dignity.


    Aamon didn''t shout separately. In fact, he was so moved that he could not speak at all. He felt the same way as Gusion.


    Yong-ho felt a bit embarrassed because of their resounding voices, but he was a king now. As Gusion declared, he was the master of the Labyrinth of Greed. He felt a little awkward, but he smiled at the arena spirits. Then he got down to the point briefly and said, "I hope I''m in your good hands."


    The arena spirits laughed here and there. Catalina and Kaiwan ran quickly and hugged Yong-ho, who was pushed back and fell on the ground. Gusion smiled faintly and sat down.


    Normally, he could hold their hands gently one by one, but he couldn''t do it now.


    Instead of standing up, he just lay down and looked up at Gusion.


    He then said, hugging Catalina and Kaiwan, "Okay, then let''s go recover right away."


    Gusion blinked. Each time Yong-ho smiled, he felt like he had a sharp pain in his stomach, but he once again smiled at Gusion and said, "Aren''t we messed up? Then we should go to the hospital. I''m a little worried if I can walk to the first floor in this condition."


    Gusion looked up and looked at the entrance to the arena. After watching it blankly for a long time, he barely opened his mouth, "Master."


    He called it shortly.


    Gusion raised not only Yong-ho but also Kaiwan and Catalina with his big hand, but Skull, who was excellent at doing something in a timely manner, stretched out his hand and removed the two women from Yong-ho.


    Gusion pointed to the ceiling by moving his chin.


    "Let''s go now."


    Yong-ho allowed Gusion to carry him on his back. At that moment, he listened to Lucia''s voice while hanging on Gusion''s back, which was pretty large.


    [Oh My God!]


    [You are in the arena right now, right? Nonetheless, you have got to be connected to me, right?]


    He didn''t bother to answer. He left the arena with Gusion and headed to the Garden of Life, where Scathach had been waiting for them.


    When they reached, Scathach was already crying.


    Hugging Yuria, at a loss of what to do, she cried her eyes out like a child. She cried and even had a runny nose, but she didn''t care.


    Only the mansion located in the middle of the lake was the space allowed for Scathach.


    Since she couldn''t step out of the mansion at all, she settled on the edge of the mansion.


    She waited for Yong-ho and Gusion at a place close to the entrance.


    Quick-witted, Lucia had the Skull unit open the door in advance. As a result, the moment Gusion entered the hallway, he could see Scathach from a distance.


    Gusion ran. Scathach got up from her seat and leaned against the invisible wall. She cried out Gusion''s name.


    And finally, the distance between the two disappeared. Gusion hugged her with his large hands.


    Yuria, who was in Scathach''s arms, got barely released and staggered while Yong-ho bounced off his back and rolled on the floor. However, neither of them were displeased.


    ***


    "Where are Gusion and Scathach now?"


    Kaiwan, who came up late, asked, looking at Yong-ho who was still lying down on the floor. Yong-ho, who was covering Yuria''s ears with his hands for some reason, smiled bitterly and pointed at Scathach''s mansion with a look. Catalina, who had the best hearing among the Mammon spirits, pricked her ears several times and then covered her face with both hands. Suddenly, not only her ears and face but also her neck turned red.


    "Well, they''re making great love in a thousand years," said Ophelia.


    Eligos and Tigrius simultaneously cleared their throats.


    Yong-ho whispered into the air.


    "Lucia, don''t sneak a peek at them. Just focus on your work. You have to take control of the 7th floor¡­ Lucia?"


    [Ugh!]


    [Sure, I''ll start taking control of the 7th floor.]


    [Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat¡­ Oh my...]


    [Let me start right away!]


    Fortunately, only Yong-ho could hear it.


    Yong-ho pleasantly watched Scathach''s mansion after breathing out deeply.


    He felt good he could obtain all the arena spirits including Gusion by conquering the arena, but what pleased him more was the dramatic reunion of Gusion and Scathach.


    ''Shall I postpone my work until tomorrow and pass out here?''


    Although he was physically alright, he was mentally exhausted. It was because he was so inert as to stand up that he still lay on the floor.


    Moreover, the side effects of his reliance on the Demon God were greater than expected. If he had turned to him in a place other than the arena, he could have suffered even more side effects.


    Right at that moment, the flames of the red lotus arose from his bedside. It was Aamon as always.


    [My master!]


    Aamon''s whispering was delivered not only to Yong-ho but also to the other subordinate spirits.


    All of them felt warmth from the flames of the red lotus.


    [You have conquered the arena. And you will make Gusion your subordinate spirit.]


    Gusion could be said to be the beginning of the domino. Now, Scathach was going to join Yong-ho. If Gusion and Scathach joined him, it was highly likely that Richard would also follow suit.


    Just like Kaiwan said, Yong-ho''s possession of Mammon''s 12 Spirits was within his grasp sooner or later.


    [Gusion''s power is ''courage,'' which was something that made him never give up in the face of any ordeal and overcome it.]


    [There is no other power that suits him perfectly other than that, given his role as the king''s vanguard.]


    Yong-ho agreed with a nod. Kaiwan, who had spent the longest time with Gusion, smiled warmly.


    [And¡­]


    Aamon paused for a moment then created even greater flames.


    He said, looking directly at Yong-ho, [Now you''re fully qualified as the master.]


    It was clear what he meant.


    Yong-ho responded instinctively.


    "Mammon."


    The King of Greed. The greatest monarch in the history of the demon world.


    He suddenly disappeared one day. He disappeared from history, believe it or not.


    Mammon''s 12 Spirits knew the truth. However, they could not speak, bound by some prohibitions.


    Now all those bans were lifted. Yong-ho finally got the right to hear the truth.


    [I agree with Yustia. I think it is best to hear it from Gusion.]


    The flames of the red lotus flickered again.


    He whispered, [You don''t have to be in a hurry¡­]


    [... Because it''s just a once-upon-a-time story.]


    His voice was scattered. The flames faded away.


    Yong-ho saw the Godly Energy of Mammon on his left arm. He felt only a small beating from the heart of the Demon God who was united with him.


    ***


    Time passed fairly.


    Various events were happening outside the Mammon House, in the north and west as well as in the center of the demon world.


    A day had passed.


    The war in the north continued. The meeting between the Queen of Fury and the heads of the eight clans didn''t produce any consensus about the queen''s proposal, given the significance of the matter. And the meeting of the five directors of the Dungeon Market was somewhat different from what it was before.


    Yong-ho and Gusion faced each other at Scathach''s mansion.


    Gusion, as always, did not drag on needlessly.


    He started telling the truth about Mammon, holding Scathach in one arm.


    It was an old story dating from over a thousand years ago.

 238 King’s Time 1

    The subordinate spirits of the House of Mammon began to gather at Scathach''s mansion.


    It was almost noon.


    Gusion looked calm. Although there was still fatigue on his face, he didn''t fail to smile.


    It was yesterday when he fought a deadly fight with Yong-ho. Even though he took rest all day long, he was not fully recovered, so Yong-ho delayed making him his subordinate spirit later.


    Actually, he summoned them for a different reason.


    Each of them took their seat comfortably. The blue water, which could be called the specialty of Scathach''s mansion, served as a jelly-like chair, where they leaned comfortably.


    "Okay, master. May I reel out the story from now on. I would like to start, then."


    Holding Scathach''s waist with one arm, he spoke somewhat awkwardly.


    Yong-ho responded with a more awkward expression, "That''s enough. You don''t have to use honorific language. Just tell me as you used to. I''ll treat you the same as I did before."


    "Hmmm. That''s why I like you, master."


    He gently grinned at Yong-ho then gave up using honorific language.


    Leaning on his chest, Scathach also giggled.


    "Alright. Where should I start talking? Actually, I''ve been imagining this moment for the last one thousand years, but I find it rather hard to speak in front of you like this."


    Yong-ho did not press him. Aamon, who arose in the air as the flames of the red lotus, also waited calmly for his words.


    Finally, Gusion opened his mouth.


    "It''s a thing of the distant past. It happened a thousand and hundreds of years ago when Master Mammon was still alive."


    Scathach fidgeted with her fingers to help Gusion. Some of the blue water went up and became a map of the demon world in the distant past. About half of the demon world was unified under one name.


    "There happened all sorts of strange things in many parts of the estates, or the territory of Greed, ruled by Master Mammon in those days. For example, a whole dungeon or a small town disappeared altogether."


    Kaiwan leaned forward when he used the expression ''disappeared.'' She asked with a glance, and Gusion nodded and continued, "Sometimes a dungeon evaporated without leaving behind even a single piece of it, and sometimes the city was destroyed as if it were attacked. Since there were survivors left behind, this strange phenomenon was known a long time after it happened initially."


    Nobody knew when and where this kind of bizarre phenomenon occurred. It was because there was no guarantee that it would occur only in the village or a dungeon.


    Gusion grabbed a part of the water that formed the map of the demon world. Although it was a model, he erased part of the demon world and continued, "The more Master Mammon investigated the incidents, the more severe the situation became. The bizarre phenomena increased as time passed by, and the damages of the affected areas increased as well. In some cases, the affected dungeon was fine, but all the people inside it died without any wound as if only their souls escaped out of their bodies."


    Gusion paused for a moment. After catching his breath once, he continued, "While Master Mammon was in the thick of investigating the events, the Queen of Sloth in the neighboring country visited him. Actually, the Queen of Sloth was investigating the same phenomenon in her country."


    "If that''s the case, this kind of strange thing didn''t take place only in the territory of the King of Greed, right?" asked Ophelia.


    Gusion replied with a nod.


    "You''re right. That''s the point. This strange thing occurred throughout the demon world. This was happening not only in the territory of the King of Greed and the Queen of Sloth but also in the territories of other kings."


    Gusion reached out for the map of the demon world. Then there popped up small holes everywhere on the map. Then he erased it one by one.


    "About six months have passed since Master Mammon started investigating this strange thing. Finally, Mammon discovered the cause of this weird phenomenon. To tell you the conclusion, it was the result of twisting. However, it was different from the usual twisting. Beyond the twisting was an alien world, which was not the same demonic world. Moreover, the alien world was too much different from the numerous worlds that had a temporary passage to the demon world until then. It was a very special world."


    Gusion took a silver coin out of his pocket. Then, he made it float in the air with mana, which was round and flat.


    "It can be compared to both sides of a coin. It could be called the twin of our demon world. A world that has been always connected to the demon world, but a world where people could not meet us in the demon world, nor should we."


    The silver coin that Gusion floated in the air rotated round and round. Everyone''s eyes turned to the back of the silver coin, which was not visible at first.


    "The twisting that occurred from that alien world affected the demon world. Sometimes, it evaporated the whole area, and sometimes, it absorbed all the souls around the twisting. In some cases, the beings that came from the twisting were engaged in destruction."


    The first two cases were particularly problematic. If this kind of phenomenon were allowed to continue, the entire demon world could collapse.


    "This alien world was the twin of the demon world, but at the same time it would bring about the destruction of the demon world if something went wrong."


    Gusion grabbed the silver coin and whispered, "Master Mammon called the world a ''celestial world."


    ***


    In many cases, the meetings of the five directors of the Dungeon Market proceeded with the participants reading their one-sided reports. And that was the same when they met face to face instead of meeting in the virtual space.


    As a result, the meeting was short as a rule. When the five directors met, their meeting usually didn''t last more than two hours.


    But this time, the meeting lasted long. They couldn''t wrap up the meeting in a few hours. Dubbed the strongest mana, Abrasax, called for another meeting on the second day. Indeed they convened a second meeting when Bifronz, the best intellect, agreed.


    Actually, they already discussed all the important agenda at their yesterday''s meeting.


    Orobas, the strongest Herculean power, looked at Abrasax with a curious expression, and Samael also showed great curiosity about the second meeting.


    Abrasax, who was dragging on without any interesting agenda, put down the toys he was playing with. Then he casually said in passing, "Today the King of Pride will attack the King of Envy."


    It was nothing new to the participants. In fact, for the past several months, the King of Pride and the King of Envy were engaged in fierce fighting.


    Sitri tilted her head slightly, feeling out of place. Abrasax raised his head and looked at her.


    Then he said, grinning at her, "Some of you already know what I mean."


    Sitri narrowed her eyebrows. The five directors looked at each other.


    Right at that moment, some already began to move.


    ***


    There was a huge twisting between the celestial world and the demonic world behind this very bizarre phenomenon. Unlike other twistings, it was not temporary. Other twistings continued from the existing twisting that was always active."


    Scathach''s waterdrops became one and created a large map of the demon world again. One of them was separated and placed high in the sky.


    "It''s the door to the celestial world. Mammon had to close the door. Only then could the demon world be protected from this bizarre phenomena."


    Now, Gusion began to speed up the flow of the story.


    Ophelia, who kept swallowing while listening to him, asked quickly, "Wait. Why is it so unilateral? If the celestial world is a twin of the demon world, aren''t they supposed to be equal?"


    "I don''t know about it. But what was clear was the fact that the power of the celestial world was like poison to our demonic beings. Those of us with weak mana had to lose their lives simply by being exposed to the power of the celestial world. Only those with at least three horns could fight even when exposed to the power of the celestial world."


    When he replied, Ophelia made a blank expression. He mentioned at least three horns.


    It meant that only a handful of people in the vast demon world could confront the celestial world.


    "In no time, Master Mammon could find where the door was located. However, shutting down the door was not easy because our master found the existence of the door too late. Not only was the power of the celestial world abundant around the door, but there were also too many beings from the celestial world."


    Gusion paused for a moment.


    As if suppressing his emotions, he clenched his teeth several times before continuing.


    "The five kings who ruled the demon world at that time gathered in one place because any king alone could not shut the door of the celestial world."


    Greed, Pride, Envy, Lust, Sloth.


    A twisted smile was on Gusion''s face.


    He continued, "A dramatic alliance was formed secretly. Since they were supposed to be exposed to the celestial world, the five kings chose their elite troops. They wanted to concentrate their elite forces all at once to shut the door immediately. It was a simple solution in some way."


    Scathach was silent. Aamon also did not say anything, either.

 239 King’s time 2

    It was just Gusion only who was talking.


    "At first, everything went smoothly. But the situation became different when they were finally about to shut the door of the celestial world, faced with their fiercest resistance."


    Yong-ho closed his eyes. Kaiwan also clenched her teeth. Catalina bit her lips, hoping what she thought was not true.


    "The King of Pride, the King of Envy, and the King of Lust betrayed Master Mammon. The Queen of Sloth didn''t betray him, but that''s it. The situation was irreversible by that time."


    Gusion frowned as if he was about to shed bloody tears at any moment.


    "Elune was killed first, followed by Baruna and Yuho Yuan in the fierce fighting. All the 12 Spirits of Mammon were severely wounded."


    Yong-ho could remember it at that time. He recalled it when he peeked into the memories of Sitri and Mammon¡ªGusion was crying, shedding bloody tears, and Elune died in Sitri''s arms.


    "Fortunately, Master Mammon survived. But he did not choose to leave the scene."


    Gusion let down his shoulders. His angry tone now subsided.


    "The door of the celestial world was too wide open. If he backed down, he couldn''t promise the safety and survival of his country. So, Master Mammon decided to¡­"


    The flames of the red lotus were burning high. Scathach put her hand on Gusion''s hand.


    Gusion cried and laughed while talking.


    Recalling the unforgettable king, who he had never forgotten for more than a thousand years, Gusion said, "He climbed the stairs to the celestial world alone. He chose to sacrifice himself to save the demon world."


    ***


    Abrasax soon erected seven horns. As if his nickname, the strongest mana, was not fake, he took control of the surrounding area with his enormous mana.


    Almost at the same time, Bifronz and Orobas also opened their horns. The combined mana generated from the six horns became united with Abrasax''s, increasing the density of mana. It was literally a choking pressure.


    Samael, the fastest wing, hurriedly opened her horns to confront their mana, but it was in vain. Abrasax''s mana was thrust into her like a serpent and tied her up. As if closing a bottle cap, he crushed her mana with his stronger mana.


    Sitri also suffered the same thing. The mana of the three other directors squeezed her body.


    Abrasax said, "I was thinking of executing it a bit slowly. Just like I did to Orobas and Bifronz, I took the time to try to persuade Samael and Sitri as well. But the situation was so urgent that I could not help it."


    Abrasax shook his head then made a smile humorously by twisting his beak.


    "The King of Gluttony was dead. I don''t know who killed him, but he died anyway. Even the Ten Warriors that he boasted of so much were also killed. So, what should I do? Wouldn''t the dog that lost its owner have to find a new owner?"


    Abrasax couldn''t hide his joy.


    "There is no longer the territory of the King of Gluttony because the dogs who found a new owner hoisted up a new flag. Probably, there is a big turmoil there by now. They must be engaged in fighting each other, calling each other traitors."


    The three masters who used to enjoy a powerful force under the King of Gluttony chose the King of Pride as their new master. They reported to the king about the death of the King of Gluttony and the Ten Warriors, but they also pledged to devote their entire forces to him.


    Now, it was time they kept their pledge.


    The three masters who changed their master under the red sky were probably having a bloody feast. Their first mission was to annihilate the puppet king and a handful of loyalists. They had to get rid of the King of Gluttony''s remnants to dedicate the king''s whole territory to the King of Pride.


    "The King of Pride will attack the King of Envy. The King of Lust can no longer resist him. Today the northern area will be unified under the King of Pride," Orobas said in a low voice.


    Abrasax laughed even louder.


    "The Dungeon Market will follow him. Our role as a preposterous charity organization is over. We''re going to join hands with the King of Pride to go beyond the north to unify the whole demon world."


    The Dungeon Market had the power to control the entire demon world. However, they used it only in business deals. Besides, they didn''t do the business properly. They were just content with handling the business as usual by playing the book.


    Abrasax hated it. He wanted to use the power of the Dungeon Market for a more valuable cause.


    "We will reorganize the demon world. It would be nice if we could remove all the hybrid clans from the alien world. Don''t you think the demon world will be much more beautiful and fresh?"


    He spoke casually, but Samael couldn''t stay still. The number of what the purists called "hybrids" in the demon world was several million. Are they going to kill all of these "hybrids"? How could he mention it so lightly?


    Samael could not even say they were crazy. She could not just stand her anger surging inside her.


    The best intellect, Bifronz opened all of his eight eyes.


    He said, watching Sitri and Samael, "We don''t have much time like Abrasax just said. I know the atmosphere is a bit coercive, but I want you to make the decision now."


    The Dungeon Market was like a beast with five heads. If any of the five heads differed with the other heads, it had to be cut off. Only then could the demon called the Dungeon Market could exert its united power.


    Orobas took a step. As the strongest Red Demon of his time, he did not hide his murderous intentions.


    "Choose whether you will go along with us or you want to be killed."


    ***


    Mammon climbed the stairs alone. Since he chose to die alone. He forced his 12 Spirits to return to the demon world.


    There was not enough time. Because of the influence of the celestial world, he could not use his ordinary magic to have them return. He had to break their will to stay with him. For this reason, their forced return was as good as sealed. Sending Aamon back to the demon world, he left the rest up to Magnadon.


    Aamon and Scathach didn''t see him afterward because they were asleep for a long time.


    But Gusion was a little different. Like them, he didn''t see Mammon, but he could hear from the previous masters of the House of Mammon who visited the arena about what happened afterward.


    "The traitors went all out to destroy the House of Mammon. They also concealed the fact that the door of the celestial world ever existed in order to bury their disgusting and ugly betrayal in the dark. Master Mammon''s sublime sacrifice was hidden, and the House of Mammon fell."


    And a thousand years passed. The King of Pride, who led the betrayal, died, and the King of Lust practically chose to seclude himself. The. King of Envy, who was always controlled by another king, was on the verge of losing his country to the new King of Pride.


    Gusion was now done. He told them all he knew. But Yong-ho had a lot to ask.


    Why did Mammon want his 12 Spirits to not reveal this truth? Why did he arrange for only the master who was duly qualified to know the truth? That was not all. He had more questions about the 12 Spirits, but what he actually asked Gusion was quite a different question.


    "What was the Queen of Sloth doing at the time?"


    Three of the five kings betrayed Mammon. But the Queen of Sloth didn''t. Then, what happened to her? What was she doing when the Mammon Family was collapsing? Was the Queen of Sloth betrayed as well? Was that why she secluded herself?


    Gusion laughed bitterly and replied with mixed feelings of love and hate.


    "The Queen of Sloth stayed with Master Mammon until he climbed the stairs. She fought with us 12 Spirits. While the House of Mammon was collapsing, I am not sure what she was doing at that time. But it is clear that she has been upholding one of the late Mammon''s wills."


    Yong-ho stopped breathing. The puzzles that were messed up in his mind were put together. But he didn''t have the specific evidence. He was sure who she was.


    She was that woman, Sitri.


    ***


    "Mammon," she murmured to herself.


    She then shouted, shrugging her shoulders, "Mammon!"


    She called it out loud. It looked like she was about to cry at any moment.


    It wasn''t because she was afraid of Orobas''s threat.


    The Dungeon Market that she used to know was broken. One of Mammon''s wills was once again defiled by the King of Pride.


    "What did you say? Mammon?"


    Orobas asked again. Sitri didn''t bother to answer. She closed her eyes and withdrew one of the attributes of her power, ''seclusion.''


    The three directors felt it at the same time. Something changed. A weird force arose among the mana of the three directors that filled the conference room.


    Samael felt Abrasax''s mana surrounding her distorted. Abrasax was startled, Bifronz and Orobas hurriedly concentrated their mana to overpower Sitri.


    But it was impossible. Seven horns of light rose above Sitri''s head like a crown. The mana she released all at once drove away their mana.


    And Sitri was satisfied with that moment. She reached out into the air. Through the ring, she summoned a lump of Brigada into the air and grabbed the Godly Energy of Sloth in the shape of a cane, which was a fragment of the flesh of the Demon God.


    Sitri.


    She was the "strongest force" of the Dungeon Market as well as the founder of the Dungeon Market, following the will of Mammon, the King of Greed.


    The Queen of Sloth released her power, the Sin of Sloth, after a thousand years.

 240 Blitzkrieg 1

    Tears kept flowing from Sitri''s eyes.


    She hugged Elune, who was covered with blood. Her body, which was getting colder little by little whenever she put her lips on her forehead, did not move this time.


    She could not believe Elune''s death, let alone the others'' death.


    But it was all true. She could not deny the stern fact. And now, she was faced with the reality she wanted to deny most.


    Her whole body ached. Her bloody body creaked before she hugged Elune. This space with the strongest celestial power in the demon world was a land of death even for Sitri, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    Sitri cried. She squeezed her voice to say something, again tightening her arms holding Elune.


    "Don''t go."


    It was harder than she thought. Her wet voice was small. It was difficult for her even to add one more word.


    It was also because of the power of the celestial world, but she was overwhelmed by the emotions. She could not control the overflowing feelings.


    Sitri once again opened her mouth, "Don''t go. Please, please..."


    She couldn''t say anything anymore. Dozens of words came to her mind at the same time, but none of them came out of her mouth. What she barely squeezed from her mouth was her desperate appeal to Mammon, her master.


    Mammon faced her. Although her face was messed with tears, he touched her beautiful face and kissed her forehead and lips.


    That was his way of expressing his goodbye. His fleeting kiss made her wake up to the grim reality more sharply. A world without Mammon, which would disappear forever in a moment, scared her.


    "Why?! Why should you go?! Why only you?!"


    She shouted out loud. It was a damn world. It was a filthy world full of dirty traitors. She could not understand why Mammon should sacrifice himself in such a situation? Why should Mammon bleed for those traitors?


    There were lots of things she wanted to say to him. She wanted to reproach herself for this deplorable situation.


    Mammon smiled at her again and said kindly, "Because only I can do it. Because I am the king of you and everyone."


    It wasn''t simply because he had the Sin and Godly Energy.


    He was the king, the leader and the navigator who would lead everyone.


    "And because it is mine... Since both you and this world are all mine, wouldn''t it be natural for me to keep what''s mine?"


    His statement befitted his position as the King of Greed. After wrapping up his words playfully, Mammon kissed Sitri once again.


    Sitri wanted to show him her own smile. But in the end, she could not help but cry again.


    So, she just begged him to take her


    Mammon glanced at her lovably. He touched Elune''s hand, which was still warm, and quickly stood up.


    The sky was twisted. The sky that should be red got mixed with blue light. There was really little time left for him now.


    Sitri couldn''t go with him together. Since it was his wish, she had no choice but to let him go alone.


    She wiped the tears with her bloody hands. She clenched her teeth to hold back her tears. She vividly etched the memory of him going along into her mind.


    Mammon went alone. He climbed the stairs leading to the celestial world¡ªthe end of the sky.


    ***


    "Sitri."


    Everyone pricked their ears when Gusion mentioned her name all of a sudden.


    Although the name suddenly popped up, Ophelia and Kaiwan understood why Sitri''s name was mentioned. There was astonishment on their faces.


    "Yes, Sitri is none other than the Queen of Sloth," said Gusion calmly.


    Scathach made a sad smile at that. Catalina could not make head or tail of what was going on.


    Of course, it wasn''t her fault. Gusion''s mention of Sitri was so shocking to everybody.


    With his eyes wide open, Eligos was aghast.


    With the exception of Yong-ho, Eligos was the one who met Sitri most within the Mammon family until now.


    It seemed Gusion had to give them more background explanation.


    Kaiwan made an expression as if she was about to shout loudly at any moment, but she held it back to the end. She was now suppressing herself.


    Yong-ho closed his eyes. Sitri''s face and voice distantly came to his mind.


    "Why?"


    Yong-ho didn''t ask Gusion why Sitri was the Queen of Sloth.


    Opening his eyes, Yong-ho looked straight at Gusion and asked, "If Sitri is the Queen of Sloth, why are you resenting her?"


    As Gusion admitted, Sitri fought with the Mammon family. She did not betray Mammon like the other kings.


    If that was the case, why did Gusion resent her?


    Gusion smiled at his question, but his expression was far from a smile.


    He replied with a rather weary voice.


    "The alliance of the five kings to save the demon world was a good thing. It''s fantastic when you hear it. But Master Mammon knew that the reality was not that simple. It is only possible in a fairy tale for those who were fighting against each other until yesterday to join hands to fight together for their common ideal goal."


    And that was the reality. In fact, the three kings¡ªKings of Pride, Envy, and Lust¡ªeventually betrayed Mammon.


    "We 12 Spirits did not trust the rest of the kings. So, we opposed our master''s alliance with them. But the Queen of Sloth, Sitri, made the case for the alliance. She encouraged Mammon to form the alliance, arguing that if the five kings joined hands, they could solve the current crisis."


    Gusion knew Sitri believed the use of the alliance truly. In fact, Sitri really believed their alliance would solve the problem facing the demon world. So, it was Sitri who was more shocked than anyone else by the betrayal of the three kings.


    Scathach tightened her hand holding Gusion.


    Gusion laughed awkwardly again and said, "Yes, I know. I was probably stupid. Maybe I might have needed someone I wanted to hate."


    Actually, Gusion couldn''t stand it without hating somebody. But for it, he couldn''t face the House of Mammon that collapsed in return for saving the demon world.


    Gusion could no longer continue. Scathach gently smiled at him, touching his hand.


    She wrapped it up on behalf of him.


    "But it''s water under the bridge now. There is no more threat from the celestial world. The King of Pride, who was the main instigator of betrayal, disappeared amid the passage of time. We still have the King of Envy and the King of Lust, but I wonder how we should deal with them."


    Even now, when she closed her eyes, she remembered that time. It was an unforgettable memory. But the passage of a thousand years made her calm down.


    "Master Mammon was worried about us until the end. He had another concern while sending us back to the demon world in a hurry, for it was so obvious that we 12 Spirits would cry out for revenge."


    Yong-ho recalled Asclepius at that moment. While he was confined to a thousand years of guilt, he became a madman. Perhaps, he must have thought of revenge before he went crazy.


    Scathach closed her eyes then cleared her voice before continuing.


    "Master Mammon didn''t want his successor, who would appear someday, to be passively entangled in our revenge efforts. That''s why he wanted his successor to realize the whole truth only when he could take control of his 12 Spirits."


    Actually, Yong-ho came to know the whole truth only after he could take control of Mammon''s 12 Spirits like now.


    Scathach opened her eyes again and looked at him with a calm and affectionate look, as always, not with an expression full of revenge.


    "Young Master, you''re now our new master. We will follow your will."


    Yong-ho moved his lips a bit. Catalina let down her ears with an anxious look, and Kaiwan just swallowed, looking at him.


    Scathach said again, "I''m not trying to pressure you. I''m not arguing for taking revenge right away. Too much time has passed for that. Now I understand what''s in Mammon''s heart. Mammon didn''t want us to pursue blind revenge."


    When Yong-ho obtained the heart of the Demon God for the first time, Mammon''s memory told him that he should pursue his own path and live a life based on his choice.


    That was what Mammon wanted. Like Scathach said, he wouldn''t have hoped that his successor and 12 Spirits would be bound by revenge alone.


    Yong-ho nodded. Scathach once again considered his feelings. As if to control Gusion who got impatient at the moment, she pulled his arm gently and said again, "Shall I change the topic a bit? Since you guys heard about this all of a sudden, let me answer your questions. If you have any questions about Sitri or what happened on that day, I''ll answer it. Just feel free to ask any questions. You won''t necessarily focus on Master Mammon."

 241 Blitzkrieg 2

    After she was done talking, she looked at the subordinate spirits of the Mammon family.


    Then Kaiwan opened her mouth first. "I''ve got a question!"


    She moved her lips to try to speak but found it a bit hard to say anything right away.


    Scathach kindly waited for her.


    After hesitating for a while, Kaiwan finally asked rather impatiently, "If Sitri is really the Queen of Sloth, why did she hide it from us so far? Why did she just seclude herself instead of reigning as the queen?"


    Kaiwan couldn''t understand. She was a queen with one of the Seven Deadly Sins and Godly Energy. But why did she live as one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market rather than a queen?


    Was it because she was scared of the other three kings? Was it because she might be assassinated if they knew the Queen of Sloth was alive?


    Given the political circumstances, it was highly likely that the other three kings were not aware of the fact that the Queen of Sloth was alive, or they might have not known that Sitri was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market.


    Even the records on the Mammon family did not indicate that Sitri was the Queen of Sloth, so it was very possible that the three kings didn''t know about her existence.


    According to various records, the Queen of Sloth always covered her face and body with a black veil and robe. As a result, it wasn''t strange at all that the King of Pride, the King of Envy, and the King of Lust regard the Queen of Sloth and the red-haired witch, Mammon''s lover as two different women. In fact, this kind of thinking was the most plausible. Otherwise, the fact that the King of Greed and the Queen of Sloth were lovers would have provoked the other kings too much. They would have thought that their romantic relationship would have stood in the way of their alliance.


    At Kaiwan''s asking, Scathach made a frown. It wasn''t because her question was difficult to answer. It was because even Scathach didn''t know why.


    Scathach looked at the flames of the red lotus burning in the air. Unlike Scathach herself and Gusion, who had been confined to the Labyrinth of Greed for the past one thousand years, Aamon moved in and out of the Labyrinth of Greed until recently. Moreover, he always met Sitri with Yong-ho. Maybe he might have some clues.


    Yong-ho and Kaiwan also turned to Aamon.


    Aamon whispered in a quiet voice, [I am not sure of her intentions, but...]


    [When I saw her after a thousand years, she was different from what I used to know before.]


    [On the day when the celestial door was closed, she was probably injured very much.]


    "Injured?"


    [Yes, because it was a fierce fight.]


    [It wouldn''t be strange if I say that she had been so severely wounded that she could not have healed even with the passage of one thousand years.]


    [If I speak based on my impression of her...]


    [Sitri, as she is now, is not complete. She will not be able to properly exercise her power as the Queen of Sloth.]


    ***


    There was a crack in the firm solidarity of the three directors. An alien force penetrated through the flow of their mana that got united as one until a moment ago.


    It was like an explosion. It was instant, but it was a tremendous power that completely pushed out the mana of the three directors.


    Abrasax, who was proud of his "strongest mana" at the Dungeon Market, was more sensitive to mana than any of the five directors. The moment he faced Sitri, the Queen of Sloth''s mana, he felt it keenly.


    That was the power of a true queen, equipped with both one of the Seven Deadly Sins and the Godly Energy.


    Abrasax felt he was spaced out. He didn''t hear anything about her from the King of Pride.


    What he heard from the King of Pride was that Sitri was Mammon''s lover and that she was a great demon who lived for a long long time.


    What should he do? How should he deal with the queen in front of him?


    A brief moment was like eternity. Abrasax saw Sitri in astonishment, and Bifronz tried to trigger the hidden secret weapon. Amid the chaotic situation, Orobas, the "strongest Herculean power," left himself to his instinct as a Red Demon.


    When everyone paid attention to Sitri, Orobas hit the ground.


    Then he threw himself toward Samael, who had not yet escaped from Abrasax''s mana.


    Their distance narrowed in an instant.


    Orobas threw his punch at Samael''s eyes. He had nothing like a personal grudge against her. He just moved in a way that was most advantageous to his unique combat sense as a Red Demon. In some way, he acted, based on his cold rational judgment.


    There were two options that Orobas could think of.


    One of them was for him to be Samael''s ally. It was the best option.


    Although Sitri showed obvious hostility toward him, Samael joined hands with the three other directors, it was four to one. Under any circumstance, they could beat her.


    But the situation would be completely different if Samael joined hands with Sitri.


    If that was the case, the matrix of the fighting would be three to two. Given Sitri''s extraordinary power, it was highly likely that the three directors would be defeated although they were numerically superior.


    Orobas was not sure which of the two situations would unfold. Therefore, Orobas decided to eliminate the number of cases. If Samael died here, the relative superiority of three-to-one would not change anyway.


    Orobas threw his punch. Even though he was obsessed with striking fast without any preparation, his blow was powerful beyond imagination. If he struck her accurately, it was clear that her delicate body would be smashed at once.


    At that moment, the demon king''s power, which Samael exerted desperately, was a little faster than his punch. His fist, aiming at the center of Samael''s chest, hit her shoulders slightly. But even his missed punch was powerful enough to smash her shoulders. They were in tatters as if they were swept away by an explosion, and there were severe cuts on her body, exposed to the impact of his punch. The black wings, located behind her broken shoulders, literally evaporated.


    Even the five directors did not know about each other''s power. Instead of thinking about why his punching missed, Orobas immediately prepared a second attack. Samael failed to exert her power again because she closed her eyes in severe pain. All she could do was scream terribly in pain.


    Abrasax and Bifronz finally understood the situation. The two hurriedly turned their eyes toward Samael only to find Samael screaming in pain. Samael was still alive.


    Orobas hastily turned around. Instead of punching her head, he slammed her in the back with his fist. His punch missed. When he turned his eyes after punching, Sitri already began to strike his chest.


    This time, the eyes of Sitri and Orobas crossed. Orobas clenched his teeth, but shortly afterward, his giant red body bounced off forcefully.


    Abrasax and Bifronz radiated their mana at the same time. Abrasax''s mana pressed on Samael, and Bifronz''s mana revived the mana of the other three directors and pushed out Sitri who was releasing power as the Queen of Sloth fully.


    Blood was gushing all over Samael''s body, who was trembling hard. Her bloody discharge stained her white dress red.


    "Kill her, kill her!" Abrasax shouted, full of malice. There was already joy in his face.


    But Bifronz was different. He was breaking into a cold sweat endlessly. Now was not the time for him to waste mana on Samael.


    "Abrasax!" Sitri shouted at him.


    Abrasax looked back at Sitri as if he suddenly came to his senses. Orobas, who had been bounced out, also got up quickly and looked at Sitri.


    The Godly Energy of Sloth was shining. The Godly Energy that found its owner paired with the Sin of Sloth, creating a tremendous mana.


    Abrasax''s mana that had been squeezing down Samael waned quickly. Besides, the combined mana of the three directors who seemed to swallow up Sitri at any moment was pushed out once more.


    "The Queen of Sloth!"


    Abrasax was astonished. Sensitive to mana, he understood what was happening right before his eyes. That was why he was overwhelmed with instinctive fear.


    His mana was weakened. His mana that overpowered Samael was not simply pushed out or evaporated. Actually, it was weakened. It then vanished. But the rate of its weakening was unusually fast. It seemed as if he was swept away by the torrent of time.


    Sitri injected mana into the Godly Energy again. The Godly Energy that resonated with the Sin of Sloth released its inherent power.


    ''Corrosion of the boundary.''


    That was the name Mammon coined for the power. All the hostile forces that entered the boundary of this force were quickly weakened. It then perished.

 242 Blitzkrieg 3

    Abrasax also shuddered. He recalled when he stood before the King of Pride. It was the same. In some way, he shuddered more this time. Sitri''s mana was as strong as his or rather weaker than his. Nonetheless, with the power of Sloth alone, she blocked his mana several times as big as his. The power of the invisible wall of corrosion that weakened and eliminated everything was terrifying.


    Orobas couldn''t dare charge at her. The reason Sitri pushed him out in the first encounter was because she wanted to get hold of Samael. If she had used the invisible wall of corrosion at that time to bring out the power of Sloth, he might have received a fatal blow. He could not even think of that scenario at this point.


    However, Orobas was not stricken with fear just like Bifronz and Abrasax. His sense of combat captured something new. He noticed Sitri''s arm holding the mana of Sloth was trembling.


    Blood came out of her lips.


    "Attack her now!"


    Orobas struck the air and gave off some mana. But Sitri immediately triggered the Godly Energy of Sloth to eliminate his mana. But she could not bear it anymore and spat out blood.


    Her chest and head were stained with blood. The blood flowing along her cleavage prompted Abrasax and Bfironz to attack her again.


    "Kill her!"


    Abrasax poured out his mana once again. It was foolish to use mana to strike down the invisible wall of corrosion that weakened mana itself. Rather, it was more efficient to attack it with pure mana.


    Bifronz moved his eight hands at the same time. Then he triggered the magic circles again. He then transmitted them to Abrasax instead of pouring out the flow of mana on Sitri.


    ''Let me finish the fight now.''


    Bifronz decided that he should not miss the Queen of Sloth, for she was simply too powerful.


    The queen who had her own Godly Energy had far superior power than he expected.


    The invisible wall of corrosion and the combined mana of the three directors clashed once again. Their mana was weakened and scattered again, but it was not quite the same as before.


    The boundaries of the invisible wall of corrosion were pushed back gradually.


    Sitri, who was holding the Godly Energy with trembling hands, vomited blood again.


    "A little more!"


    Blood came out from Abrasax''s eyes and nose, too. It was the first time he ever dealt with this kind of enormous mana, who had six horns since his birth.


    Sitri now staggered. Blood came out again from her mouth. The boundary of the invisible wall of the corrosion was now reduced to less than half of it.


    Samael raised her head. Dubbed "the fastest wing," she spread her remaining wing and hugged Sitri with trembling hands.


    "No. No!" Orobas shouted instinctively.


    Sitri squeezed out her remaining power, and Samael released her own power.


    Bang!


    Abrasax collapsed. As someone who operated mana directly, he knew that at the last minute, Sitri and Samael disappeared. Although he could not know what made them disappear at once, he clearly knew it was Samael''s power.


    Orobas hurriedly expanded his senses to check his surroundings, but it was useless. He could detect everything within a radius of 500 meters, but Sitri and Samael were not within that range.


    Bifronz gasped for breath. Thanks to an old friend of his who always gave advice, he could come to his senses quickly.


    He lost the Queen of Sloth. It was obvious that Samael would not join hands with them.


    If that was the case, now was not the time for him to worry and fear. He had to do the next as soon as possible.


    "Samael is now our enemy. Orobas, give orders to your men. You must destroy Samael''s dungeon."


    Out of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, Sitri was the most secretive one. Aside from the fact that she was the Queen of Sloth, the location of her dungeon was not even known.


    On the other hand, everybody knew Samael''s dungeon because the special auction house of the Dungeon Market was her own dungeon.


    The five directors of the Dungeon Market were basically demon kings with their own dungeons. Samael, the master of her dungeon, had several subordinate spirits. If they destroyed the heart of her dungeon to annihilate her subordinate spirits, they could inflict great damage on Samael where she was.


    The employees of the Dungeon Market headquarters appeared in various places. They didn''t know what happened to the Dungeon Market today. They were in a chaotic situation, not knowing about the sudden tragedy that engulfed the market today.


    Bifronz caught his breath again. As his old friend commented, Bifronz''s "intellect" was uniquely strong in analysis. He mentioned the most important thing in the current situation.


    "Sitri and Samael are seriously injured. So, we still have time. Even though it''s hard to overpower Sitri, we must take away everything from Samael."


    Sitri was the most veiled out of the five directors. Apart from the fact that she was the Queen of Sloth, the location of her dungeon was not even known.


    On the other hand, everybody knew the location of Samael''s dungeon. The Dungeon Market''s special auction house was her dungeon.


    The Dungeon Market was like a beast with five heads. They had to wrap up the current turmoil by expelling Samael as an enemy. They had to stop Samael''s forces from joining their hostile forces.


    "Our king will reproach us in that case," Abrasax muttered.


    Looking at the results alone, their mission had failed. The three directors were supposed to go under the King of Pride, but they didn''t appease Sitri and Samael, nor did they get rid of the two. This was the worst situation they could think of.


    "So, we have to hurry. We must get rid of Samael''s power. Even if it''s impossible to take over the whole power of the Dungeon Market, we must hand over almost all of it to the King of Pride."


    Abrasax stood up, slowly nodding. Orobas kept swallowing, looking at the spot where Sitri was standing.


    "The Queen of Sloth¡­"


    She was an enemy he had to confront again. And when he clashed with her again, he had to fight in a different way.


    The three directors did not delay any more. Orobas threw himself to join the forces attacking Samael''s dungeon, and Abrasax opened the door to the eastern region which would have been turned from the territory of the King of Gluttony to that of the King of Pride by now.


    The second mission of the powerful masters who hoisted the flags was to declare war on the Queen of Fury.


    Bifronz, who was left alone, turned toward the north.


    "Today," which might be the watershed of demonic history, was not over yet.


    ***


    Betrayal had always been fatal throughout all ages and countries.


    The traitor was an insider, not an outsider. No matter how large and solid a giant castle was built to defend against outside enemies, they could not avoid the traitor among them from stabbing them from behind.


    The Dungeon Market''s special auction house, befitting Samael''s dungeon, one of the five directors, boasted of a strong defense that made it meaningless to compare it to the dungeons of ordinary masters. But, as expected, it helplessly collapsed at the traitors'' attack.


    When Orobas arrived, more than half of the dungeon was already destroyed. Almost half of Samael''s subordinate spirits were killed by Orobas and Bifronz''s subordinates.


    Standing in front of the boundary line separating the deep floor of her dungeon and the special auction house, Orobas frowned. Samael''s right-hand man and the butler of the special auction house, Incubus Lord Karot, was standing before him, with his body covered with blood.


    "Excellent. Quite impressive." Orobas commented briefly.


    He said that from the bottom of his heart. About twenty Crimson Ogres belonging to Oroba''s assault squad were scattered around him, torn apart in a terrible shape. Moreover, at least five kinds of monsters were also sacrificed with the strong scent of their blood mixed with that of the ogres.


    Perhaps, Karot must have resisted their attack alone so that Samael''s subordinate spirits could gain time to escape or strengthen their barriers.


    Karot glared at Orobas without any response. As if to collect whatever strength he had, he gasped for breath.


    He didn''t ask why Orobas betrayed Samael or where she was now. That kind of question was just meaningless in the current situation.


    Orobas smoothed out the wrinkles of his eyebrows, looking at Karot. He even smiled.


    He liked the man a lot for a long time. He wished Samael had not turned into his enemy.


    He didn''t show any signs of attacking. Flying nearly a dozen meters in the blink of an eye, he struck Karot with his fist. Karot could not avoid it. Karot activated the magnetic field immediately, but it was smashed as soon as it was created.


    Karot''s left shoulder disappeared. There was no trace of it left at the tremendous impact of his attack.


    As in the case of Samael, Karot didn''t avoid it. Orobas targeted his shoulder on purpose.


    Karot couldn''t even scream because Orobas''s fist, which blew away his shoulder, punched his neck and mouth. Orobas grabbed him then threw him roughly to the ground. He was thrust into the ground with a force that could break it.


    Karot, whose bones were smashed to pieces, wriggled like an insect. Orobas stepped on his right arm with his feet. Then he tightened his feet to crush Karot''s fingers and shoulders. This time, a terrible scream broke in his mouth. Then, he stopped screaming since he could hardly breathe now.


    Trampling down his arms, Orobas looked down at Karot. He had no intention of killing Karot right now. It wasn''t because he felt Karot was too valuable to be killed. He still had to collect some more information from Karot, such as the location of a hiding place outside the dungeon where Samael could hide or specific information about her power.


    Of course, it didn''t mean Orobas had time to torture him slowly. Moreover, he had to deal a blow to Samael by killing Karot, so he intended to keep Karot alive at least until the necromancer who would extract information from his soul arrived.


    "You won''t die just because of these wounds, right?"


    Orobas spoke to him in a friendly manner, but Karot desperately tried to cast a spell.


    But Orobas destroyed his half-finished magic by smashing his left foot.


    "I can''t help but admit it."


    Again, it wasn''t about Karot. Orobas did not deny the pleasure arising deep inside him. He felt like his frustration with his humiliating fight against the Queen of Sloth and Samael disappeared a bit.


    The three directors went under the King of Pride for different reasons, of course.

 243 Blitzkrieg 4

    Abrasax feared the King of Pride. At the same time, he wanted to run around, showing off his power freely. He was like a thrilled child so anxious to show off his power and the Dungeon Market everywhere.


    Bifronz wanted the unification of the demon world. And he hoped he could join in the process of unification. The reason he went under the King of Pride was simple. Under the current situation, he felt the King of Pride was most likely to achieve the unification of the demon world.


    Then, what was the reason for Orobas to follow the King of Pride?


    Orobas thought at first that it was because he wanted a struggle. He also thought that it was because he wanted to stand on the winning side. But in the end, he had the same reason as Abrasax. He just wanted to use his hard-won strength and overwhelming violence to his heart''s content. He also wanted more wealth and power.


    Orobas looked at the closed door of the deep flow instead of Karot who had fainted, unable to endure the pain. After taking a deep breath, he swung his clenched fist with full power. Not only the heavy steel door but also the wall attached to it was smashed heavily. The whole dungeon shook as if the dungeon itself was screaming.


    Orobas once again felt satisfied. In order to thoroughly destroy the enemy, Samael, he stepped into the deep floor.


    ***


    The Dungeon Market had dominated the commercial dealings of the demon world for the past one thousand years. In terms of influence, it could be called by far the strongest organization in the history of the demon world.


    Nevertheless, the Dungeon Market was always fair. They did not act like a bully nor did they pose any threat. They treated customers at a reasonable price. Besides, they even promoted the welfare of the demon world by supplying food at a low price.


    This kind of policy lasted over a thousand years. Inhabitants of the demon world became accustomed to the policy of the Dungeon Market. Eventually, they forgot how dangerous an organization they could become. Even the powerful masters of estates were not wary of the Dungeon Market, even though they kept a suspicious eye on their neighbors and their subordinate spirits. Therefore, the sudden hostilities by the Dungeon Market were fatally detrimental to its reputation as much as the betrayal of the insiders.


    The King of Envy looked around with an embarrassed expression. Every place was under the threat of the King of Pride''s forces.


    Even though he was moving secretly, his location was exposed, and many of the reinforcement units who promised to arrive by now did not arrive. Many of the masters standing by him complained about the sudden loss of their mana. Some of them lost almost half of their mana.


    Besides, the King of Envy sensed that some of his dungeons had been destroyed. Even the giant castle of Envy, his main base, was attacked.


    "The childish King of Pride¡­"


    The King of Envy didn''t know how it happened, but he knew clearly who initiated this turmoil.


    The intense feelings he released turned into black smoke. It was shaped like a demon.


    Faced with the King of Envy, the army of the King of Pride knelt to express due manners. When tens of thousands of troops on the plains lowered their heads to show their respect, it created such a spectacular scene.


    The King of Envy felt angry though. The subject of their respect was not the King of Envy, but the sky.


    "Leviathan," somebody said in a low voice, which infuriated him all the more.


    Currently, the only one who could call his name was the King of Lust who achieved great things with him over a thousand years. Only "she" was equal to the King of Envy himself.


    The King of Envy stared at the sky with blood-shot eyes. The King of Pride, wearing golden armor and spreading his white wings, accompanied by his own royal troops, was watching over the ground arrogantly.


    "You, bastard! What the hell are you doing?!" Shouted the King of Envy.


    "The Dungeon Market stands by my side."


    The King of Pride put it bluntly, and the King of Envy blinked, speechless for a moment.


    The King of Pride fully enjoyed the stupid change of expression on his face. Then he descended toward the ground, stepping on the sky like a staircase.


    "When a delivery man from the Dungeon Market came to the door, any master opens the door without any doubt. No one thinks that the item purchased from the Dungeon Market contains a deadly magic bomb that will destroy the dungeon as well as its heart."


    The King of Envy hastily looked at the house masters around him. Each of them whose strength was reduced by half looked at him with despair. The destruction of the dungeon''s heart meant the death of the dungeon. And it caused the death of the subordinate spirits who signed the contract through the dungeon.


    The death of the subordinate spirits was special. Some of the masters were consumed with severe stress. Some fell on the floor and wept.


    The King of Pride landed on the ground. The ground troops of the King of Pride showed due manners to him with their heads lowered.


    "Dungeon spirits are different from subordinate spirits. They are just bound by contacts. If they can sacrifice themselves, they can also act against their masters like the numerous dungeon spirits that you purchased through a secret deal."


    The King of Envy could not respond at all. He felt like he was spaced out.


    ''The Dungeon Market is taking side with the King of Pride? The five directors in charge of the secret deal at the Dungeon Market are now the King of Pride''s subordinates?''


    He couldn''t believe it. But the current reality facing him proved it all.


    The King of Envy looked around again. Some of his troops showed due manners to the King of Pride. Some of the masters who were with him were seen no more.


    The King of Pride did not hold back his laughter. He shrugged ostensibly.


    "Oh, don''t I have anyone who can sacrifice their lives for me?"


    "Consumables that can give their lives for you?"


    The King of Envy once again expressed his terrible feeling. The black smoke that spread around them was united to form a giant shape, and the king stood behind it. Then he reached out to his waist in succession and pulled out the "Godly Energy of Pride" in the shape of a sword.


    The King of Pride saw the "Godly Energy of Pride." After suppressing his yearning for it with a smile, the King of Pride grabbed the "Godly Energy of Lust" in the shape of a dagger in one hand.


    It was a secret that only the three kings who shared their "great achievement" knew.


    Contrary to what was known to the outside world, the three kings of Pride, Envy, and Lust did not have the Godly Energy paring with their respective Sin. On that day, one thousand and hundreds of years ago, the three kings exchanged their Godly Energy with each other. It was one of the measures to prevent their betrayal amongst themselves.


    "We exchanged them too long ago. It''s time I took mine back."


    The troops of the King of Pride raised themselves at once. At the same time, the king opened up the horns and mana that he had suppressed until then.


    The King of Envy shuddered. His original plan to shatter this childish king was shattered. It wasn''t just because of the King of Pride''s terrifying mana that would dominate the entire battlefield.


    "It''s a lie."


    The King of Envy barely uttered one word.


    But the King of Pride smiled brightly. He stepped forward and approached him.


    ***


    The sunset came soon. After talking with Gusion, Yong-ho dismissed his subordinate spirits and sat down on the throne in the demon king''s room. Since Catalina and Kaiwan were not there, the spacious room was tranquil.


    He then rummaged through his pocket and took out a golden key that was a little smaller than his palm. It was the final reward when he defeated Gusion, the last floor master of the arena.


    ''On the 13th floor, the bottom floor of the Labyrinth of Greed, is Mammon''s secret room. And you can open the door of the secret room with only this key. Unfortunately, that''s all I know. I don''t know what''s in the secret room.''


    Recalling Gusion''s explanation, Yong-ho grabbed the key lightly. After taking his breath, he corrected his posture. He closed his eyes to access the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.


    ''Sitri.''


    The Queen of Sloth, who was the only one who kept Mammon''s side until his final moment on that day, one thousand and hundreds of years ago.


    Yong-ho had no intention of questioning why she concealed her identity. It was funny for him to comfort her while mentioning Mammon''s last moment.


    But he thought he should meet Sitri. Whatever it was, he wanted to have a conversation with her. It looked funny, but he thought he would feel relieved when he heard her calling him "My dear customer" like before.


    He felt that peculiar sense while accessing the virtual space. He slowly opened his eyes and looked straight ahead.


    There was no one in the white space. As he already experienced it several times, he looked up a little higher, not embarrassed. Soon he would hear a voice informing him of Sitri''s absence.


    It would be not too late for him to decide after hearing the voice whether to wait for Sitri or just go back.


    [Recognition number: 009]


    [Descendant of the man.]


    [Yong-ho Cheon, the current master of the Mammon family]


    [Recognition has been completed. Welcome.]


    [Sitri is currently attending a meeting of the five directors at the headquarters of the Dungeon Market.]


    [You can''t chat with Sitri at this time.]


    Given that there was no mention of his option of waiting, it seemed that the meeting would not end anytime soon.


    Right at that moment, the voice of a lively and cheerful girl echoed in his mind, contrary to the rather low and hard voice of a woman.


    [Master.]


    [Gardimundi, the messenger of the Queen of Fury, has come to see you. Currently, she is waiting at the entrance of the dungeon.]


    It was Lucia. Since she became strong thanks to her repeated growth, she could exchange a short conversation with him even when he was connected to the virtual space.


    [Master?]


    At Lucia''s repeated call, Yong-ho nodded slowly. Somehow, he felt heavy, but he decided to go back instead of waiting in the white virtual space.


    He looked straight ahead for the last time before leaving. It seemed that Sitri, who was asleep, appeared and said hello to him in a hurry.


    [Master.]


    "I am coming."


    Maybe he could reassess the virtual space tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.


    He closed his eyes and got disconnected from his dedicated virtual space.

 244 Acceptance 1

    Blowing heavily between the canyons, the winter wind left behind a sharp scar. A light smell of blood spread widely on the wind.


    Samael was dying. She suffered the loss of her left arm and one wing, but the real blow was Abrasax''s mana that was squeezing her body.


    Abrasax''s mana with snake blood was poison itself. Although she shook off his mana by all means, just a little bit of poison that remained inside her body ate away her soul and mana.


    Sitri, hiding in a crack in the rock, hugged Samael tightly. She held her head in her chest to give her some warmth.


    She could not see ahead well. Sitri herself was not sure if she was poisoned by Abrasax''s poison or if it was simply because of her failing stamina.


    As the fastest wing of the Dungeon Market, Samael''s power as a demon king was a space jump. As one of the five directors who was considered to be the same as the kings, except that she had no Sin and Godly Energy, her power lagged far behind that of Stravadi, who was the owner of the unclaimed land in the eastern area.


    Sitri could not clearly locate where she and Samael were located. However, she was convinced that she was far from the headquarters of the Dungeon Market. Maybe she jumped hundreds of kilometers away from it.


    She felt dizzy. The wounds of her soul she suffered on the day of Mammon''s death were opened up again. The price she had to pay for using the power of Sloth excessively was harsher than expected.


    However, she had no choice but to use the power of sloth once again. Monsters were gathering toward her as if they smelled the blood blown on the wind. She had to avoid fighting them by all means. As things stood now, even a group of trifling Ogres were a grave threat to her life.


    The power of hiding, one of the attributes of Sloth, wrapped around Sitri and Samael, separating them from the world.


    ''Samael.''


    The reason why Samael was in serious condition was not just because she was poisoned by Abarasax. She had one more reason, which troubled Sitri''s mind.


    At some point, Samael''s mana was weakened sharply. Moreover, it was not just a simple weakening. The maximum amount of her mana itself decreased.


    Obviously, this was caused by the death of her subordinate spirits. Sitri could not think of any other reason.


    Three betrayed directors were in control of the Dungeon Market. Besides, they already acquired the special auction house inside the Dungeon Market, which was Samael''s base. It was only a matter of time that the entire forces of Samael fell into the hands of the three directors.


    Sitri had to inform Yong-ho of this. She also had to warn the King of Violence and the Queen of Fury against this. Otherwise, they would collapse helplessly.


    ''Mammon¡­''


    The winter wind blew. Sitri, who finally exerted her strength, lost consciousness. She fell into a deep sleep.


    ***


    Catalina, who always slept until late in the morning, found it hard to move around in the morning, but Yuria was jumping here and there vigorously, as always, as if she couldn''t control her overflowing energy.


    "This is the baby meerkat''s bed, and next to it is Baduk''s bed. And that one over there is the white wolf''s bed!"


    Yuria''s room, also called the "nursing room" in the past, was very spacious. Raising her little hand, Yuria pointed to the beds of her friends sharing the room. The baby dungeon meerkat''s bed was a miniature bed just right for a doll play, and Baduk''s was an extra-large bed that would allow even an Ogre to lie down.


    "Meowing!"


    "Wal! Wal!"


    Like Yuria, the baby meerkat and Baduk raised their voices, jumping around. They were all smiles in a cheerful mood.


    However, the white wolf, the head of a group of wolves that once followed Embrio, remained silent with a complex and subtle expression. Unlike Baduk, he kept the attributes of a four-legged beast, so instead of a bed, he had a fluffy blanket and a straw suitable for leaning.


    Yuria was upset a bit because the white wolf didn''t respond well as she wished. Yuria turned around and pointed to the pink bed opposite to Baduk''s bed. It was the princess''s bed that had a separate curtain as well as a roof on the bed.


    "This is my bed. Isn''t it pretty? Sister Kaiwan bought this blanket for me when she visited the human world with the master."


    As if she boasted, Yuria moved up and down the soft and fluffy cotton blanket.


    Obviously, she signaled to Scathach with a glance, asking her to touch it.


    As she was responsible for making her thrilled like this, Scathach did not refuse Yuria''s favor. After stroking Yuria''s head as well as the cotton blanket, she pointed to the large mattress in the middle of the room and the blanket spread over it.


    "Then, what is this?"


    At Scathach''s asking, Yuria scratched her face instead of immediately replying.


    Then she said while twisting her body slightly, "Hehehe. I think we will feel lonely if each of us sleeps separately. So, we''re going to sleep together at night."


    Only then did Scathach understand why each of their beds was so clean.


    She said with a big smile, "Hey Yuria, then, shall I sleep here with you guys tonight?"


    "Really? Are you sure?" Yuria asked with her eyes wide open.


    With her eyes wide open too, Scathach replied, "Yes, I mean it."


    Yuria screamed and hugged her. Hugging her in her arms, Scathach closed her eyes.


    She was grateful that the first place she visited after leaving her mansion in one thousand years was Yuria''s room.


    Watching them at a distance, Gusion and Yong-ho spoke at the same time, "It''s warm and cozy here"


    "Yeah, it is!"


    In particular, Gusion''s gaze and voice contained his mixed feelings.


    "Scathach had always liked children."


    Scathach, who could be called the incarnation of life, could not get pregnant with Gusion''s baby.


    As they had fundamentally different attributes from the beginning, it was inevitable.


    "The Queen of Fury has requested for a meeting?"


    Instead of indulging in idle thoughts, Gusion brought out a different topic.


    Yong-ho nodded slowly, recalling his meeting with Gardimundi yesterday afternoon.


    "It seems like she wants to attack the territory of the King of Gluttony with us. Of course, she wants to discuss the details at the meeting."


    The Queen of Fury did not know that the King of Gluttony was killed. If she had known that, she would have hurried to attack a little earlier.


    "Well, I think there are many guys who can give you better advice than I, so let me skip it. But¡­"


    Gusion, who blurred at the end of him speaking, dropped the cigarette that he was going to put in his mouth habitually. After looking at Scathach and Yuria still holding each other tightly with a pleasant expression, he said, "I recommend you occupy the 11th floor before going to the meeting. Since you''ve been recognized by Yustia, you won''t have any big difficulties. Even if Lucia couldn''t take full control of the 11th floor, you might get Yuno''s recognition. What I mean is there is nothing to lose if you challenge the 11th floor."


    Just like Gusion said, if Yong-ho got the recognition of Virgo Yuno guarding the 11th floor, who was counting the stars, Mammon''s Godly Energy would be complete. So, it was better for Yong-ho to hurry up.


    "There are only good episodes about this lady named Yuno, oh, who I feel a bit uncomfortable to call a woman. Is it true?" asked Yong-ho.


    "Actually, that''s true. Although she isn''t as good as Scathach, she has a pretty good personality. She was the cook of the Mammon family as well as a great wizard. Oh, sorry, what you want to know about her is nothing like this. She is a beauty, yes she is really beautiful. She has a slim figure, and she is a beauty with a different charm than Elune or Scathach," Gusion replied in a subtle voice.


    At that moment, the flames of the red lotus arose in the air above Yong-ho''s head.


    [Master, the power of your anguish is increasing.]


    "Nope! And I wasn''t curious about her look."


    Yong-ho, who cut off Aamon''s words in the middle, frowned without finishing his words.


    Gusion laughed heartily and said, "That''s why I like my master. He is honest."


    Yong-ho sighed. After holding back Aamon, who was trying to say something, he changed the topic.


    "Let''s stop the nonsense here. Let me proceed with making you my subordinate spirit. In fact, everyone said you should be the top priority because I''ve reserved the spot for you for a long time."


    "Hahaha. Do you think you can really control me?"


    "Don''t worry. I think I can even make Scathach follow suit after you."


    It wasn''t just Yong-ho''s mana that became strong as a result of the synthetic reinforcement. The power of Greed also became stronger than before, so he could possess more subordinate spirits than before. It was unreasonable for him to possess 12 Spirits like Mammon, but it seemed possible for him to possess as many as ten.


    "Then, why don''t you do it in the afternoon after lunch? I think it will be efficient in many ways for you to proceed with it when all other subordinate spirits are gathered," said Gusion.


    Gusion''s offer was quite reasonable because if Yong-ho made Gusion his subordinate spirit, it would have an immediate effect on other subordinate spirits.


    "Okay, then I''ll see you later in the afternoon."


    Yong-ho stood up after replying gently. Instead of standing up after him, Gusion laughed playfully and bowed to him with an exaggerated gesture.


    "Goodbye, master."


    "See you then," Yong-ho also replied a bit hyperbolically like Gusion and left Yuria''s room.

 245 Acceptance 2

    Ophelia and Tigrius returned to Cadis Fortress last night, and Eligos was busy providing shelters for a dozen former masters of the Mammon family as well as almost one hundred spirits of the arena.


    Yong-ho sat alone in the demon king''s room, leaving alone Kaiwan, who was just enjoying oversleeping openly, and Catalina struggling to wake up in the morning.


    As soon as he sat on the throne, he heard Lucia''s voice.


    [Master.]


    [Are you trying to access the virtual space of the Dungeon Market?]


    "Yes, because I have to meet Sitri. Also, I have to buy lots of stuff to strengthen my forces."


    [Okay.]


    [I will prepare it right away. Please close your eyes.]


    Yong-ho buried himself a little more comfortably on the throne. As soon as he closed his eyes, he got connected to the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.


    The whole white world was the same as the one he saw yesterday. Faced with an empty world, he let his shoulders droop in a little disappointment.


    Apparently, Sitri had not yet returned.


    But suddenly, the sky turned red. At the same time, the endlessly connected space was cut off. The white floor quickly shrunk to a dozen-meter-long rectangle, and all other spaces were filled with pitch darkness. It was a completely different reaction from what he felt yesterday.


    [Recognition number: 009]


    [Descendant of that man.]


    [Emergency response 17.]


    [As of now, all connections between the virtual space and the public network of the Dungeon Market will be blocked.]


    [Only access from the Labyrinth of Greed is allowed.]


    "Sitri?!" Yong-ho shouted instinctively.


    But he heard no reply from her. The letter of light also did not continue anymore.


    He felt ominous. It was clear that something had happened to Sitri.


    The wording "emergency" made his heart pound rapidly.


    "Sitri! Answer me! Sitri!"


    No matter how often he called her name loudly, it was useless. He tried to stay calm.


    Instead of screaming blindly, he thought about it.


    This space was special. He always met Sitri here. According to the light text, Sitri went to the trouble of disconnecting this space from the network of the Dungeon Market, while keeping it connected with the Labyrinth of Greed.


    He recalled the memories of Sitri, who he had seen the other day. The place where his memory had been reproduced was also this space.


    Sitri sometimes appeared on the bed. She wasn''t just acting, but she sometimes met him after waking up from a pretty deep sleep.


    So, he immediately realized that this space was not just a terminal. It was completely different from the place where other masters reached when accessing the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.


    In other words, it was Sitri''s personal space as well as her secret place.


    The smoke of Greed arose like a flame. Spreading out in all directions, it filled the space at once, and it soon aggregated to form several strands. Finally, they became one and led him to the way.


    The air cracked, revealing a hidden secret door. The smoke of Greed surrounded the door layer by layer. It shouted that there was something inside that he yearned for.


    He opened his eyes again and concentrated his mana. Breaking it halfway, he opened the secret door. Perhaps because the opponent was Yong-ho, the secret door let him in helplessly.


    So the place appeared. It was a space that was clearly reproduced on top of a virtual space, and therefore, it would have an impact on the real world.


    The smoke of Greed moved once again. Permeating inside the secret door, it quickly wrapped up a huge red jewel in the middle of the room.


    It was the heart of the dungeon, connected with Sitri''s soul, her alter ego!


    He once again followed the guidance of Greed. He put his hand on the heart of the dungeon then spoke to it as if he was dealing with Lucia. He tried to communicate with the heart of the dungeon.


    The heart of the dungeon, like the secret door, did not reject Yong-ho. It accepted him and told him what he wanted.


    And how long did it pass?


    "Sitri."


    He immediately got out of the virtual space then sprang to his feet.


    He was occupied with only one thing at the moment.


    He had to save Sitri.


    ***


    The subordinate spirits of the Mammon family gathered at the door control station in the space on the 9th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. As soon as he got connected to Ophelia and Tigrius in Cadis Fortress by remote communication, Yong-ho immediately took out the main topic.


    There were two main things that Yong-ho learned through the heart of Sitri''s dungeon.


    First, Sitri was dying now.


    Second, Sitri''s current location was somewhere in the north.


    "Even through the heart of the dungeon, I could not find out her location accurately. I just know roughly where she is now. But you have to search the whole area to find her."


    Yong-ho''s tone was firm. Ophelia, who was looking closely at the map of light that Lucia displayed in the air, presented her opinion.


    "The Dungeon Market has its own territories throughout the demon world after the six kings recognized its influence. The headquarters of the Dungeon Market is located near the place you mentioned. It''s a place where the five directors might have held a meeting."


    Ophelia raised her hand and pointed at the map. Lucia marked the area with a separate light.


    Yong-ho felt that it was the Dungeon Market''s own territory. The headquarters of the Dungeon Market was located in a place where the territories of the Queen of Fury, the King of Gluttony, and the King of Lust bordered each other.


    [Master, this is the location information of the doors of space currently available.]


    Bright spots of light spread over the demon world. Its number decreased as they went beyond the blank area, but fortunately, there was a light near the headquarters of the Dungeon Market.


    "Is the closest one inside the territory of the King of Lust?"


    Although the door of space was not deep in the territory of the King of Lust, it was still within his territory. However, Yong-ho did not have any fear now. Even if it was located right next to the gate of the dungeon of the King of Lust, he was ready to carry out the operation.


    Gusion said in a low voice, "Master, you seem to be in a hurry. Sitri won''t die easily."


    But Yong-ho stared at him immediately because he knew that Gusion had some feelings of love and hate toward Sitri. Before he knew it, he looked at Gusion with a hostile expression.


    However, Gusion dealt with him casually, as usual.


    Soon Yong-ho let out a sigh first. He admitted that he was excited at the moment, so he tried to calm down.


    Tigrius, watching them quietly, said in a calm voice, "I think it''s also important to understand why this situation happened. Sitri is one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market as well as the Queen of Sloth. So, it is very unusual and grave that she was on the verge of dying and neglected somewhere in the north."


    "You mean this is an event involving the directors or even a king," Gusion added.


    As Aamon said, she was the Queen of Sloth even if she suffered an irreparable injury.


    It was impossible for her to plunge in such a dangerous situation at the attack of ordinary men.


    "That doesn''t matter," Yong-ho cut off Gusion.


    If the opponent drove Sitri into such a precarious situation, he must be very strong.


    But that didn''t really matter to Yong-ho..


    "The only thing that matters at this point is the fact that we are going to save Sitri. Lucia, mark the position of the door of space once again."


    [Okay, Master.]


    Apparently, influenced by Yong-ho''s mood, Lucia responded in a rather hard tone and hurriedly followed his order.


    He continued to order, "As you can see, the territory of the King of Lust is the closest to the door of space. Let me start exploring from there."


    He was urgent. He was nervous. He was definitely getting excited. However, it did not mean that he could not make a correct judgment. For everything except for Sitri, he spoke and acted, based on his rationale.


    "It is unreasonable to fly Tiamet directly across the territories of the King of Gluttony and the King of Lust. The invisible air barriers that the kings might have laid out in the sky pose a threat, but the bigger problem is our flying time. Therefore, instead of sending large troops through the flying vehicle, we are going to use the door of space. After infiltrating the territory of the King of Lust with a small elite force, we are going to search for Sitri."


    Yong-ho paused for a moment and looked at Salami and Bucephalas standing nervously behind the subordinate spirits. Unlike the usual meetings where they were absent, he had them attend it this time for this reason.


    Salami, who evolved into a fire elemental dragon, could adjust his size to some extent thanks to his attribute as a spirit. If he could stretch his body as much as possible, he could carry more than four on his back.


    "Since we have to put priority on our mobility, all of us can''t go. Moreover, we have to take into account how often we can use the door of space. So, let me call the names who will go with me."


    It was because of the limits to the daily use of the door of space that Ophelia and Tigrius attended the conference via long-distance communication instead of coming directly to the Labyrinth of Greed. They could move through the space door control station only twice a day.


    Ophelia and Tigrius could not come. Yong-ho looked at the rest of the subordinate spirits.


    "Gusion, Scathach, Kaiwan, Catalina, Skull."

 246 Acceptance 3

    He smiled slightly at Gusion. So, with the help of Lucia, he registered Gusion as his subordinate spirit.


    He was the 8th subordinate spirit of his. Whenever they were added as his subordinate spirits one by one, the effect of their registration was reduced, but this time it was none other than Gusion.


    Yong-ho felt an enormous power like Gusion was joining him. He closed his eyes before he knew it and opened his horns. All his subordinate spirits did the same thing. With them opening up their horns fully, they felt the addition of a new power.


    In particular, the changes in Gusion and Catalina were significant. Mana was released from Gusion''s two horns that looked like a bull''s. Gusion recovered some of the mana he had lost when Mammon died.


    Catalina''s change was even more dramatic. Struggling in extreme pleasure and pain, she screamed, hugging her shoulders. White light was glaring in her eyes, and soon, new horns grew through her white hair. Like Kaiwan, she overcame the limits and obtained the sixth horn.


    Other subordinate spirits also felt their strength increase. Yong-ho let out a long breath to control his mana. After controlling not only his but also other subordinate spirits'' mana, he removed his hand from Gusion''s shoulder.


    Kaiwan quickly supported Catalina. There was a pleasant smile on her face covered with cold sweat.


    Normally, Yong-ho would have taken care of Catalina and Kaiwan, but he could not for now. He was so impatient at the moment. After asking Scathach to heal the two women, he ordered Lucia to activate the door of space.


    Magnadon, the wizard of Mammon, died. However, his legacy, the door of space, played its part even at this moment.


    "Let''s go."


    Yong-ho took the lead and stepped into the door of space. Kaiwan looked at him with some anxious expression but soon followed him with Catalina.


    After Gusion, Scathach, Salami, and Bucephalas went in, Skull tapped his chest, looking at Eligos as if to tell him not to worry. After smiling at him cheerfully, he finally entered the door of space.


    Let alone, Eligos closed the door of space. He prayed for Yong-ho''s safety.


    ***


    There were many gorges and mountains in the land of the King of Lust. The stiff cliffs and rocky mountains had long served as a natural fortress to protect the king''s territory.


    The door of space was inside the collapsed cave. The entrance was cut off from the outside because of the large stones clogged up, which fortunately helped maintain the door of space for over a thousand years.


    Aamon drove out the darkness by emitting only light from the flames of the red lotus. Gusion punched the rocks lightly to turn them into powder while Scathach solidified the collapsed sites with the moisture she pulled up from the basement. She took the measure to prevent the cave from collapsing again.


    A cold northern wind blew through the canyon. Facing the huge cliff in front of her, Kaiwan looked around with anxious eyes. She could sense the scent of the sword-blade Ogres, the wild monsters living in a group in the cold wind.


    If Sitri was really dying, even those monsters would be dangerous.


    ''But....''


    The gorge was too wide for Yong-ho and his party to search for Sitri right away. He couldn''t figure out where and how to search for her.


    Yong-ho swallowed, at a loss of what to do.


    Aamon whispered to him in flames.


    [Master, yearn for Sitri.]


    [Maximize the possessiveness and bring out the power of Greed.]


    The only thing Yong-ho could rely on was to follow his desire for Greed.


    However, the situation was different in the case of Catalina and Kaiwan, now Yong-ho''s possession through their registration as his subordinate spirits.


    He had never had any desire for possessing Sitri.


    He closed his eyes and thought about Sitri. He thought about her when he held her in his arms and when he was held in her arms.


    That was clearly different from his possession. However, his Greed did not forsake his desire.


    The energy of his Greed that he was releasing at full blast engulfed everything around him.


    And soon, it became one and led him the way.


    It wasn''t too far. She was surprisingly close to where he was.


    "Salami!"


    The moment Yong-ho ordered Salami, he spread his wings. After increasing his body as much as possible, he lay flat and let them get on it. Yong-ho, Kaiwan, Gusion, and Scathach climbed on it, and Salami flew without hesitation.


    Bucephalas, carrying Skull, followed. Catalina spread her wings of shadow and soared into the sky.


    Salami was flying low, so he could not be detected by the air barrier. Salami flew with all his might, and Bucephalas ran not only on the ground but also on the walls of the canyon without any fear. Catalina flew ahead of Salami and watched out for the ground.


    And at one moment, Catalina flew toward the ground as if she was falling. Yong-ho felt his heart beating fast. He felt it when he met the Queen of Fury or the King of Gluttony, but his feelings were different this time.


    There were many Ogres on the ground with blade-like protrusions on their bodies. They were hostile to Catalina who suddenly appeared, but only briefly. The appearance of Skull and Bucephalas alone frightened them. Faced with Skull''s glaring eyes, they got frightened and fled in chaos.


    Salami landed safely on the ground. Jumping on the ground in a hurry, he moved his gaze following the smoke of Greed. There was something deep in the pile of rocks piled up randomly. There was nothing clearly visible because of something like a magical power, but he could feel it. His heart was pounding more and more.


    ''The power of Sloth.''


    After withdrawing the power of Greed, he moved forward. Then he burned the barrier of Sloth with the power of Greed.


    At the moment, the space was twisted as if a haze was rising. A couple of human figures were seen through the pile of rocks.


    "Sitri!"


    It was Scathach who shouted at her. She rushed to the pile of rocks. Then she held her breath, looking down at the two bloody women.


    It was Sitri holding a blonde, black-winged woman. As she was a thousand years ago, she was always beautiful even though she was covered with blood.


    Scathach unwittingly shed tears. Sitri was not the subject of resentment toward her. She was her precious colleague who had gotten out of the battlefield a thousand years ago.


    Even though she just took a glimpse of Sitri, she was choked up with emotions.


    Even before wiping her tears, Scathach filled her hands with vitality. She then breathed it into Sitri and Samael.


    "Both of you are still alive. You''re very weak, but it''s okay. I''ll never let you die because I''m here," said Scathach.


    Yong-ho let out a sigh of relief, holding back the urge to hug Sitri right away.


    She was in better shape than he was worried.


    ''Samael?''


    The one held in Sitri''s arms was obviously Samael, the ''fastest wing'' and one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market. Given that not only Sitri but also Samael was put in a precarious situation, something really big must have happened at the Dungeon Market.


    ''Is there a rebellion inside the Dungeon Market?''


    The Dungeon Market was operating normally at this moment. Actually, Yong-ho had one of the masters in the eastern area to buy an item there and confirmed their operation.


    Be it an internal uprising or an external enemy, it was obviously a very covert attack. If there had been a massive attack, they could not have run the market normally as if nothing had happened.


    He stopped thinking. After getting next to Scathach, he quietly held her hand.


    The Queen of Sloth, when all the other kings betrayed Mammon, she stayed with him until the very end.


    "Sitri."


    He could not hear her reply, but Scathach''s healing efforts brought color to her pale face.


    Scathach signaled to him with a glance. He carefully held Sitri while Gusion held Samael.


    "I just gave first aid to them. I need to heal them properly in the Garden of Life."


    Yong-ho nodded. After tightening his arms holding Sitri, he headed to Salami.


    They hastily left the place.


    ***


    The dungeon of the King of Envy was the same as yesterday. Nothing changed except the fact that its owner changed.


    The throne of the King of Envy.


    The King of Pride sat there, which belonged to the King of Envy for more than a thousand years.


    The King of Pride felt deep satisfaction. The power of Envy surging deep down delighted him all the more.


    Leviathan, the King of Envy, was dead. However, his forces were still fighting the forces of the King of Pride. Of course, they were not fighting out of loyalty to their late king. Most of them were unaware of the fact that their king was dead. And, interestingly, the forces of the King of Pride didn''t know it, either.


    Intelligence was power. Over time, it would be inevitable for them to learn that the King of Envy had died and that the Dungeon Market had been taken over by the King of Pride. If that was the case, the King of Pride needed to delay it as long as possible.


    Ignorance was always a fatal weakness.


    The King of Lust was actually the King of Pride himself. The Godly Energy of Lust that he had around his waist was that of Envy, not Lust, proved it.


    The King of Pride closed his eyes and counted the numbers. He checked what he missed in his plan.


    First, the King of Sloth. He preferred Sitri, who revealed herself as the specific enemy, to the Queen of Sloth that didn''t appear, hiding somewhere. It was surprising to him that she was the Queen of Sloth, but according to the report of Bifronz, Sitri at the moment was badly wounded. By now she was on the verge of dying.


    The Queen of Fury was nothing but a little kid. She didn''t know how to fight properly and ran wild on the battlefield, saying that she would save her subordinates. As a woman who didn''t know the fact that she was the queen, she couldn''t be a match for him.


    Although he didn''t like it very much, the King of Violence was powerful. Moreover, it was highly likely that the King of Violence killed the King of Gluttony, though he assumed it was a possibility for now. If he had obtained the Godly Energy of Fury as well as that of Gluttony, he must have changed into a formidable enemy by now.


    But even so, the King of Violence would have two different Sins.


    In other words, the King of Violence and the Queen of Fury were not united into one.


    They couldn''t do anything with such half-baked cooperation. There was a reason why dragons were called the arrogant nickname Dragon Lord. Moreover, the Queen of Sloth had no connection with the other two kings.


    The three kings who had to confront the King of Pride. They existed as separate entities with no central figure to lead them.


    Then what should he do?


    His answer was simple. The King of Pride drew a line on the map of the demon world that came to his mind. He ordered the soul of his dungeon to deliver a message to the camp of the King of Gluttony.


    The sun had set and the night came.


    On the darkest night without even a star, the King of Gluttony''s army began to move.


    They were marching into the west, to the territory of the Queen of Fury.

 247 Fury 1

    The sky was blue and dark. There was still a lot of time left until it was dawn.


    The central temple, one of the sacred places of the eight clans, was as quiet as always.


    It was even more so because there was no strong wind blowing because of the terrain where the temple was located.


    It was quiet. Since everyone was asleep, there was supposed to be no sound at all, let alone footsteps.


    But not today. Lots of people went back and forth, raising their voices. Among them was Kirtimuka, the nanny as well as the bodyguard of the Queen of Fury.


    "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"


    Kirtimuka shouted, who jumped into her room forcefully as if to destroy it. Her behavior was very rude, given that the one staying in this room was not only the chieftain of the Gandharva clan but also the Queen of Fury.


    But Kirtimuka didn''t care at all. She didn''t act arrogantly just because she was the queen''s closest aide.


    "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Wake up now! Your Majesty!"


    She shook the queen''s shoulders violently with her big hand. The queen, who was drooping on the big bed, opened her eyes wide open and talked nonsense, half awake.


    "Ah, I didn''t doze! No, I didn''t nod off. Yes, I did so. Oops¡­ I''m sorry. Prince Antoniox, don''t be upset."


    She was about to cry at the end of her words. It seemed that Mahora, who was a teacher of etiquette to her, saw Antoniox in her dream.


    Kirtimuka grew even more urgent. Once again she shook the queen''s shoulders and shouted.


    "Your Majesty! A terrible thing has happened! Wake up!"


    "Kirtimuka?"


    The queen finally spoke, blinking her eyes. Her voice was very weak since she usually slept late in the morning.


    Kirtimuka shouted, holding her shoulders, "It''s a war! The army of the King of Gluttony has crossed the border! Battles are currently underway along the eastern border!"


    The queen suddenly came to her senses. As soon as the queen got up from her bed suddenly, Kirtimuka said, picking up the clothes on the bed, "A meeting of the representatives of the eight clans was called. As they are coming to the conference room, you have to hurry up."


    She was not in the movable dungeon, Vimana, but the temple of the eight clans. Besides, the representatives of the eight clans were also in the same place because of a series of meetings every day.


    She asked Kirtimuka instinctively. "How big is their invasion? Is it big enough to require the convening of the representative of the eight clans?"


    "It''s not clear yet. But it looks like an all-out war."


    It was already a few months ago that the Queen of Fury and the King of Gluttony deployed their own troops on the border areas. Because of this, their invasion and defense against each other was quick.


    More than half of the heads of the eight clans already gathered in the conference room located in the center of the temple. Some of them were in pajamas like the queen, others with their hair disheveled.


    The queen sat on her seat reserved for the head of the Gandharva clan. If she could have her way, she wanted to rush to the battlefield right now, but she had to endure it. In some cases, an all-out war could take place, so even if she was impatient, she needed to review and discuss the matter with them.


    She felt every minute, every second was so long. It took more than a few minutes for all the representatives to gather, and it took another more minutes for them to receive the briefing from those who attended the meeting to brief them about the war status on the battlefield.


    The Queen of Fury clenched her teeth.


    The situation was worse than she thought.


    It seemed that the King of Gluttony was thinking of an all-out war. He was striking the eastern front by mobilizing large troops, which could not even be compared to the armed clashes they had exchanged several times so far.


    "It seems that he mobilized even those troops that he had concentrated to confront the King of Lust. He was also moving the troops confronting the Dragon Legion dispatched by the King of Violence."


    "He must be crazy."


    Somebody cursed at the king. The Queen of Fury also agreed.


    If he had not cursed, she would have done so. The King of Gluttony''s attack was like a reckless warmonger. Aside from his troops deployed to check the King of Lust, how could he move the troops from the frontline where they were pitted against the Dragon Legion? Was he going to do lance charging without taking into account the consequences?


    "What about the King of Gluttony? Did you find out his whereabouts?"


    Mahabharata, the head of the Deva clan, asked. A young Mahoraga who attended the meeting to brief them about the war status replied hastily, "He is not seen anywhere at the moment. The man who is spearheading the attack is Judyceras, the "Demon King of Earthquake," who was in charge of the eastern front. He was allegedly seen commanding his troops on the battlefield."


    Even at this moment, the battle was underway. The Queen of Fury once again suppressed her feelings. She quickly reviewed all the intelligence available and checked out the situation.


    The reason the Queen of Fury planned to attack the King of Gluttony was because of the alliance with the master of the House of Mammon as well as the assistance of the King of Violence. On the other hand, the King of Gluttony had no alliance. Rather, the King of Gluttony was confronting not only the queen but also the King of Violence. So, it was unreasonable for him to strike first in this situation.


    If that was the case, what happened? Did the King of Gluttony form an alliance that she was not aware of? Or did he join hands with the King of Lust?


    She thought that the absence of the King of Gluttony for more than a month was related to his efforts to form an alliance behind the scenes. But she kept thinking he didn''t do it because such activities never befitted the king that she used to know.


    "What happened to the King of Lust''s forces? Why are they moving?"


    At that moment, Kavilaka, the head of the Karvinka clan, asked the young Mahoraga.


    With her hair and feathers turned white, she was calm as always. As if impressed by her serenity, the young Mahoraga replied calmly, "The King of Lust has never shown any sign of moving. According to the reports of our scouts there, the masters under the command of the king are also showing no movement at all."


    More than half the scouts of the eight clans were the Karvinka clan who could freely roam the sky. It was almost impossible for the king to move a large-scale military force without avoiding their watch, who could look very far down the sky.


    Actually, the King of Lust did not move. It was clear that his army did not join the King of Gluttony.


    The Queen of Fury stopped thinking. It was meaningless for her to think further. She got up from her seat and drew everyone''s attention.


    "Let me tell you this as the queen of the eight clans, not as the head of the Dritarasstra clan. I''m going to join our forces in the eastern front from now on and confront the King of Gluttony''s forces."


    The King of Gluttony was still missing. However, his troops were constantly gathering in the eastern front. The eastern front, where the war was currently going on, was of great strategic value because it was not far from the border that shared the territory of the King of Lust.


    Aside from the personality of the Queen of Fury, the eastern battlefield was worthwhile for any king because of its strategic value.


    "Let me ask for the assistance of the King of Violence and the House of Mammon. I would like to enlist your full support from the rear."


    She already revealed at the meeting yesterday that she formed an alliance with the Mammon family as well as the King of Violence. She took a deep breath then looked at the head of the dragon clan and the head of the Deva clan.


    "As always, I''m going to assume the worst scenario. Both of you, please defend the northern area like before."


    "We take your order."


    Sugura, the head of the dragon clan, and Asterio, the head of the Deva clan, paid their respect to the Queen of Fury. Like she said a moment ago, she was giving them an order not as the head of her Gandharva clan, but as the queen of the eight clans.


    "Head of the Garura clan, dispatch a messenger to the King of Violence. Gardimundi, once again, go to the House of Mammon and ask for emergency assistance."


    Biryupakcha, the head of the Garura clan and Gardimundi''s father, also showed due manners to her and followed her order. Although Gardimundi tried to protect the queen who was going on an expedition to the eastern front, she could not dare to resist her order in a public meeting like this, so she also accepted the queen''s order politely.


    After revealing her war plan like that, the Queen of Fury said, "It must be an unexpected attack. But we have been preparing for this kind of war. As always, I think we can overcome this crisis wisely."


    Their first meeting was finally over. The queen hurried out of the conference hall and climbed on the back of Astra, a huge beast, with her bodyguards. She cleaned her body and armed herself with weapons on Astra''s back. As large as a fully grown ancient dragon, Astra spread its iridescent wings. Then it immediately soared high in the sky and headed east.


    The sun was rising.


    The Queen of Fury grabbed the Godly Energy of Gluttony.

 248 Fury 2

    Time passed without a pause.


    Nearly a day had already passed since Yong-ho saved Sitri and Samael.


    Yong-ho looked at the mansion of Scachach with a nervous expression. He tried to sleep for a moment at night, but he couldn''t because he was so worried.


    He felt something strange about Sitri this time. Of course, he always thought of her as a special woman, but little did he think she meant a lot to him like this. In his mind, she was as important as Catalina and Kaiwan.


    He closed his eyes tightly. Then he erased the old memories that kept coming to his mind.


    Back then, it was a different story. There was no more bereavement now.


    "They are coming out."


    Kaiwan shouted. He quickly opened his eyes and looked straight ahead.


    Like Kaiwan said, Scathach and Yustia were leaving the mansion with their faces exhausted. By keeping his promise to take Gusion here, Yong-ho could become the true owner of Scathach. Completely lifted from the blockade that bound her for more than one thousand years, Scathach could move freely outside the mansion.


    It was the same for Yustia. After having recognized Yong-ho as the new master of the Mammon family from the moment she met him, she could be lifted from her confinement to the Central Library by re-registering as a general dungeon spirit of the Mammon family.


    They didn''t have any sleep throughout the night because they focused on healing Sitri and Samael, who were seriously wounded. Yong-ho felt sorry for their exhaustion.


    However, he couldn''t even comfort them by praising their efforts. As soon as he saw them, he asked about Sitri''s health instinctively.


    Scathach let down her shoulders a bit and responded in a rather gloomy tone.


    "She has survived, fortunately. It seems that she was wounded deeply in her intestines, but it''s not severe enough to not be cured. But there is some problem with her soul."


    "Her soul?"


    Scathach nodded. She said, looking at the flames of the red lotus that already arose before she knew it, "As Aamon said, that must have something to do with what happened on "that day." How can I describe Sitri''s condition? It''s like a crack in one corner of a glass bottle. The crack grew bigger because she used the power of sin excessively in such a condition."


    Yong-ho felt ominous to hear that. As if she could not stand it, Kaiwan cut in suddenly, "Can''t you heal her even with the power of evolution?"


    In fact, he had healed quite a few injuries with the power of evolution so far.


    Since Catalina not only felt the power herself but also witnessed the rebirth of Goblin Yon, who was on the verge of dying, she looked at him with anticipation.


    But Scathach shook her head.


    Catalina curled her lips, and Kaiwan sighed.


    Scathach continued, "In the case of Samael, her injuries are much more severe, but because she was physically wounded, curing her is rather easy. I think she will recover her consciousness today or tomorrow."


    Yong-ho could restore Samael at once with the power of evolution, but that was possible only when she could be available for evolution.


    Even if Samael became a dungeon spirit of the Mammon family, it would take a considerable amount of time for her to gain evolution EXP enough for evolution.


    Moreover, she was one of the five directors who were allegedly on par with the kings in terms of strength, although she had none of the Seven Deadly Sins and Godly Energy. Maybe she needed to gain evolution EXP, comparable to that of Aamon or Gusion.


    Yong-ho breathed out long. He had only seen her face only a few times, but that didn''t mean that he was not worried about Samael.


    What happened at the Dungeon Market?


    While Scathach and Yustia were concentrating on treating Sitri and Samael, Yong-ho ordered the masters under his command to stop trading with the Dungeon Market. He didn''t make any big announcement about the suspension of all trading forever. He just ordered them to stop buying any stuff at the Dungeon Market for the time being.


    ''Sitri.''


    Yong-ho once again suppressed his nervousness. Now that Sitri and Samael were not in danger of losing their lives, all he had to do was to wait for them to regain their consciousness. Then he would be able to know exactly what happened at the Dungeon Market.


    "Leave Sitri to me and take some good rest. You look really haggard."


    Scathach asked Yong-ho to take a rest, but he could not say anything because he was sorry.


    In fact, it was Scathach who was exhausted most.


    Right at that moment, Lucia''s voice was heard by everyone, not just Yong-ho.


    [Master!]


    [Gardimundi has come back. It seems she has a very urgent business!]


    Gardimundi, who visited the House of Mammon only two days ago, visited again.


    It was very unusual that she came back.


    Instead of responding at all, Yong-ho headed straight to the reception room, accompanied by Kaiwan and Catalina.


    ***


    Astra, the highest-flying wild bird, flew 10,000 miles a day.


    Her iridescent wings shimmering in the sunlight shattered the clouds, and her giant body was flying ahead of the wind.


    The Queen of Fury sat on Astra''s back and meditated. She calmed down her burning determination to fight with a sense of composure. Her abundant chest moved up and down as she breathed long. Although she was going to war, the queen was still lightly dressed.


    Her white-skinned, long arms and legs were revealed, and only her thin, white clothes fluttered over her slender figure.


    But she was much more colorful than usual. The Godly Energy of Gluttony in the shape of a waistband wrapped around her thin and elastic waist. She wore gold jewelry on her ankles as well as her wrists. All of them were armed with a mysterious power.


    Her bodyguards lining up behind her back were also armed like her. They wore pure white clothes and wore gold coats on their arms and legs. The only one wearing armor was Kirtimuka of the Yakasha clan.


    There was no darkness under the sun that rose completely. The intangible wall spreading on Astra''s back broke the violent wind, and various scent was transmitted from the fragments of the wind. Kirtimuka did not miss the smell of blood mixed with the wind.


    The battlefield was not far. The Queen of Fury slowly opened her eyes. She got up and looked down at the ground.


    At least tens of thousands of soldiers were entangled with each other while fighting.


    Luxurious and glamorous magic engulfed the battlefield, and huge spirits such as Mountain Giants and Cyclops ran wildly in the battlefield.


    Strictly speaking, the forces of the Queen of Fury were on the defensive. The number of the King of Gluttony''s troops was almost twice as the queen''s forces.


    The queen changed the way she breathed. She clenched her fists tightly. In a quiet voice, she ordered Astra. Astra cried loudly and slowed down her flying speed.


    Her wild crying swept through the ground, carried by the wind.


    The fighting troops on the battlefield looked up at the sky. The queen''s forces as well as the King of Gluttony''s troops looked at the same time.


    The Queen of Fury closed her eyes. Astra twisted her body in the air, and the queen and her bodyguards left their bodies to gravity for a free fall. Naturally, they flew toward the ground.


    The wind was strong. They were approaching the ground at a terrific speed, while Astra was fading away into the sky. The queen opened her eyes and glared at the ground. She saw and heard a lot of things there.


    She opened her arms like wings. At the same time, she activated the power of her golden robes, and fully released her thruster energy that she had been suppressing until now.


    The sky flashed with flashes of light. It seemed as if starlight was pouring into the red sky.


    Each of her bodyguards was disguised as a translucent thrust giant. It was an embodiment of a thrust energy developed by the Asura clan, the most outstanding fighting race among the eight clans.


    And the brightest light among them was that of the Queen of Fury. A golden light shone again from her, disguised as a red thrust energy giant. An enormous light poured out from the Godly Energy of Gluttony, a lump of Brigada.


    Every soldier on the battlefield staring at the sky lost their vision for a moment. The Queen of Fury, engulfed in a light as bright as the sun, pulled her clenched fists. She looked at the ground, not the King of Gluttony''s forces, then punched it with her fist, shouting loudly.


    The light disappeared. Instead, a massive explosion wave swept the battlefield. The ground split apart the moment she punched it hard. It was like a giant was cracking the whole earth.


    The moment she punched the ground, dozens of dungeon spirits nearby were killed by the impact of her punch. And the resulting earthquake shook the army of the King of Gluttony, sending hundreds of them off into the giant cracks or breaking them down on the ground.


    This time, meteor showers rained down on them endlessly. Her bodyguards, who were disguised as the thrust energy giants like the queen, landed on the ground quickly, causing a giant shockwave across the battlefield.


    The Queen of Fury stood up, stretching her knees. While flying down, she remembered what she saw on the ground. Then she released all the mana that she had received from the Godly Energy of Gluttony but also Brigada. She was holding a giant ax almost the size of a human in the right hand of the thrust engine giant with a ghostly face.


    "Pour out, lightning!"


    As soon as she shouted, lightning struck from the dry sky. Moreover, not one, but several lighting struck simultaneously. A terrifying lightning storm swept the ground.


    All the soldiers on the battlefield were forced to look at the Queen of Fury because of her terrifying presence.


    Tens of thousands of eyes were like arrows. The sudden silence was even terrifying.


    Faced them all, the Queen of Fury raised her fists high. Standing proudly among tens of thousands of troops, she pointed at herself.


    "Look at me! Who do you think I am?"


    Her voice was as deafening as lightning. The sound of her thunderous shouting, which nobody believed could have come from the slender queen, overwhelmed them.


    The Queen of Fury knew how to fight. The high morale of the troops on the battlefield where tens of thousands of troops fought worked a miracle.


    "Stand up! Warriors of the eight clans!"


    "Ooh-oh-oh-oh!"


    "Uaaaaaaaaaah!"


    The silence broke at the crying of the Queen of Fury. The atmosphere of the battlefield itself changed when the queen''s forces, which were on the defensive, shouted all at once.


    The thunderous shouting of the tens of thousands of troops shook the heaven and earth.


    It heralded the arrival of their queen.


    Not only the recruits who first fought on the battlefield but also the veterans who had already fought numerous battles knew the queen. Dritarastra, the Queen of Fury, always stood at the forefront. When she was with her troops, they were never defeated. As long as they trust her, their morale could not be higher.


    The Queen of Fury stood at the forefront again.


    Just as the queen''s army knew it, the forces of the King of Gluttony also knew it.

 249 Fury 3

    After meeting Gardimundi, Yong-ho fell into confusion once again. He heard from her that the army of the King of Gluttony mounted the first strike against the forces of the Queen of Fury. Objectively speaking, their attack was unthinkable, which was what Yong-ho never expected.


    The King of Gluttony was dead. If so, who in the world moved the king''s army? The king''s successor? The warlords who replaced the king''s Ten Warriors?


    Either way, it was very strange. The King of Gluttony''s invasion was like a suicidal action. Who dared to challenge the Queen of Fury? Didn''t they care about Yong-ho or the King of Violence at all?


    "Oh, master of the Mammon family, king of the unclaimed territory!"


    Yong-ho suddenly raised his head at Gardimundi''s call. She was looking straight at him. Although she was usually playful and lively, she was different now. She was extremely tense.


    "Are you hiding something?" Gardimundi asked.


    She asked calmly, but it looked like she was questioning him. Kaiwan and Catalina, who were standing behind his back, reacted at the same time. Their sharp gaze at her seemed to rip her apart at any moment.


    However, Gardimundi looked only at Yong-ho without moving at all. He was agonizing, faced with her.


    He had an alliance with the Queen of Fury. She was a good ally who would join hands with him to conquer the north in the future. If so, wasn''t it okay to tell her the truth? If he shared the intelligence with the queen, wasn''t it possible to solve the current mystery by sharing information with each other?


    But he couldn''t make the decision on impulse. If something went wrong, their alliance could be affected. Even if he decided to tell the truth, he needed to tell it directly to the Queen of Fury, not Gardimundi.


    Yong-ho opened his mouth. Gardimundi looked at him more sharply.


    At that moment, Lucia shouted.


    [Master!]


    [Samael has regained consciousness!]


    He sprang to his feet suddenly. As Lucia''s voice was only delivered to Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits, Gardimundi became even more suspicious.


    "I have an urgent message from the soul of the dungeon. Please wait for a moment."


    After speaking to her immediately, he closed his eyes. When he strengthened his connection with Lucia, he could bring out a video. It showed the inside of Scathach''s mansion.


    "Karot! Karot! No!"


    As soon as she opened her eyes, Samael screamed and twisted her body. She must have recalled the shock when her subordinate spirits were massacred.


    Scathach quickly hugged her and breathed warm vitality into her, holding her in her arms.


    Samael cried out loud. Then she was drooping. She then raised her head again. She looked at Scathach blankly.


    Samael was not an ordinary woman. As the head of the Harpy clan, she was strong enough to be one of the five directors. And her strength wasn''t limited to her mana or physical body. Instead of healing Samael''s emotional wounds, Yustia gave her a strong stimulus to shake up her mind.


    "Kuaaat!"


    Samael suddenly clenched her teeth. She cried again and gasped for breath. Then she looked around as if she came to her senses finally.


    "Madame Sitri!"


    Sitri was soaking her whole body in blue water at that moment. After confirming her face and safety, Samael slowly pushed Scathach out of her arms. Once again, she rolled her eyes and found a face she recognized.


    Yuria, who was treated dearly by the master of the Mammon family as if she were his daughter, was looking at her while crouching in the corner of the mansion. Given the dog-like spirit and the baby dungeon meerkat, it was clear that this place was the House of Mammon.


    "Samael?" Scathach carefully called her.


    She raised her head again and judged the situation quickly. Her own mana decreased sharply.


    All her senses connected to her subordinate spirits disappeared. She knew clearly what happened. Then, now wasn''t the time to hesitate anymore.


    She cried out, with full confidence in the relationship between the Mammon family and Sitri.


    "Abrasax, Orobas, and Bifronz sold the Dungeon Market. They attacked me and Sitri. The Dungeon Market today is nothing but the puppet of the King of Pride!"


    Her voice was transmitted through Lucia.


    Yong-ho opened his eyes. Catalina was at a loss of what to do while Kaiwan looked at him, clenching her teeth.


    It was the worst situation he didn''t even imagine.


    It wasn''t just like a simple internal uprising within the Dungeon Market. The Dungeon Market joined hands with the King of Pride.


    At that moment, Yong-ho realized something. It was as if a lightning bolt passed through his head.


    ''The King of Pride.''


    If the new strongmen in the territory of the King of Gluttony gave up protecting it and dedicated their loyalty to somebody else, who would be their master?


    The King of Pride was still at war with the King of Envy. The King of Lust''s territory was located between those of these two kings. Then, what was the position of the King of Lust? Did the King of Pride make an alliance with the King of Lust? What if the King of Pride took over the forces of the King of Gluttony and even the Dungeon Market? What could the king do with his increased power?


    "Father!"


    A woman''s screaming broke his indulgence in such idle thoughts. Startled, he looked ahead.


    Gardimundi was trembling. In astonishment, she looked at the feather-shaped communication device connecting her and her father, Biryubakcha.


    Gardimundi hadn''t said anything yet.


    However, Yong-ho felt immediately what the King of Pride could do when he took possession of the Dungeon Market, and what could happen if the king attacked other forces.


    Gardimundi raised her head, confirming Yong-ho''s conviction.


    ***


    The lords in the demon world traded their dungeon spirits at the Dungeon Market. It was no exaggeration to say that more than 90% of the spirits in the demon world were bought and sold at the Dungeon Market.


    All those spirits, and the elite troops that could be deployed at any time.


    They were not the only items possessed by the Dungeon Market. But that didn''t matter. Only the fact that the Dungeon Market managed them was important.


    The King of Lust was with the King of Pride.


    The army of the King of Gluttony knelt before the King of Pride.


    Just like he dealt with the King of Envy, the King of Pride didn''t need to keep his invasion secret.


    His invasion of the territory of the Queen of Fury through the Dungeon Market was clearly an effective means, but he could not keep relying on it.


    But the lords under the command of the Queen of Fury were not suspicious of the Dungeon Market just like the King of Envy''s subordinates. They welcomed it, as always.


    At the moment when the Queen of Fury cheered with her forces, the King of Pride began massacres throughout the queen''s territory.


    ***


    The Queen of Fury, who became a red flash and struck the battlefield, was beautiful. As expected, she always led her own bodyguards to the battlefield as soon as a large-scale battle broke out.


    The King of Lust stretched his body''s length. His hair, white like snow, fell down on his shoulders and chest. His red eyes stood out between his pale face.


    Since he could take any shape, regardless of age or sex, the King of Lust had no such thing as a true self. It was also impossible to identify himself because of the additional effect of the sin of Lust from his birth.


    For this reason, the King of Lust chose one of his countless alter egos as his true self.


    Actually, he decided on it a thousand years ago. It was something like a woman that the King of Lust believed as her true self.


    The King of Lust, Asmodeus, gently grasped the Godly Energy of Lust. This new energy, which the king had separated on that day a thousand years ago, greeted him gladly. It changed its shape from a dagger to a long and thin sword.


    In the distance, the Queen of Fury was fighting. She stood out among the forces fighting the army of the King of Pride.


    The Queen of Sloth had one of the Seven Deadly Sins and the Godly Energy, but he had no forces.


    The King of Violence had one of the forces and the Godly Energy, but he had no Sin.


    Only the Queen of Fury had everything.


    Seven horns of light sprouted above the head of the King of Lust. Once called the best swordsman of the demon world, the King of Lust released the Sin of Lust from his fingertips.


    His heart was pounding. The King of Lust felt the Queen of Fury was on the battlefield now.


    The Queen of Fury also felt him. Even though she was still hundreds of meters away from him, the queen looked back exactly where the king was. She was startled to find him.


    The King of Lust had a sad smile. He stepped forward and moved to the queen forcefully.


    ***


    "Let me go back now," Gardimundi said unwittingly. She was almost aghast.


    She served as the Queen of Fury''s eyes and ears. At the same time, she was the only daughter of Biryubakcha, the king of the Garura clan.


    She could gather all sorts of information in real-time. She instantly knew both the Queen of Fury and the temple of the eight clans were in danger, so she could not stay any longer. She had to go back to help them.


    When she thought about the current situation rationally, what Gardimundi needed most now was the assistance of the House of Mammon. But she was not an idealist. She was convinced that Yong-ho hid something. It was foolish for her to trust somebody like him.


    She felt she made a mistake by telling him unwittingly that the Queen of Fury and the temple were in danger. She hastily turned, but Yong-ho grabbed her arm.


    He remembered what Sitri had told him, as well as what the Queen of Fury told him about the importance of a southern alliance.


    The King of Pride was their enemy. He already began to take action. He took over the Dungeon Market and enlisted cooperation with the King of Lust. The remaining forces who lost their master, the King of Gluttony, were in the King of Pride''s control. Perhaps, his fighting with the King of Envy might have been over without anybody knowing, just like Yong-ho fighting the King of Gluttony.


    Yong-ho couldn''t lose the Queen of Fury. She was his ally who could confront the King of Pride. Gardimundi looked back at Yong-ho. Rather than explaining, he convinced her by action.


    He released the power of Greed.


    ***


    The temple of the eight clans was not a dungeon. There were no subtle traps or the darkness that blocked the vision in the temple built on the plains.


    Dark red smoke rose under the red sky. The beasts flocking to the smell of blood witnessed the slaughtering on the ground.


    Warriors from the alien world, Death Knights, Vampire Lords, Arc Demons, and Night Shades, these five-star monsters ran wildly, slaughtering everywhere in the temple. They built a barrier with the bodies of the representatives of the eight clans gathered for the emergency meeting. They fought fiercely, but they were overpowered. Aside from their combat abilities, they were numerically inferior to these monsters.


    Orobas, the strongest Herculean power, took a cheerful step among them. His fists were already stained with the blood of the heads of the Mahoraga clan and Karvinka.

 250 Fury 4

    Not all the heads of the eight clans were strong. That was why Orobas felt them trivial after killing them. But he didn''t feel bad because of that. He quickly realized how overwhelming his power was, which delighted him a lot.


    Indeed, Orobas had been practicing for many years. Because of his hard and continued training, he became stronger and became one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market at last. Given that anyone without one of the Seven Deadly Sins could not become a king, his inclusion into the five-member executive council of the Dungeon Market was the highest position he could hope for as an individual.


    But he always felt he was inadequate. He wanted to be a little stronger.


    He felt he surpassed what he regarded as the ideal power of a man, but it didn''t mean that his thirst for power was quenched.


    He indulged himself in excitement while killing them. He rushed to Kuberaika, the head of the Yaksha clan, who violently tore one of the warriors from the alien world.


    Orobas could become stronger since he was once a subordinate spirit, with his mana growing drastically. For a Red Demon like him, the growth of his mana was the same as the growth of his physical abilities. Orobas crushed the foolish Kuberaika like he destroyed the alien warrior. Orobas ripped apart his limbs with overwhelming force. Kuberaika, whose limbs were torn while he was alive, screamed terribly in pain, but Orobas ended his pain by trampling on his head.


    It was impossible to annihilate the forces of the Queen of Fury with a single surprise attack. However, it was possible to weaken the power of the entire eight clans by killing their chiefs and destroying their main dungeons.


    The meeting of the chiefs of the eight clans was truly a blessing to these monsters. They could achieve their intended purpose by annihilating the heads of the eight clans here today.


    ''Maybe I''ve achieved more than that.''


    Orobas looked west, rubbing against the ground the soles of his shoes stained with the blood and brain water of the Yaksha clan''s king¡ªKuberaika. Perhaps today could be the last day of the Queen of Fury who was running wildly on the battlefield.


    "I really feel it''s a regret."


    He wanted to fight the queen. He felt the strong urge now because he became stronger by becoming the subordinate spirit of the King of Pride.


    The Queen of Fury didn''t have the Godly Energy of Fury. Her status as the queen was not complete.


    So, she could not show a miraculous power like the Queen of Sloth, Sitri.


    So, he could fight her, but he felt it was unlikely he would have a chance to fight her.


    He turned his body with a happy smile. He grabbed Mahoraga''s head and crushed him, who launched a surprise attack from behind.


    But it didn''t matter to him. Obviously, Orobas himself was the strongest Red Demon ever.


    Shrugging once, Orobas stepped forward. He shouted loudly to find and kill the remaining heads of the eight clans.


    While he was stepping forward, he could feel each of the chiefs of the eight clans weeping, fleeing, or fighting desperately. His shouting, which could be heard 500 meters in radius, now resonated over 700 meters away. Orobas went to the trouble of shouting toward the entrance of the temple then stopped suddenly. He felt the presence of another being that he didn''t expect was here in the temple.


    Somehow, he was overwhelmed by uneasiness. He turned immediately.


    It was a Red Daemon like Orobas himself.


    ***


    The Queen of Fury shouted loudly. Disguised as a giant with the thruster energy, she rolled on the ground and swung the huge ax in her hand. Overpowered by her fierce attack, the forces of the King of Gluttony shuddered and fell on the ground.


    The tide of the battlefield, which had once been overturned in favor of the King of Gluttony''s forces, was overturned once again. The queen''s forces maintained the momentum and crushed their opponents like waves hitting a breakwater.


    The Queen of Fury hurriedly raised herself and took out a new weapon while reinforcing her strength by releasing the thruster energy.


    Although she was fighting in the middle of tens of thousands of forces on both sides, she could get out of them bravely. Of course, the troops opened the way partly because of her devastating strength, but they were also distracted by a woman with her eyes half-closed right in front of them. She was standing there with her long red hair falling down her shoulders.


    Every time the woman with pure white hair brandished her sword, the sky and the earth split.


    She dispersed their large troops with her sword to make way for the queen.


    The Queen of Fury breathed wildly. Clenching her teeth, the queen stared at the woman. With seven horns of light on her head, the woman looked toward the queen only dozens of meters away, as if she was waiting for the queen to stand up.


    ''The King of Lust.''


    The king changed not only his look but also his gender from a man to a woman.


    The tremendous mana that the king released from his seven horns. His strong fighting spirit that the queen could feel even though he was dozens of meters away. The transcendent sword energy that separated heaven and earth. Only the King of Lust had such abilities. Who could have all of those things except for the sword demon Asmodeus?


    The Queen of Fury soon shot up her six horns. She erased all the idle thoughts that came to her mind at the moment. She didn''t concern herself about the possibility of an alliance between the King of Gluttony and the King of Lust as well as the disappearance of the King of Gluttony.


    She needed to focus only on fighting her opponent right now.


    At one point, the queen hit the ground and charged at the king. The queen, disguised as a red giant, quickly crossed the distance of dozens of meters and landed right before the king.


    The King of Lust looked at her indifferently.


    But the queen hit the ground, striking the king with the ax of lightning.


    Bang!


    A bolt of lightning struck right in front of the king. But it missed the target like before.


    It wasn''t that the king avoided the attack by stepping aside lightly. It was also not because space was distorted or the invisible force pushed aside her ax of lightning.


    The queen cursed at herself. Even before she hit the target, she twisted the trajectory of the ax of lightning.


    She didn''t hit the king.


    It was ridiculous, but the queen was serious. She couldn''t hit her target properly because she was distracted whenever she attacked the king.


    Nonetheless, the King of Lust stepped forward. He approached the red giant and gently swung his sword.


    Everything within the trajectory of the sword split. The Queen of Fury twisted her body desperately, but she could not stop the left arm of the giant from being cut off.


    "Your Majesty!"


    "Do not come!"


    The queen and Kirtimuka shouted almost simultaneously.


    Since she was the Queen of Fury, she could even try to attack the queen.


    The queen pulled up the ax of lightning stuck in the ground. But the King of Lust again swung his sword against her, and the queen released the full power of the red giant without any hesitation this time. The ax of lightning again hit the ground hard. After lowering her posture and letting his sword over her head, the queen moved her right hand to send off the lightning right before the king. Since she found it hard to attack the king directly, she wanted to mount an indirect attack as best as she could.


    A thunderbolt bounced and the ground exploded. The fragments of lightning struck the King of Lust along with dirt, but the king quickly swung his sword to block all of those attacks. This time, the queen made a bold run toward the king and attacked his heart with the lightning that she accumulated until now.


    The Queen of Fury felt intense pain in her chest because she was kicked hard by the king when the thunderbolt struck. She bounced off over a dozen meters and rolled on the ground.


    "Your Majesty!"


    At last, the queen''s bodyguards gathered around the queen. Even though he was covered with the fragments of lightning, the King of Fury was not wounded at all except for some damage to his clothes.


    But the Queen of Fury was not frustrated because she could ascertain that her indirect attack paid off. Now, she felt she could turn the tide.


    The King of Lust looked silently at the queen. Instead of being angry or mocking, he lifted up the Godly Energy of Lust. Then he activated one of the true powers of Lust when it was united with the Godly Energy of Lust.


    The king''s mana wrapped around the surrounding area. But the queen unconsciously activated the power of Fury and pushed his mana. But it was only the queen who could do that. Those exposed to the king''s mana made a revolt against their master.


    The queen''s bodyguards who gathered around her held their weapons, targeting her. They began to attack her like crazy.


    "Your Majesty!"


    It was only Kirtimuka, her subordinate spirit, among her bodyguards that did not lose her reasoning. The queen hurriedly tossed both arms and wielded mana. After pushing them back with an invisible force, she shouted ferociously toward the King of Lust. She maximized the power of Fury that became more violent when she got angrier.


    But the King of Lust didn''t care. As soon as he noticed the loophole when the queen pushed back her bodyguards, the king charged at her, targeting her neck with the sword.


    A bolt of lightning struck. Then the sword split the space.


    Then the flames of the red lotus rained down between the two.


    Bang!


    The atmosphere was torn with a roar. The earth shook violently, and the green flames of the red lotus engulfed both the lighting and the sword, whose remnants scattered in different directions from the trajectory they originally intended.


    The magic spear was engulfed with the green flames of the red lotus.


    It was the first time the Queen of Fury had ever seen it, but she felt thrilled. The moment she saw the spear, her heart started to beat.


    Only then did the King of Lust make some expression on his face. He looked at the spear blankly. There was astonishment on his pale face. He knew the name of the spear.


    Once again, the green flames arose greatly and separated the two.


    The Queen of Fury grabbed her chest before she knew it. She felt like her heart was about to burst when she noticed the man holding the magic spear of the red lotus as soon as the flames disappeared.


    The Sin of Fury roared. It showed a strong desire toward her half. But the queen''s heart was beating more violently, apart from the resonance of the Sin of Fury.


    The King of Lust trembled. It wasn''t because of the Godly Energy of Fury that began to roar with the Sin of Fury.


    He trembled because of the one who was standing before him, staring at him with the magic spear in hand.


    "The King of Greed!"


    Yong-ho did not answer. Instead, he swung Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus, toward the king.

 251 Fierce battle 1

    Several events took place simultaneously and very fast at that.


    After regaining consciousness, Samael did not stop thinking while suffering from severe trauma. She grasped the situation by inferring from the new information obtained through the Mammon family, what she knew already, and what Abrasax said on the day she was attacked by other directors at the Dungeon Market.


    The battle among the five directors of the Dungeon Market was the beginning of the whole situation.


    The King of Pride made a bond with the King of Envy. Although there was a war going on in the northern area, it was only a deception after all. The majority of the King of Envy''s forces were still unaware that their king was killed in action.


    The special auction house of the Dungeon Market, which was Samael''s own dungeon, was already captured by the King of Pride. Even though the King of Pride did not absorb Samael''s entire forces, it was largely irrelevant to him in the current situation. The territory Samael was in charge of was that of the King of Gluttony. The territories of the King of Envy and the Queen of Fury, who must be engaged in a fierce battle at the moment, were taken care of by Bifronz and Abrasax, respectively.


    The army of the King of Gluttony began invading the territory of the Queen of Fury. The Queen of Fury attacked the east, as she always did, but the Dungeon Market directors attacked all over the territory of the Queen of Fury, seizing the moment.


    Although the information Gardimundi obtained through her family''s secret channel was very fragmentary, Samael, one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, again inferred the situation this time.


    According to Samael''s analysis, the Dungeon Market pulled the sword properly this time. It was impossible to capture all the dungeons in the territory of the Queen of Fury in just one day, even if the masters under the command of the King of Prie were not wary of it. Therefore, the most rational strategy that the King of Pride could take in the current situation was to choose his target and concentrate on it. It was evident that the King of Pride must have deployed most of his forces to some of the key points, including the Temple of the eight clans.


    The demon world was vast. It was not possible to find out all the situations in detail even if the King of Pride dispatched scouts to the battle zones. The only information that he could get in real-time was, at best, a military movement at the major crossroads. But it was almost impossible to find out in real-time what was happening in the remote area.


    On the surface, the King of Pride and the King of Envy were still at war. Moreover, it took less than three days for all this to happen. During this period, the King of Pride privatized the Dungeon Market for the first time, so it was natural that the Queen of Fury was put on the defensive.


    Samael knew she had to stop the domino that started with the fall of the Dungeon Market. Above all, she had to stop the Queen of Fury from collapsing helplessly.


    ''The King of Greed.''


    Samael burst into laughter before she knew it. As one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, she was confident that she could observe what was going on in the entire demon world, but she didn''t realize there was someone who established himself as the king of the unclaimed land in the south. Besides, he had the 12 Spirits of Mammon under his command. It was shocking that Sitri was none other than the Queen of Sloth. She could not hold back the urge to laugh when she recalled her reporting at the Dungeon Market directors'' meeting that the Queen of Sloth was still in seclusion when she was Sitri.


    ''I can stop it. I can protect it.''


    The power of the King of Pride was terrifying. He overpowered the north and took over the Dungeon Market.


    But Yong-ho''s forces were as powerful as them. They were never inferior to the king''s forces.


    Samael closed her eyes. Recalling the faces of Karot and other subordinate spirits, she clenched her teeth.


    ***


    The Temple of the eight clans was burning.


    Based on the information Gusion obtained through his powerful sensation, the enemies numbered more than one hundred. Moreover, about twenty to thirty of them had an unusually powerful energy. According to the Dungeon Market''s criteria for determining its items, they were five-star spirits.


    There was one fundamental reason why the Temple of the eight clans was forced to collapse helplessly. There was one entity that created the decisive power difference between the two sides.


    Gusion stopped gathering further information then ordered his men around him.


    Ophelia, who was more quick-witted than anybody else, took action first. The previous masters of the House of Mammon led the arena spirits and started attacking the Dungeon Market spirits scattered throughout the Temple of the eight clans. Gardimundi, who was in charge of guiding them here from the door of space, flew desperately to search for her father Biryubakcha.


    When there was no one left behind, with Ophelia and Eligos leaving to join Yong-ho''s forces, Gusion stepped forward slowly. The guy who was standing without moving several hundred meters away from Gusion also began to walk toward him.


    The surroundings were noisy. However, the two walking toward each other were silent. Gusion didn''t say anything while his opponent Orobas trembled with joy.


    It didn''t take long for both to stop walking on. They now faced each other about ten meters away from each other.


    Orobas swallowed, looking at him. He looked at Gusion several times, who was standing close enough to talk to him, then suddenly burst into a big laughter.


    He was not sneering at Gusion. He made a hearty and delightful laugh.


    "Oh my God. This is that same guy. Yea, he is right. I saw this man, the strongest Red Demon I had seen in a video I accidentally obtained as a child," Gusion murmured.


    He was the same as the one in the video. In particular, the horns of the bull that grew above his head were exactly the same.


    "You must be Gusion with Herculean power. The strongest one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits, and my long-time target," Orobas said.


    Why did he appear here now? How could he still be alive like this?


    His desire to fight Gusion overwhelmed Orobas at the moment. He wanted to get those details out of his mind and fight him first. He wanted to prove his power. It would not be too late for him to hear the specific answers to such questions after defeating Gusion first.


    Orobas added mana to the six horns that he already released. By doing so, he brought out an enormous power that could not even be compared to when he slaughtered the representatives of the eight clans.


    There was no more silence between them. The atmosphere screamed as if it was shocked, and the small and light things around it shook violently. It was as if the whole world was thrilled with Orobas''s power. Orobas was now indulged in pleasure.


    He said with a smile on his face, "I''m the ''strongest power'' Orobas. As you can see, I''m the strongest Red Demon ever. I want to prove it by defeating you today."


    He spoke as arrogantly as possible. His narcissistic eyes were already seeing a glorious victory.


    "Oh, you''re the strongest?"


    Gusion didn''t say much. Instead of supporting his power with colorful words, he immediately opened up the six horns on his head. He didn''t need to say anything when he was about to fight.


    "I''m going to kill you!"


    Gusion hit the ground and disappeared from Orobas''s vision.


    ***


    Aamon broke through the air. The green flames rising along the trajectory arose once again, engulfing the surrounding area.


    The King of Lust stepped back. He saw the green flames with an incredulous expression. His hands holding the Godly Energy of Lust kept trembling.


    Obviously, it was the magic spear of the red lotus that the King of Greed Mammon used to hold.


    Obviously, it was the Sin of Greed.


    Had he returned? Had he closed the celestial door, passed the one thousand years, and finally appeared like this?


    "The King of Greed!"


    The King of Lust shouted once again. And Yong-ho penetrated through the green flames.


    Aamon''s sharp spear was shot toward the heart of the King of Lust.


    But it missed its target. Just before it hit its target, Yong-ho twisted his arm. Aamon was shot in the air far from the original spot that he targeted while the King of Lust stood fixated on the ground as if nailed down and looked at Yong-ho.


    "You are not Mammon," said the King of Lust. At the same time, Yong-ho stepped back, withdrawing Aamon. Although he tried to smash the king right away, he could not control his body for some reason.


    "You are not Mammon. It''s greed, but not Mammon. You are not him," the King of Lust said again. He gradually stopped his hands from trembling.


    Aamon shouted in Yong-ho''s head.


    [It is the power of Lust that seduces even the enemy.]


    [Withdraw your subordinate spirits. Only the Queen of Fury and you must confront him!]


    Now, the king''s hands didn''t tremble anymore. Furious anger was on his face when he was startled by the man standing before him.


    Yong-ho hit the ground. Once again, he activated the green flames and blocked the space between him and the King of Lust. Although he activated the flames to attack the king, he could not bring himself to kill the king. He was haunted by that thought.


    ''Catalina, back off! Join Kaiwan and fight at the frontline!''

 252 Fierce battle 2

    Yong-ho conveyed his strong message to her through Brigada.


    Catalina, who was trying to land on the ground along with Yong-ho, raised her altitude again, and Kaiwan, who was riding on Salami''s back, bit her lips and headed for the forces of the Queen of Fury. The same was true of Skull and Scathach on Bucephalas.


    "Avoid him!"


    The Queen of Fury suddenly shouted at Yong-ho. He hurriedly lowered his body, and the King of Lust''s sword energy cut through over his head. The green flames activated by him also cracked and faded away.


    [Awaken the power of Godly Energy!]


    [The only one who can confront a king with a Godly Energy is a king with a Godly Energy!]


    Even before Aamon finished speaking, the King of Lust took action first. He rushed toward Yong-ho with a force that was several times more intense than when he charged at the Queen of Fury.


    The Godly Energy of Lust clashed with Aamon head-on. The Godly Energy of Mammon located on Yong-ho''s left arm began to emit a luxurious light. Clenching his teeth, he looked at the King of Lust then thought about it before he knew it.


    ''No, I don''t want to harm the king. I would rather die if I have to harm him!''


    His hand holding Aamon became so weak. The Godly Energy of the King of Lust didn''t miss that moment. It was sliding on Aamon''s spear. It then suddenly drew a strange trajectory. It flew like a flash toward Yong-ho''s neck.


    [Master!]


    Aamon shouted. At the same time, lightning struck. Yong-ho came to his senses only after he was covered with the fragments of lightning. The Queen of Fury was in the spot where he bounced off. She kept the King of Lust in check by wielding an ax bigger than herself.


    The power of seduction was so strong. Especially Yong-ho, who was the opposite sex from the viewpoint of the King of Lust who changed his identity to a woman, found it hard to overcome the temptation.


    The Queen of Fury was not on par with the King of Lust in terms of strength. Unlike Yong-ho who almost gave up, she didn''t give up defending herself against the king, but she could not mount an attack properly because of the power of temptation. Her white limbs were quickly stained with blood.


    Yong-ho clenched his teeth. He not only erected his six horns, but he also triggered the Demon God''s heart then charged at the king at full speed. He stabbed the air right beside the king with Aamon then made all of his available mana explode.


    The ground-shaking explosion affected both the King of Lust and the Queen of Fury. The King of Lust wielded the Godly Energy of Lust to block the explosion and shockwaves, but the Queen of Fury bounced out, unable to defend herself properly. It was exactly what Yong-ho aimed for.


    The green flames engulfed Yong-ho. The King of Lust retreated immediately, but Yong-ho threw himself toward the king, leaving Aamon alone. Then he snatched the king''s waist in the air and brought out Catalina''s mana through Brigada. He spread the wings of the shadow and soared.


    Scathach said the only king who could confront a king with a Godly Energy should also be equipped with a Godly Energy, which Aamon also confirmed.


    But Yong-ho''s Godly Energy of Mammon was not complete yet, so he had to obtain the Godly Energy that could pair with the king''s Sin of Lust in order to overcome his temptation.


    He could gain time only briefly by using the green flames of Aamon. Crossing over the forces of the King of Gluttony, he landed right on the ground.


    The Queen of Fury, who got out of Yong-ho''s arms, stumbled. He grabbed her shoulders, covered with blood, and said urgently, "Please unbuckle your belt."


    "Uh?"


    The queen looked at him blankly. Everything was confusing to her. Even in the midst of the fighting, her heart was beating like crazy.


    ''Is this man the King of Greed? Is the master of the House of Mammon really the King of Greed? Is it true that I was just held in the arms of the master of the Mammon family? Really? Why is he asking me to unbuckle my belt and in the middle of the battlefield at that?''


    The queen''s face turned red. Only then did Yong-ho realize his mistake and take action instead of correcting himself. He pulled out the Godly Energy of Fury he was wearing on his right arm and gave it to the queen. He no longer concealed the Godly Energy of Fury with the power of Greed. He also did not hide the Sin of Gluttony.


    The Queen of Fury again had a blank expression on her. She instinctively understood it.


    The Sin of Fury roared fiercely in her heart.


    She hated the Sins of Greed and Gluttony that appeared before her eyes.


    The Queen of Fury unbuckled the Godly Energy of Gluttony.


    As soon as he saw it, Yong-ho said quickly, "Let''s exchange."


    "What? Wedding gift?"


    This time, Yong-ho was embarrassed. The queen, Dritarastra, hurriedly presented the Godly Energy of Gluttony.


    "Oh, it''s nothing!"


    He had no time. He wore the Godly Energy of Gluttony around his waist while the Queen of Fury put the Godly Energy of Fury on her right arm.


    The green flames that had been moving under Aamon''s command finally faded away. The King of Lust began to rush to Yong-ho, breaking through the energy of Gluttony.


    Yong-ho grabbed the air. After summoning Aamon again, who had disappeared after turning into the flames of the red lotus, he stared at the King of Lust. The king grabbed his chest with his left hand as if suppressing his heart that was pounding. It was embarrassing that the master of the Mammon family had not only the Sin of Greed but also the Sin of Gluttony, but he could not afford to think about it.


    The King of Lust swung the Godly Energy of Lust violently, which sent off the giant energy of the sword to him and the queen, which seemed powerful enough to rip apart the world.


    Yong-ho concentrated. He didn''t need anything like an explanation. The Queen of Fury also understood it by instinct.


    Gluttony and Fury, the two Sins that faced each other in a thousand years roared loudly and released the power of true sin.


    ***


    Gusion disappeared before his eyes.


    He was clearly in front of Orobas until a moment ago, but he suddenly disappeared.


    It wasn''t magic. It was much simpler than that.


    Bang!


    When Orobas realized it, Gusion already appeared right in front of him. Orobas barely twisted his body and avoided his punch. Gusion punched the air with a big noise, and there was something like a knife cut left behind on the spot where he punched.


    Gusion and Orobas made eye contact with each other. Then they were engaged in fighting again. Gusion punched Orobas''s upper body with his left fist, which made him hesitantly step back. Gusion once again disappeared from his eyes. He lowered his body and threw himself on the side of Orobas.


    Orobas gave up looking for him. At the same time, he released a lot of mana and triggered all his senses. In an instant, he could obtain information about Gusion''s location and motion. He now could feel in real-time how Gusion was moving in front of him.


    Orobas began to move himself to defend against Gusion''s attack. He tried to shake his motion by releasing mana fully.


    Bang!


    Orobas''s efforts were in vain. His release of magic did not shake Gusion. The moment Orobas thought he felt Gusion, Gusion was already done attacking him. A powerful impact several times as strong as the one earlier shook Orobas violently.


    Orobas felt like his body was shattering. He felt like the part of his body struck by Gusion was being ripped apart.


    But Orobas''s body wasn''t really broken. He endured it. The body of a Red Demon, possessing a powerful mana, was like steel that could never be broken.


    Orobas instinctively felt his opponent was strong. If he continued to let Gusion attack him, he would eventually collapse. He had to fight back!


    Orobas clenched his teeth and swallowed the pain. He felt it instead of seeing him. He clenched his right fist and concentrated all of his tremendous mana on one point.


    His opponent was obviously quick. However, even he had to stop for a moment.


    Orobas waited for that moment. Gusion punched Orobas''s side again, but Orobas survived it again. This time, Orobas punched him without losing the crucial moment.


    When he rolled on the ground before punching Gusion, it was smashed violently. With such a gigantic force, Orobas threw his punch at Gusion.


    But there was no roaring sound nor was the blunt sound of punching.


    It wasn''t that Gusion escaped his attack. Orobas felt terrible. He was stunned at the fact that his attack was intercepted.


    He found that Gusion''s left hand was blocking his punch. Even before Orobas managed to throw his punch, Gusion took preemptive action to stop it. Then Gusion pressed down on Orobas''s terrifying power.


    Gusion wasn''t just quick, but he was also really powerful


    That was why he was called ''Gusion with Herculean power,'' the strongest physical force of Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    Gusion looked at Orobas and made him realize what his strongest power meant.


    ***


    The Sin of Gluttony was like saying this, "I want to eat him. I want to chew him. I want to swallow him."


    The Godly Energy of Gluttony responded and let Yong-ho know how to do it.


    A huge energy of the sword released by the King of Lust was trying to engulf Yong-ho. Its sharpness seemed to cut the heaven and earth.


    He stretched out his left arm toward the sword energy. The Godly Energy of Gluttony he was wearing on his waist guided him. A vortex of magic arose on his palm.


    It happened in an instant. Something black and huge swelled from the palm of Yong-ho''s left hand. At once, it became several times larger than Yong-ho and opened its "mouth."


    Then it ate all the energy of the sword instantly.


    Something black disappeared. Yong-ho blinked his eyes before he knew it, and he felt his stomach was full. Now he realized the Sin of Gluttony unwittingly.


    The Sin of Gluttony was basically a being that devoured everything before it!


    Bang!

 253 Fierce battle 3

    The Queen of Fury hit the ground. A red aura rose from her whole body. Intense mana radiated from the Godly Energy of Fury equipped on her right arm.


    It was really red lightning. Her fist, which was thrown like a thunder, hit the ground. The King of Lust tried to step back hurriedly, but it was hard because the ground about a dozen meters in diameter around her collapsed at once when she swung her fist.


    The power of Fury was very simple. It was transcendental power that could even endure any Herculean power.


    A smile was on the face of the Queen of Fury. The constant rising power excited her. Stepping on the fragments of the crumbling ground, she soared and clenched her fist again. She looked at the King of Lust who also soared like her, stepping on fragments as she did.


    The King of Lust disguised as a woman was still beautiful. He had an absolute beauty that even the queen felt tempted to fall in love with as a woman.


    But that was all. The queen could not hear the king''s tempting voice anymore.


    It seemed she could destroy the king right now.


    The power of Fury neutralized the power of Lust. She didn''t allow the king to confuse her.


    Yong-ho brought out Catalina''s mana and soared into the sky after spreading the wings of shadow. He smashed the ground and flew toward the Queen of Fury, who was pursuing the King of Lust.


    The King of Lust quickly swung his sword. A number of sword energies created in an instant stretched toward the Queen of Fury. But the queen did not block or avoid the sword energy.


    She rushed to the king, and Yong-ho caught up with the queen then devoured the sword energy with the power of Gluttony.


    The Queen of Fury smiled. It was a smile as bright as the power of pure Fury. Yong-ho passed her and swung Aamon to attack the King of Lust directly.


    Bang!


    Aamon and the Godly Energy of Lust clashed head-on. Although his attack was blocked, Yong-ho looked at the King of Lust beyond the entangled Aamon and the Godly Energy of Gluttony. The King of Lust also saw him and looked into his eyes as if tempting him.


    ''Are you going to harm me?''


    ''Are you going to harass me?''


    ''Are you really trying to kill me?''


    [Master!]


    Aamon shouted loudly and created a fierce flame by himself. Yong-ho came to his senses suddenly and fidgeted with his fingers urgently to block the Godly Energy of Lust from raining down on his head.


    Aamon said to Yong-ho quickly, [You are not yet unfamiliar with Gluttony and the Godly Energy. Gluttony does not completely invalidate the power of Lust.]


    [It''s just neutralizing it.]


    [Moreover, their match is not good.]


    [The power of your anguish is too strong!]


    Yong-ho again felt tempted by the beauty of the king. He seemed to yield to his absolute charm at any moment.


    [Stick it out!]


    Yong-ho clenched his teeth not to be tempted. Recalling Catalina and Kaiwan, he brought out the power of Brigada. He was engulfed by Catalina''s "justice" that inherited the power of Elune, and Kaiwan''s "passion" that inherited the power of Magnadon. They protected him from the fatal attack of temptation by the King of Lust.


    "I am coming!"


    The Queen of Fury intervened between Yong-ho and the King of Lust. Her relentless attack forced the King of Lust to step back again. After catching his breath, Yong-ho looked straight ahead and realized something new. The place of their fighting, which was taking place in the spot within the influence of the power of Gluttony, was suddenly moved to the vicinity of the defense line of the eight clans.


    The Queen of Fury attacked the King of Lust fiercely, but the king evaded all her attacks. The king even swung the Godly Energy of Lust violently and forced the queen to move back for a while. He then unleashed all the power of Lust that he had condensed.


    It was like a wave. The power of Lust that was unleashed by the king charmed the remnants of the eight clans. It captivated the hearts of everyone who was there, regardless of age or sex.


    Dozens of them changed the target of their attack to their master. Some of them rushed to the Queen of Fury that they had been following with respect, while others pierced their chests with their own weapons.


    A fountain of blood was gushing from everywhere. The Queen of Fury lost her mind momentarily as if she had been hit in the head with a hammer.


    "The Queen of Fury!"


    Yong-ho shouted at her and hugged her from behind. Then he soared into the sky vertically with her to avoid the attack by the tribesmen of the eight clans. But it was only the beginning. The tribesmen of the eight clans who started attacking their queen committed suicide all at once as if they admitted their own failures. The queen, who was held in Yong-ho''s arms, wailed at the top of her lung. But the King of Lust did not stop. They kept committing suicide everywhere.


    "Ahhhhhhhhh!"


    The Queen of Fury''s mana increased drastically. It was the attribute of Fury that the more intense the owner of fury became, the more power he could bring out.


    Yong-ho could no longer hold the Queen of Fury. As soon as she wriggled herself out of his arms, the queen landed on the ground and charged toward the King of Lust ferociously.


    The ground collapsed in succession. Every time the Queen of Fury punched the king, it shook the ground.


    But the King of Lust easily evaded her attack. Basically, he was the sword demon, though he had the title of the King of Lust. In fact, he was called the best and strongest swordsman in the demon world. The queen''s attack, which became so simple in proportion to her increased mana, could never harm the king.


    Yong-ho once again blocked Catalina and Kaiwan from approaching by communicating telepathically with them. He ordered them to stop running toward him.


    It wasn''t just the problem of the tribesmen of the eight clans who were killed, enchanted with the charm of the King of Lust. The queen''s attack broke their defense line. The battle between the forces of the King of Gluttony and the eight clans was still going on, although it was overshadowed by the fierce fighting between the King of Lust and the Queen of Fury. If this kind of fighting went on to the end, Yong-ho was supposed to be dealing with the corpses of the eight clans piled up like a mountain once the battle was over.


    Yong-ho caught his breath. He had to end the fighting as soon as possible even at the risk of consuming his power too much.


    He triggered the heart of the Demon God. Its sixth claw penetrated Yong-ho''s chest and a seventh horn of light sprouted above his head.


    He focused on the Godly Energy of Gluttony. Then he threw himself toward the Queen of Fury and the King of Lust, triggering the power of Gluttony again, and devoured the mana of Lust released by the King of Lust.


    The King of Lust''s mana that filled the surroundings disappeared completely. The momentary void of mana created a new distortion. The tribesmen of the eight clans who were dominated by the King of Lust lost consciousness and fell on the floor.


    It was never easy for Yong-ho''s Godly Energy of Gluttony to eat away the mana of Lust that contained a powerful temptation. Moreover, since the target wasn''t as clear as to when he first devoured the sword energy, Yong-ho had to even devour the mana of Fury that had been in full swing. Two different mana were raging inside him as if they would explode anytime soon, so he managed to suppress the explosion by pouring his own mana.


    It wasn''t just Gluttony and Fury that neutralized the power of Lust. The power of Lust also neutralized the power of Gluttony, which required more consumption of mana for that reason.


    However, the void of the mana on the part of the King of Lust was definitely effective. The Queen of Fury, who paused her attack for a moment, rushed back to the King of Lust, who stumbled because of a sudden loss of mana. At that moment, Yong-ho grabbed Aamon and moved to help the queen. For the first time since dealing with the King of Lust, he had demonstrated his full power without any hindrance.


    Yong-ho and the King of Fury worked together perfectly to attack the king as if they agreed in advance for a long time. The queen, who restored reason while losing some of her terrifying mana, took the lead, while Yong-ho assisted her in attacking the king hard.


    Although the king was the finest swordsman in the demon world, he could not block the duo''s combined attack timely. The battle between their pure power and tactics, rather than the clash of their Sins, was fought dozens of times in an instant.


    And finally, the battle was over. Aamon pierced the king''s shoulders, and at the same time, its green flames that arose at that moment burned his shoulders and arms at once.


    Obviously, Yong-ho''s attack was a fatal blow. However, he felt ominous. Rather than striking again, he released Aamon from his hand and got him back into the flames of the red lotus. He then immediately restrained the Queen of Fury who tried to attack the King of Lust in succession. He hugged her from behind quickly and increased his distance from the king.


    Yong-ho''s intuition was accurate. The flesh of the King of Lust suddenly exploded. Yong-ho defended himself and the Queen of Fury by devouring the explosion and shock with the power of Gluttony that he hastily triggered.

 254 Fierce battle 4

    The King of Lust blinked his eyes with a blank expression, but only briefly. The king realized what had happened before his eyes. He was just an ordinary master before he became the King of Lust. He had power as a demon king. It was not the flesh of the King of Lust that exploded. The moment the explosion occurred, his body turned into smoke and scattered in the air.


    The smoke that quickly moved away, carried by the fast wind, was reconstructed at a distant place. It was beyond the army of Gluttony, which was at the exact opposite of where he was until a moment ago.


    The reconstructed King of Lust looked at Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury for a while then turned into smoke again. He disappeared as if he had no regrets at all about the fierce battle until now.


    The King of Lust fled, abandoning the forces of the Gluttony.


    His escape was not incomprehensible, given the fact that he found it hard to deal with Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury at the same time, but Yong-ho didn''t think so simple.


    Why was there only the King of Lust on this battlefield?


    The King of Pride was not here nor were the three other directors of the Dungeon Market.


    Were they all attacking the tribesmen of the eight clans?


    If that was the case, their attack was unreasonable. It was so inefficient. It would have been much more efficient if they had attacked the Queen of Fury altogether.


    Yong-ho thought about the situation from the viewpoint of the King of Pride.


    What if the purpose of the King of Pride was not to annihilate the Queen of Fury or the eight clans? Did he want anything more?"


    What was it? What could the King of Pride value more? Would it have a greater value than the Queen of Fury who possessed not only the Sin as well as the Godly Energy?


    Yong-ho turned his head to the west. He looked farther away than the west area where the main stronghold of the eight clans was located. Then he suddenly realized something.


    The one who had risen to the king''s position even without one of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    The strongest dragon in the demon world with a powerful dragon army.


    ''The King of Violence.''


    It was because of him, not anybody else.


    ***


    Yong-ho felt confused. He suddenly came to recall the King of Violence, but he could not be sure whether his guesswork was right.


    So, he sorted out his thoughts quickly by reconstructing all the information he obtained until now.


    First of all, he thought about those that he learned through Samael.


    First, the Dungeon Market was taken over by the King of Pride.


    Third, as the King of Pride acquired the Dungeon Market, he could use the distribution network of the Dungeon Market freely. And this kind of distribution network made it possible for the king to conduct a blitzkrieg operation.


    Kings were naturally wary of the movement of other kings'' troops within their territories.


    For example, they installed the so-called invisible sky barrier intended to check outside in and out of their airspace, or sometimes, they attacked or intercepted them.


    However, the kings were not wary of the Dungeon Market. The Dungeon Market created several high-speed means of transportation within the territories of the kings. So, the kings didn''t care about the Dungeon Market using their airspace to move their items fast.


    It was a trust they built over a thousand years. In some respects, they just forgot it for a long time, so much so that the Dungeon Market was considered as natural as water or air in the demon world.


    Of course, the kings did not completely trust the Dungeon Market. Although they tolerated the distribution channels of the Dungeon Market, they didn''t allow the Dungeon Market to take control of the most important points in their territories.


    But Samael said that there was a secret distribution channel for the secret transactions between the kings and the five directors of the Dungeon Market, and that sometimes, the secret distribution networks led to the important points because of their secrecy.


    The King of Pride ambushed all the territories of the Queen of Fury, including the Temple of the eight clans by using the secret distribution channel.


    Ophelia said the surprise attack was very effective, but the King of Pride would not be able to mount the same ambush again because he virtually revealed the drastic change of the Dungeon Market to the whole demon world by making such a large-scale attack with the help of the spirits of the Dungeon Market and its secret distribution networks.


    Samael said that the King of Pride must have attacked the King of Envy on the day when there was a revolt in the Dungeon Market. If the King of Pride attacked the King of Envy, as Samael predicted, it was more likely that he carried out the attack on a small scale more secretly and that he could have hidden it from others because he had been prepared for it for a long time.


    On the surface, the King of Pride was still at war with the King of Envy. It was clear that the King of Pride used this kind of deception trick to hide the change of the Dungeon Market from outsiders until he ambushed the Queen of Fury.


    ''If he had to ambush the queen, this would be his only chance.''


    That was correct. Only now could he attack the queen without any prior notice. After today, it would be impossible for him to mount a surprise attack because the King of Violence, who noticed the coup at the Dungeon Market, would obviously destroy or seal the distribution networks of the Dungeon Market in his territory. Besides, the dragon corps on standby along the eastern borders would also move.


    In that case, an all-out war pattern would be inevitable. The King of Pride would have to wage a full-scale war with the King of Violence.


    ''Blitzkrieg.''


    The three directors of the Dungeon Market lost Sitri and Samael.


    The King of Pride now discovered that Sitri was the Queen of Sloth.


    He also knew that the King of Gluttony was killed.


    The only enemies confronting the King of Pride were three, namely, the King of Violence, the Queen of Sloth, and the Queen of Fury. Given that Sitri, the Queen of Sloth, was in charge of the southern part, she would throw her weight behind the King of Violence if the King of Pride would wage a full-scale war with the King of Violence.


    Yong-ho seemed to put together the puzzles in his mind correctly.


    According to the logic of the King of Pride, he would have the King of Lust beat the Queen of Fury. Then, he would dispatch Orobas and the elite forces of the Dungeon Market to strike the major dungeons of the Queen of Fury. After that, the King of Pride himself would lead his elite forces to attack the Queen of Fury in person.


    Most of the dragon corps were on standby along the eastern borders, not near the King of Violence''s hideout at the far west end of his territory. Moreover, the territory of the King of Violence was maintained by Abrasax until now. Since Abrasax was the first to have come under the command of the King Pride, he could have built a secret passage without the King of Violence knowing it. This was just Yong-ho''s assumption of course, but there was a real possibility that could happen. He imagined the situation where the King of Pride carried out all of these plans. In that case, he would have to face a truly terrifying situation.


    Under that scenario, there would be only one, namely the Queen of Sloth, who could confront the King of Pride. All the King of Pride could do was to absorb the groups that lost their central figure, namely their ''king,'' one by one over time. And the process of him taking over their remnants would be much easier than a full-scale all-out war.


    That was the completion of the domino in the demon world that Samael feared.


    Of course, the reality was different.


    Yong-ho himself, the King of Greed, existed.


    He saved the Queen of Fury from the King of Lust and saved Samael and Sitri as well.


    He was not sure how much the queen''s forces were damaged by Orobas''s surprise attack, but no matter how severe it had been, he would not have devastated them. In other words, the Queen of Fury and her forces were largely left intact.


    If the King of Pride really ambushed the King of Violence, at least, there was one premise. Namely, the King of Pride should be stronger than the King of Violence, and he should be able to defeat the King of Violence by a surprise attack.


    Could he?


    Yong-ho closed his eyes tightly. There was a dearth of information about it after all. He kept making too many assumptions. Maybe he made the wrong assumption from the beginning.


    What if the King of Envy was not killed yet? What if the King of Pride was really fighting rather than pretending to fight the King of Envy? What if the King of Pride defeated the King of Envy, but the latter is now in recuperation after suffering a major injury?


    At this point, Yong-ho stopped thinking. It didn''t make sense for him to think more about it. He thought a lot about it in a surprisingly short time, but his conclusion was simple. All he had to do was to check it by himself.


    He faced the reality again. And he felt something wriggling in his arms.


    "Uh, um¡­ please¡­"


    A woman''s sweet voice was added to her sweet smell. He heard it again from his chest.


    He quickly released his hands and let go of the Queen of Fury.


    After trying to forget her sweet smell on his arms, he said while stepping back, "Sorry."

 255 Fierce battle 5

    In fact, Yong-ho had been hugging her all along while he was absorbed into thinking about the King of Violence. Probably, he would have been embarrassed and made a big fuss over what was happening before his eyes if he had just got here in the demon world for the first time, but he acted with composure this time.


    "Hmmm... It''s okay. I felt good. Oh, it''s nothing. So, just forget it. Hmmmmmm," said the Queen of Fury. She cleared her throat in embarrassment.


    Yong-ho quickly rummaged through his magic pocket and pulled out a cloak he used to wear usually. While she was looking at him in confusion, he gently wrapped his cloak around her. As a matter of fact, her short and thin clothes were literally messy because of her fighting. Her attire was in tatters because her arms and legs were covered with blood during the fight.


    Rather than clearing her throat, she bit her lips slightly. She then grasped the hem of the cloak that he wrapped around her and shook her head hard as if she was trying to come to her senses.


    Although the King of Lust fled, the battle wasn''t over yet. Moreover, she had to do some other urgent things since she had taken care of the most urgent task.


    "I guess I''ve got a lot to discuss with you, but I would like to¡­"


    After blurring at the end of her words, she corrected her posture and said, "I would like to express gratitude to you formally. Thanks for saving me. If you had not come, I would have been in big trouble."


    Yong-ho, who was afraid she might blame him for hiding the fact that he was the King of Greed, felt relaxed before he knew it. The queen''s smile was pure and bright, so much so that he was embarrassed by her pure gratitude.


    "You''re welcome. I am just sorry for hiding the fact that I am the King of Greed."


    Yong-ho also responded honestly.


    The Queen of Fury knitted her eyebrows and asked, "Did you also defeat the King of Gluttony?"


    "That''s right."


    The Queen of Fury was never stupid. The Godly Energy she exchanged with him proved everything.


    The master of the House of Mammon was the King of Greed.


    He defeated the King of Gluttony and saved the Queen of Fury.


    Although it was an exchange, she handed the Godly Energy of Fury to him without hesitation.


    It was only when the Godly Energy paired with the Sin of its corresponding Sin that anybody could exercise the true "power of the king."


    Not only the Queen of Fury, but also Yong-ho realized it keenly.


    Yong-ho felt a big difference in power while he was confronting the King of Gluttony, the first king Yong-ho encountered, and the King of Lust who he defeated this time.


    The Queen of Fury wiped her left hand, not equipped with the Godly Energy of Fury, on her thigh instead of the cloak, and reached out to Yong-ho.


    "You lied to me a bit, but I still want to trust you. Can I believe that our alliance against the King of Pride and the northern region will continue?"


    Actually, that was what Yong-ho wanted. He grabbed her little hand then shook hands with her.


    Then a smile was back on her face. It was so beautiful that he wanted to keep looking at it, but now was not the time to be complacent like this.


    Given that there was no such problem with getting connected to his subordinate spirits who had been dispatched to save the tribesmen of the eight clans, it seemed they were safe, but he had to inform the queen that many places including the Temple were attacked. He also had to take into account the possibility that the King of Violence might be in danger.


    "Dritarastra, I have something important to tell you."


    While looking down at his hand, the Queen of Fury raised her head.


    At that moment, several men called them in a hurry.


    "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! We''re in big trouble!"


    "Master!"


    "Yong-ho!"


    Not only Kirtimuka but also Catalina and Kaiwan were rushing toward them.


    ***


    The battle of the Red Demons, who were well known as a combat race in the demon world, was special.


    They did not use luxurious and dazzling magic or superpower like other strongmen in the demon world. They have fought with their physical strength since they were born. They smashed the enemy with their clenched fists, and destroyed the enemy with a sharp and strong blow.


    Because of this, the fight among the Red Demons was a pure physical fight. Their fierce fighting, which could not be more violent, could be called the essence of violence.


    The area near the entrance of the Temple of the eight clans was completely ruined, with no traces at all. It was the result of the two monsters'' clash, whose physical power outdid the dragons. Namely, Gusion and Orobas were engaged in deadly fighting.


    Orobas was destroyed. All of his six horns he was so proud of were broken, and his left arm was torn off. The bones of his body were crushed to pieces.


    Gusion, whose body was covered with blood, let out a rough breath. He opened his fists stained with his own blood and Orobas''s and placed them on his chest. He took Orobas''s essence and kept it.


    After taking a deep breath, Gusion moved his right hand again instead of his immobile left arm and pulled out the elixir from the pouch on his waist. It was a precious item that he had kept at Mammon''s treasure storage, but now was not the time to spare it.


    When he gulped down one bottle at once, he felt his physical strength and mana recovered. He stretched out his left hand, which began to move again, and closed Orobas''s eyes who were killed with his eyes open.


    There was no end to the journey to martial arts, and there was no limit to the honing of martial arts skills. Orobas missed it. He was obsessed with strengthening his body by increasing mana, but he was defeated by Gusion, who continued to improve his skills and pursued martial art for a thousand years.


    Gusion, who raised himself completely, wiped the blood off his face. As a subordinate spirit, he knew Yong-ho was safe. Although he was not sure how the fight on the eastern front was going on, it seemed that there was no situation he was concerned about.


    If he could have his way, Gusion wanted to run to the eastern front right away, but it was unreasonable. They already reached the limit of daily use of the door of space. Besides, Gusion had some other work to do.


    "What about other places?"


    Gusion asked someone behind his back. Although he didn''t rely on his superb ability to gather intelligence, he could find Ophelia''s whereabouts through his keen sense that he sharpened while fighting Orobas.


    Looking at Orobas''s body blankly at a distance, Ophelia came to her senses suddenly and approached Gusion.


    "We have secured the Temple of the eight clans. We could recapture it thanks to the great fighting of the King of the Asura clan and the King of the Dragon clan. It was crucial that you defeated Orobas."


    Although they were the kings of their own clans, they were no more than the head of their own clan. Some of them were specialized in battles, such as King Asura and King Yaksha, but others were not related to battles, such as King Mahoraga.


    If Gusion had not defeated Orobas, they would have been annihilated.


    Ophelia flapped her tail as if she was resembling Catalina.


    Gusion kept asking, setting his dislocated bones


    "What about the damage on our side?"


    "No one was killed."


    "That means some of our soldiers were wounded. Give me a list of the wounded later. Let me give them a harder training."


    Cracking a joke like that, Gusion again let out a long sigh. Thanks to the efficacy of Elixir, he felt like he already recovered his stamina a lot.


    "Is there any dungeon being attacked at the moment?"


    "Yes, there are several dungeons under attack right now. Gardimundi is collecting the relevant intelligence now."


    Because of what happened a thousand years ago, Gusion was reluctant to trust outsiders like Gardimundi. However, Yong-ho made an alliance with the Queen of Fury, and he ordered Gusion to protect the queen''s dungeons.


    So, he faithfully followed Yong-ho''s order, the King of Greed.


    ''The King of Pride.''


    Although there were many generations before his family, Gusion still hated that name. Looking north, he roared once again then turned. He egged on Ophelia who said she saw something strange to find out the dungeons that needed his support.


    ***


    The King of Lust sat down on the floor, clutching his chest. It wasn''t just because he was injured while fighting Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury. His subordinate spirit just died. It was none other than Orobas, who he made his subordinate spirit only two days ago.


    His plan went wrong. Something unexpected happened.


    The King of Greed was back. Moreover, he had the Sin of Gluttony and the Godly Energy, in addition to the magic spear of the red lotus.


    He was not Mammon. But he looked like Mammon. Aamon in the hands of the new King of Greed proved that he was Mammon''s true successor.


    Maybe Aamon wasn''t the only one who survived. At first glance, he felt like he saw Scathach on the battlefield. It was probably one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits that defeated Orobas.


    The King of Lust raised his head. Sitting in a bush far from the battlefield, he looked southwest.


    As if he was overwhelmed by the sense of guilt and regret that weighed heavily on his mind, he called out his lover''s name, "Bellial."


    He had no time. The dragon corps must have moved by now. He was not sure what kind of trick the King of Greed who returned might use against him. So, he had to fight it out as soon as possible.


    The King of Lust turned into smoke again. Then he headed north, wishing the King of Pride victory.

 256 Clash between King of Violence and King of Pride 1

    Yuria was depressed for the past several days.


    She was very happy when Sister Scathach made a pinky promise that she would sleep with her at night, but something wrong happened after that.


    Everyone was serious. Master Yong-ho was also serious, so was Sister Kaiwan.


    Even Sister Catalina, who looked so cute when she flapped her tail like Baduk, was also serious.


    Old butler Eligos, who was always nice and kind to her, didn''t say anything with his lips tightened, so she didn''t dare to ask him what happened.


    The situation did not improve even after Yong-ho brought a woman with wings and a very pretty sister to the house. She thought everything would be okay until tonight, but the situation was still the same. Scathach was busy taking care of the winged sister and the very pretty sister all night long. In Yuria''s eyes, it seemed that Scathach completely forgot her promise to sleep together.


    Yuria was upset, but there was nothing she could do because something really important happened.


    Yuria squatted down in the yard of Scathach''s mansion and looked up at the artificial sun.


    Her back hurt because she dug up potatoes with Skull all day long. The dragon soldiers also complained that their back hurt all the time, but she didn''t know the reason. Nonetheless, she was happy when she thought she could make delicious french fries with the potatoes.


    Two nights had passed since the winged sister and the very pretty sister came here. Master Yong-ho and some others hurriedly went downstairs in droves but didn''t come up. It looked like they went out of the dungeon.


    What happened? Did something bad happen?


    "Whining, whining..."


    When the baby dungeon meerkat called her, Yuria stopped looking up at the sky and turned her head to the baby meerkat. The meerkat, who was sitting almost like Yuria did, handed out the chicken voucher to her with both hands. It was crumpled all over because she carried it in her arms, which was as large as her body. Upon closer look, it was a voucher for the master''s "fried chicken" that was very valuable even inside the dungeon of the Mammon family.


    "Are you giving it to me?"


    "Whining, whining."


    The meerkat quickly nodded. It seemed like she wanted to cheer Yuria up with the voucher.


    Watching them, Baduk swallowed, even though the voucher belonged to Yuria.


    Yuria giggled then hugged the meerkat. She pressed down the voucher before opening and lifting it high.


    "I hope our master can come quickly, as well as our sisters. Isn''t it better for us to enjoy the fried chicken together?"


    "Wal! Wal!"


    "Whining, whining."


    Baduk answered ahead of the meerkat.


    Right at that moment, there was a big noise inside the mansion.


    The winged sister got up from the bed and shouted something. Grandma Yustia, dressed in a black dress, who the meerkat was not familiar with, was also looking at the same place like the winged sister.


    Yuria and the dungeon meerkat rolled their eyes at the same time. They saw a very pretty old sister sleeping quietly in the blue water in the middle of the mansion.


    The blue water was split automatically. The winged sister, Samael, raised her voice again.


    "Sitri!"


    Sitri responded to her call and woke up from a deep sleep.


    ***


    Typically, dragons were rarely conscious of the concept "we."


    As the descendants of the Dragon King, they could exist alone, so they were often indifferent to their own race as well as to the world. In that respect, each of them could be called a lazy individualist.


    The dragon army under the King of Violence was a quite mysterious group from a dragon''s point of view. It was strange that they formed the army, but it was even more strange that its members were from different clans.


    The dragon army was led by the giant dragon Ancablosa, called the "farthest watcher."


    As a blue dragon, she was positioned with her forces along the eastern border at the order of the King of Violence. Her primary duty was to keep the King of Gluttony in check.


    Ancablosa sensed the movement of the King of Gluttony''s forces during the night. However, she did not move recklessly because her duty was to keep them at bay rather than striking them first.


    It had been a while since the forces of the King of Gluttony moved. By now, they must have already confronted the forces of the Queen of Fury.


    Ancablosa finally spread her wings and stood up. But she didn''t head north where the fight was going on. Rather, she looked to the west, where there was no fighting whatsoever.


    She received no order from the King of Violence. She didn''t receive any new message from him, either.


    However, she looked west for a while. Feeling ominous enough, she activated the communication magic. There was no response. No, it didn''t work at all. As if there was something interfering with the communication, the magic that was transmitting to the west broke down suddenly.


    She did not delay any more. After ordering the flying monsters to stand by, who consisted of the majority of the dragon army, she soared into the sky, accompanied by her close aides.


    Something unusual happened. Otherwise, there was no reason for the communication to fail like this.


    She hastily flapped her wings, hoping her gloomy foreboding would not be true.


    ***


    The distribution channels of the Dungeon Market were connected everywhere in the demon world. Compared to other areas, however, there was only a small number of distribution channels in the territory of the King of Violence in the west of the demon world.


    Dragons were less dependent on the Dungeon Market than other masters of the demon world. They liked to command several races living in their territory rather than buying them from the Dungeon Market.


    Since the number of their distribution channels was small, they had fewer options.


    Abrasax chose the distribution channel closest to the King of Violence''s hideout place called Rare.


    The moment the King of Gluttony''s army attacked the forces of the Queen of Fury, the door of space at the end of the distribution channel opened. It was the door of space that Abrasax had prepared to use just one time for the attack today.


    A lump of blue mana spread out through the gap of the split air. Led by Abrasax, quite a number of his men arrived in the land of the King of Violence.


    The time during which the door of space was open was very short. At best, it was only a minute or two. Moreover, the door of space was more than a few kilometers away from the King of Violence''s Rare.


    However, the moment the door of space was closed, Abrasax realized that he was spotted. He was caught opening the door of space in the territory of the King of Violence.


    Abrasax hastily opened his arms. Without any delay, he freely released an enormous mana from the seven horns on his head.


    During the surprise attack this time, Abrasax had only one mission. Namely, he was supposed to scatter mana in the air to isolate the King of Violence by interfering with all kinds of communication magic and space moving magic.


    When the tremendous mana was released, the forest filled with trees shook violently.


    Abrasax clenched his teeth, but his mana didn''t pay off. The forest didn''t shake because of Abrasax''s mana. Some other movements were taking place throughout the forest.


    Not content with erecting his six horns, Bifronz turned into a giant spider¡ªhis original body.


    He rolled his eight eyes to grasp the surroundings and sensed the vibrations of the ground with his eight feet.


    Dragons with huge bodies rarely created underground dungeons like demon kings. They built their dwellings in open basins or high mountains where they could fly at any time.


    Therefore, the dragon''s dungeons were not limited to the Rare like the King of Violence. The entire estates around it could be called their own dwellings.


    However, the size of their dwellings was usually hundreds of meters in diameter around the Rare. Even the dwellings of the Ancient Dragons who lived for a long time didn''t exceed one kilometer in diameter.


    But the King of Violence''s dwelling was an exception. Bifronz shuddered with fear. If he had been in the form of a humanoid, not a spider, obviously, cold sweat would have broken out on his back.


    They were already inside the Rare of the King of Violence. The entire forest was the dungeon of the King of Violence!


    Even the five directors of the Dungeon Market were not aware of this fact, something so embarrassing to them.


    The reason why the entire forest shook violently was because the subordinate spirits of the King of Violence started to move their operation. As soon as the door of the dungeon was opened, numerous spirits with powerful mana poured out in succession. It was natural that they responded to the opponent''s hostile attack.


    There were many clans who were living under the protection of the King of Violence.


    Bifronz sensed through the vibration of the ground that thousands of spirits were moving toward him. His eight eyes spotted flying monsters rushing toward him from all directions.


    While Abrasax''s duty was to obstruct the movement of the King of Violence''s forces interfering, Bifronz''s mission was to command his troops. Although the enemies were larger than he expected and their response was quick, Abrasax and Bifronz came into the King of Violence''s territory with a "war" with him in mind from the beginning.


    Most of the spirits who accompanied the two were magic summoners. Prodded by the two, they hurriedly completed the formations of their summoning targets. When the thirty-six summoners recited the spell at once, a pile of bright light was formed in the red sky, and a new light spread from the pile of light in no time. In the blink of an eye, several giant formations of spirits in the shape of light were drawn in the air.

 257 Clash between King of Violence and King of Pride 2

    Three Zombie Dragons and four Bone Dragons stuck their heads out at the same time. Each of them was a giant monster who was dozens of meters tall.


    After that, flying spirits appeared in a row, following seven Undead Dragons. Griffon and Pegasus carrying the warriors of the alien world soared into the sky, and the beasts that did not carry the monsters screamed wildly.


    Their summons did not happen only in the air. Brainwashed Elf Spirits summoned all kinds of spirits, and the Elder Lich raised up Golems. Vampire Lords summoned the undead spirits such as skeletons and zombies.


    Dozens of groups quickly swelled into thousands now. The majestic posture of the seven Undead Dragons that filled the sky was terrific.


    Watching them, Abrasax smiled a pleasant smile again. Bifronz also regained confidence again.


    There was also movement on the part of the King of Violence. The forces that shook the entire forest finally appeared.


    Drakes and Wyverns, called the dragon''s subspecies, covered the sky. They numbered at least one hundred.


    Dark elves armed with magic bows and spirit magic became united with the forest and surrounded the forces of the Dungeon Market. The dragon soldiers escorted them, and Mountain Giants and other giants stuck their heads out over the bushes suddenly. Heavily armed dwarves and orcs were on standby at major crossroads.


    Dragons were also mixed with them. They were the young men of the Red Dragon clan who inherited the blood of the King of Violence. The largest ones among them were only about twenty meters tall because they hadn''t fully grown yet, but they numbered more than 20.


    Only a few minutes had passed since the door of space opened. Nevertheless, there was already a war looming in the surrounding area. It seemed like a huge battle would begin anytime soon.


    But the war didn''t start yet because the most important person didn''t yet appear.


    Someone was crouching down in the Dragon Rare over there.


    He rose to the position of a king by using his power only when he had nothing like the Seven Deadly Sins.


    The atmosphere was torn hard with a roaring sound like an explosion.


    It took place right after the great being soared into the sky. Even though he was a few kilometers away, his presence seemed to fill the whole sky.


    The ground turned black under the red sky because of a huge shadow. The scene of a creature several times as large as a fully grown Ancient Dragon, with its body over two hundred meters long soaring above the sky, was very unrealistic.


    Once again, the atmosphere shook violently. The wind caused by just flapping his wings once made the whole forest howl.


    The King of Violence was flying over his forces on the ground.


    Red and huge being, who looked like a god.


    The King of Violence looked down at the army of the Dungeon Market. He did not warn them. He opened his mouth to those who were overwhelmed by his presence. Then he exercised the power of the great Dragon King.


    Dragon Breath.


    Light colored the world. It looked like the whole world was shaking. The power of the greatest dragon traversed the space, crushing everything in front of it. One Bone Dragon that was exposed to Dragon Breath was smashed even before he could avoid it or block it. A huge line was drawn on the surface, and all the beings within that huge line disappeared.


    The remains of the smashed Bone Dragon fell on the ground. There were quite a few vibrations, but no one looked back.


    Abrasax couldn''t breathe properly. The Dragon Breath passed by only a dozen meters away from him. What would have happened if that strong power had hit him?


    He would have stopped it. He would have protected himself somehow because he was called ''the strongest mana'' of the Dungeon Market.


    But he could not immediately imagine himself defending himself against such an attack. The King of Violence''s mighty images stopped him from even imagining it.


    Abrasax finally realized that he was the King of Violence. He was a being that had to be called that way.


    The King of Violence, who claimed to be an ''observer,'' never went out of his territory. His battle against the former King of Gluttony over two hundred years ago was his last battle in the history of the demon world. Perhaps, that was why Abrasax ignored that fact.


    Abrasax breathed with an effort. One second was like an eternity to him.


    This land was the dungeon of the King of Violence. All the masters of the demon world showed their strongest power when they were within their own dungeons.


    Maybe they made the wrong choice. Maybe they should have never touched the opponent from the beginning. Abrasax momentarily thought so, but in no time, he regained his reason. By generating mana, he shook off the feelings of overwhelming fear that paralyzed his thinking.


    The King of Violence''s Dragon Breath missed him. Someone twisted that terrifying force in front of him. That was why the Dragon Breath drew a diagonal line on the surface.


    That guy twisted the trajectory of Dragon Breath with the power of Envy, which was in the shape of black smoke.


    An enormous mana swirled from the Godly Energy of Envy in the form of a ring. The owner of the Godly Energy let down the Godly Energy of Pride in the form of a longsword.


    The King of Pride smiled feebly then looked at the King of Violence with the three-eyed telescope on his head.


    This was the first time he actually faced the King of Violence. However, the moment he encountered the dragon king, he could find out lots of things.


    The King of Violence was not surprised to see the King of Pride handling the Godly Energy of Envy. The King of Violence had something more important in his mouth, which was his own voice.


    The voice of the King of Violence, which could be called thunderous, echoed from heaven down to earth. It was a voice that seemed to resonate directly from his head.


    [King of Pride, or the ''the Royal Family of Pride'']


    It was a weird title. A smile close to a big laughter was on the King of Pride''s face, who asked without any hesitation. His voice was so small, compared to that of the King of Violence, but everybody could hear it.


    "Did you know about it?"


    [I was suspicious of you, and now I have become convinced.]


    Abrasax could not understand what they were talking about. But Bifronz understood it intuitively. He looked at the King of Pride before he knew it.


    Unlike the other kings, the King of Pride inherited the Sin of Pride to form a "royal family."


    What if he didn''t form a royal family? What if he was just one of the kings?


    Such a possibility didn''t exist. Bifronz had met the former King of Pride. He was different from the current King of Pride. He was a completely different person.


    But the King of Pride did not deny what the King of Violence said. He took control of the Godly Energy of Envy and that of Pride at the same time. The black smoke and pure white light, the result of his intense emotions, engulfed the King of Pride.


    The power of sin was the power of the soul. Thousands of years weighed upon the power of both sins.


    The King of Violence did not ask about his situation. He soared high and prepared Dragon Breath for the second time.


    The King of Pride raised his head high. He released the mana from his body that he had completed as the best possible one over a thousand years.


    Shaking off all his doubts, Bifronz ordered his subordinate spirits to attack the King of Violence. Six undead dragons flew at the same time, and the forces of the Dungeon Market launched an attack against the forces of the KIng of Violence. They clashed in the sky and on the ground at the same time.


    The war between the King of Violence and the King of Pride finally began.


    ***


    No one knew who was the first who possessed the Seven Deadly Sins.


    It was unclear when the spirit of the Demon God was divided, or when the divided soul was conceptualized as the Seven Deadly Sins.


    Perhaps, the first person who possessed the Seven Deadly Sins did not know that he had them.


    But there was a man. He was not convinced that he was the first who possessed the sin of Pride. However, it was clear that he was the first who had been called the "King of Pride" by the majority of men.


    The first King of Pride. Belial, the Demon King of Rule.


    The "royal family of the King of Pride" began with him.


    ***


    The King of Violence soared into the sky. Four of Bifronz''s eight eyes turned to the sky. He quickly moved his fingers to control the undead dragons.


    Although one of them was killed, there were still six left. The way the six undead dragons, who were dozens of meters long, flew at the same time was enough to cause fear among the forces on the ground.


    But Bifronz couldn''t feel relaxed. Those on the ground who looked up to the sky shuddered at the terrifying posture of the King of Violence, who seemed to press down the six dragons with his giant body covering the sky.


    The giant body of the King of Violence was 200 meters long. The distance between the ends of his full wings was even longer than the length of his entire body, so much so that he could easily wrap all the six undead dragons soaring toward the sky under his wings.


    Zombie Dragons under the command of the King of Pride let out their own breath toward the King of Violence all at once. Bone Dragons flew higher as if they were trying to make a suicidal attack.

 258 Clash between King of Violence and King of Pride 3

    The Zombie Dragons'' breath surging up toward the King of Violence took on lots of forms. Looking down at them, the King of Violence released mana, which alone brought about a strong resistance. The breath targeting the king was distorted or sent off in the wrong direction that they had originally targeted. What the King of Violence used was called secret dragon magic that had been passed down only among dragons.


    Three types of breath containing light, flames, and lightning scattered everywhere, dazzling the eyes of those looking at them. Three Bone Dragons that discerned the scattering fragments of the breath attacked the King of Violence at the same time.


    Each of the Bone Dragons was dozens of meters long. But the King of Violence was several times as large as them. It was like a child attacking an adult.


    The King of Violence rotated his body in the air. Then, his huge and long tail, one-third of his long body, showed a terrifying movement. It struck one of the Bone Dragons after tearing the atmosphere.


    It was a tragedy. The Bone Dragon plunged to the ground faster than he soared. At the moment he crashed on the ground, the fragments of his broken body also poured down like a meteor.


    Zombie Dragons stumbled because of the torrent of the atmosphere created by the King of Violence''s tail attack, which could be called the strongest strike ever.


    One of the Bone Dragons that escaped his tail attack bit the king''s neck. Another dragon struck the king with its tail as violently as possible as if he was imitating the king.


    At that moment, Bifronz felt hopeless, watching them fighting the king.


    The Bone Dragon''s teeth could not penetrate the king''s red scales. Despite an attack by another dragon backed by its massive weight, the King of Violence did not move.


    The King of Violence bit one of the Bone Dragons. Even though he was already an undead, the dragon screamed. The sharp, powerful teeth of the King of Violence crushed the bones of the Bone Dragon to pieces.


    The energy of death exploded at that moment. It was the power Bifronz created by making the Bone Dragon explode when he was bitten by the King of Violence. An intense energy of death engulfed the King of Violence, but it was again useless. The energy of death that tried to curse the king could not penetrate his might. When the Bone Dragon exploded, its bone fragments bounced off and messed up the king''s mouth, but that was it. When the King of Violence again used the dragon''s secret magic, his damaged mouth was restored to its original condition.


    Bifronz gave up the hand-to-hand fight. The Zombie Dragons and one remaining Bone Dragon dispersed. Those Bone Dragons that crashed on the ground shuddered, unable to stand up again.


    In an instant, he raised his altitude more than a few hundred meters high. He then opened his mouth wide toward the ground. He let out Dragon Breath for the second time.


    The King of Violence''s breath was like a huge pillar of light. The undead dragons flapped their wings desperately, screaming. Dragon Breath penetrated through them and headed for the ground. The original target of the King of Violence was not the undead dragons. It was Bifronz who commanded them all on the ground.


    Looking up at the disaster pouring out from the sky, Bifronz kept swallowing. He didn''t close his eyes to the end, and a miracle happened at that moment.


    Dragon Breath was distorted. Pitch black smoke, a symbol of an intense emotion, distorted the trajectory of Dragon Breath again.


    Light covered the ground. Dragon Breath, which penetrated the ground, exploded, eliminating the surrounding area. A powerful earthquake shook the entire forest.


    However, Bifronz survived. Gasping for breath, he looked at the sky. The King of Prie, the owner of the black smoke, was standing in the air alone. Those who were in the realm of the power he created were not swept away by the explosion of Dragon Breath because of the black smoke from the Godly Energy of Envy that neutralized the explosion.


    The King of Pride no longer looked up at the King of Violence. He took off into the sky. The broad wings spread behind his back made the King of Pride soar high in the sky with just a flap of his wings.


    The King of Violence hurriedly raised his head and looked up at the King of Pride, who was now rising over his head. The King of Pride looked down upon him now.


    At that moment, the King of Violence triggered powerful magic. The scorching heat that the King of Violence brought about with his determination struck the King of Pride. But the black smoke of Envy surrounding the king stopped the heat. At the same time, the powerful gravitational magic of the King of Pride pressed down on the King of Violence.


    The King of Violence flapped his wings. His strong will broke the gravity magic. Although he lowered his altitude slightly, he never plunged to the ground.


    Four undead dragons charged at the King of Violence again. The King of Pride lifted the Godly Energy of Pride.


    Once again, the light and their roaring noise shook the sky.


    ***


    Like all the lords of the demon world, the first King of Pride had one power.


    The demon king of domination.


    The power of domination.


    He could freely dominate those who inherited his blood and his subordinate spirits. Not only their bodies but also their souls belonged to the King of Pride.


    Time passed.


    The King of Pride, who used everything around him as a tool, could not avoid death.


    The king did not properly remember what happened at that time. He couldn''t tell whether it was his will or just the instinct of the living that he didn''t want to die. Maybe none of them was true.


    When the King of Pride became aware of himself again, it was all over. The King of Pride looked down on his body only when he was old, weak, and eventually died.


    The King of Pride ruled his successor. He robbed the successor''s body, not content with ruling him. Then he swallowed up the successor''s soul.


    The Seven Deadly Sins were to dwell in the soul, not the body. Although he acquired a new body in the successor, he was still the King of Pride.


    The King of Pride lived that way. For him, his descendants were no longer the heirs who could inherit everything he possessed. His successor was just a tool to be taken away by the King of Pride.


    The King of Pride was independent.


    Those who did not know the situation thought that the Sin of Pride would be inherited through generations through his bloodline. They called it the royal family of the King of Pride.


    Time passed again.


    One day, the King of Pride met the person.


    The person lived in eternity like the King of Pride.


    If the eternal life of the King of Pride was based on his power, his or her eternal life was based on Sin.


    The person was freed from time because he could be anybody, old or young, man or woman.


    A woman with the Sin of Lust.


    The King of Lust, Asmodeus.


    ***


    The war did not take place only in the sky. A deadly fight was going on in the entire forest.


    Although it was the battle between the two giant kings, their subordinate spirits were actively engaged in the battle, helping their masters. They had a role to play on their own.


    The army of the Dungeon Market aimed at the King of Violence''s hideout, Rare, but the King of Violence''s subordinate spirits tried to block their efforts.


    Their individual attack was obviously weak. But what if one hundred spirits cast their magic at the same time? What if one hundred healers heal the King of Violence? What if the huge flying weapons attack the undead dragons and the King of Pride?


    The forces of the King of Violence aimed at Bifronz and Abrasax. At the same time, they defended their master''s Rare. They wanted to help their master, roaming in the sky.


    While the fight in the sky was magnificent, the fight on the ground was desperate. Thousands of troops on both sides fought for their own lives.


    Dark Elf Yertiger shot a magic arrow. He was an excellent sharpshooter. As if to prove his excellent competence, the magic arrow accurately hit the target. The vampire woman who controlled ghouls grabbed the magic arrow stuck in her neck and screamed. White smoke soared from the wounds on her neck.


    The ghouls went around even more violently. Yertiger was about to hurriedly shoot his second arrow when a rock as big as a house falling from the sky struck the tree on which Yertiger was sitting. The huge earth spirits controlled by brainwashed elves were responsible for the attack.


    Yertiger rolled on the ground, and the dragon soldiers, the defending warriors of the Rare, ran over him. Armed with magic weapons, they chopped up the ghouls and rushed toward the brainwashed elves.


    Orc warrior Ur''s ax cut the neck of a Griffon who fell on the ground. The alien warrior who was lying on top of the Griffon quietly hurriedly moved his hand and stabbed Ur''s chest with a spear.


    Ur collapsed with a scream, and the Orc warriors behind Ur swung their axes on the alien warrior''s head. Blood splattered with a cruel hitting sound.


    Drakes breathed out fire from their mouths. The alien warriors aboard Pegasus and Griffon cut Drakes and Wyverns while crisscrossing the flames raining down on them from all directions.


    The young Red Dragons expressed their anger. Although they were not good at magic because they hadn''t grown up fully, they were still dragons. They were already born with the weapon of a strong body. The Red Dragon''s flames were much more powerful than Drakes'' fire. The alien warriors who were blocking the flames with their magic shields were burned, and the Red Dragons struck them hard with their tails.

 259 Clash between King of Violence and King of Pride 4

    However, they were not invincible. Huge steel Golems grabbed the tails of the young Red Dragon, who were in the thick of slaughtering the alien warriors in succession. Using their mighty power, the Golems smashed the young dragons on the ground and trampled on their necks. The elder Liches killed the weakened dragons using powerful curse magic. Some of them resurrected young dragons who were just killed as the undead.


    It was a fierce battle. Both the forces of the King of Violence and the Dungeon Market were attackers as well as defenders. The war situation was so tight that neither side had the upper hand.


    But time was on the side of the forces of the King of Violence. Abrasax, who interfered with various communications and the magic of space, felt nervous. He could sense it because he was covering the entire surrounding forest with his own magic. Somebody was coming toward him from a distance. They were not the dragon corps located in the east. They were dragons nesting not far from the Rare of the King of Violence.


    They also had eyes. The battle between the King of Violence and the King of Pride in the sky was so spectacular and dazzling enough to be noticed from tens of kilometers away.


    The storm of lightning swept the sky and the ground at the same time. A Zombie Dragon, who could not withstand the magic torrent, fell to the ground, and Bifronz cursed in dizziness. It was not because there were only three undead dragons left.


    The King of Violence''s huge body in the sky suddenly headed to the ground. He flew down faster than a falling Zombie Dragon. Landing in the middle of the Dungeon Market''s forces, he caused an earthquake due to the impact of his landing. And that wasn''t the end.


    The King of Violence rotated his body. His tail, which struck down the Bone Dragon, swept the ground.


    ***


    Although the way they lived was different, they were two men living in eternity.


    They were naturally attracted to each other, and they shared a long time together.


    The King of Lust, who was identified as a woman, loved the King of Pride.


    The King of Pride doled on his new tool, namely the King of Lust.


    Time had passed again.


    Seven kings with the Seven Deadly Sins ruled in the demon world.


    The King of Pride ruled as the king of the northern area. He was clearly different from the King of Lust who changed his identity every now and then, building his own forces and secluding himself from the real world. Because of this, only the King of Pride formed a ''royal family,'' although they lived in life. Therefore, they were two people living for eternity the same way, but only the King of Pride formed a "royal family."


    The King of Pride was a superior being just like the King of Lust became the best swordsman in the demon world. The King of Pride had so many experiences and skills over a long period of time.


    But the King of Pride was satisfied with it. Even if he alone couldn''t overpower the two kings, he was the best demon king. Even those kings who were in rivalry with the King of Pride admitted it. There was no other king in the demon world who was above the King of Pride.


    Then one day, the man appeared.


    He was the man who realized anything without any problem that the King of Pride only imagined.


    He was the man who defeated the Queen of Fury and the King of Gluttony, took their Sins, and unified the southern area of the demon world.


    Mammon, the King of Greed.


    The King of Pride could not recognize his presence.


    ***


    It seemed as if the world was splitting apart. The army of the Dungeon Market felt like a huge cliff was being thrust against them.


    By twisting his body only once, the King of Violence broke the ranks of the Dungeon Market''s troops. The king of violence didn''t stop there and flapped his wings using the power of rotation. The scene of his huge body flying in beautiful curves caused another surreal horror.


    The King of Violence bit the Zombie Dragon''s neck. He thrust the dragon struggling with his limbs into the ground violently then burned the surface of the earth with flames.


    The ground where the dragon fell melted immediately. His bones and skin were stuck to the ground. The forces of the Dungeon Market, who were near the dragon, turned into a handful of ashes.


    The King of Violence repeatedly soared into the sky then headed toward the ground. He was fast and agile like a feline beast. He stopped the breath of the Zombie Dragons with his secret dragon magic. This time, he crushed the head of one of the two remaining dragons with his hand then blasted out the wave rather than the flames, disrupting the flying of the last Zombie Dragon. When he was caught in the wave, the dragon struggled in the air before falling back to the ground. Once again, his fall caused great shock and vibration on the ground.


    After defeating all the Zombie Dragons, the King of Violence kept vigilant against the sky.


    The King of Pride, who was still standing alone in the sky as if he didn''t want to get involved in the fighting on the ground, swung his hand slightly toward the King of Violence.


    Suddenly, the sky was split, and a burning meteorite emerged through the clouds. The disaster of the sky, which came to this world, enchanted by the King of Pride''s power, was divided into numerous fragments and turned into a rain of fire. The burning fragments turned everything on the ground into hell, regardless of the force of the King of Violence and the army of the Dungeon Market.


    The King of Violence once again flapped his wings. After crushing the head of a Zombie Dragon in his hand, he activated telekinetic power by releasing mana. After using the body of the Zombie Dragon like a shield, he soared over the King of Pride.


    The King of Pride laughed. This time, he fidgeted with his left hand. A bolt of huge lightning struck from a completely different angle from the meteorite, and it hit the Zombie Dragon hard. The skin of the dragon, tattered by the rain of fire, was smashed at once, and the King of Violence flew through the remains of the dragon. He opened his huge mouth toward the King of Pride and released Dragon Breath for the third time.


    He was now close to the King of Pride. Moreover, Dragon Breath this time was so strong that it was hard to even compare it to the previous two breaths.


    That was why the King of Pride didn''t avoid it this time. He swung the Godly Energy of Pride in his right hand. The blade of light soared above the sword-shaped blade of the Godly Energy of Pride. As long as dozens of meters long, it split the Dragon Breath squarely.


    Now Dragon Breath was split into two. Split by the Godly Energy of Pride, it pierced the sky then the scattered fragments got mixed with the rain of fire, and it faded.


    The pillar of light completely disappeared. The King of Violence, who had exhausted his mighty power at once, stumbled for a moment, and the King of Pride swung his left hand wearing the Godly Energy of Envy violently. Then, the black smoke that was surrounding the king quickly formed the shape of a giant. He struck the King of Violence by wielding an ax made of black smoke.


    For the first time since the fight began, the King of Violence moaned in pain. His giant red body shook momentarily, and the black smoke scattered, losing the shape of a giant. Then, it penetrated into the body of the King of Violence and exploded.


    But the King of Pride also felt it hard to confront the King of Violence, but he didn''t fail to smile. A sense of great satisfaction surging deep inside his heart made him pleasant.


    Mammon, the King of Greed. The man who died over a thousand years ago. The man who was now gone. He insulted the King of Pride a lot.


    He first reached out, suggesting they join hands to stop the invasion of the celestial world. He sincerely moved to save the demon world and acted as if he was the king of the whole demon world.


    However, the King of Pride could not defeat Mammon. The King of Lust described Mammon, the King of Greed, as something like a miracle. The King of Envy was jealous of Mammon more than he was jealous of the King of Pride.


    So, he betrayed Mammon. In fact, he had Mammon pay the price suitable for him. He pushed Mammon, who was running wild like the king of the demon world, into the threshold of death.


    But the King of Lust was fiercely opposed to this. He begged the King of Pride to change his plan to close the door of the celestial world by joining hands with the only three remaining kings after Mammon''s death, arguing it was too risky.


    But the King of Pride made up his mind. He wanted to see Mammon''s fall. He wanted to see Mammon giving up the celestial door to survive while struggling after he was betrayed. The Sin of Pride craved for it.


    At the end of the day, however, the King of Lust eventually followed the King of Pride''s decision. The King of Envy got even more enthusiastic about the King of Pride''s decision.


    And when his last minute finally came, Mammon humiliated the King of Pride more than ever.


    He remained alone and shut the door of the celestial world. Professing he was the lofty king of the demon world until the end, he saved the demon world from the attack of the celestial world.


    The King of Lust suffered from a great sense of guilt while the King of Envy was delighted, saying they got the best results.


    However, the King of Pride fell into a pit from which he could never escape.

 260 Clash between King of Violence and King of Pride 5

    Although the King of Pride devastated the House of Mammon and its Labyrinth of Greed, he couldn''t feel happy at all. It was just meaningless for him to trample on the Mammon family without Mammon.


    He had to surpass Mammon. He thought he had only one way to overcome Mammon who was already dead, no matter how hard he pondered over it.


    The royal family of the King of Pride had changed since the day Mammon, the King of Greed, died. The King of Pride, or the Sin of Pride, was not satisfied with simply acquiring a new body.


    Like the King of Lust said, Mammon was something like a miracle. It was a monster born by sheer coincidence.


    The King of Pride wanted to recreate the monster. Just like farmers improved their crops and hunters worked hard to raise hounds and falcons suitable for hunting, he continued to improve his descendants.


    To the King of Pride who valued ??only himself, his descendants were nothing more than tools that he would throw away after using them. He badly treated those who inherited his blood as if they were a dog or a pig, focusing solely on creating beings with a stronger DNA.


    As a result, the generations of his descendants changed so quickly over a long period of time. People thought the number of the previous kings of pride who ruled the northern area over the past one thousand years was around five at most, but it was not true. There were hundreds of experimental beings during the intervening years of the former King of Pride that Bifronz said he saw directly, and the current King of Pride.


    And he finally created a superb being that surpassed Mammon''s qualities and potential, which could be called a perfect fit for the king.


    The King of Pride faced the reality now. While the King of Violence was falling down, he was staring at the King of Pride squarely. Looking down at the King of Violence, he tightened his arm, holding the Godly Energy of Pride.


    The Sin of Pride dwelled in his soul. The power of the demon king also dwelled in his soul.


    The King of Pride could rule the soul as well as the body of his descendants. Because of this, he always had two powers.


    He kept picking various forms of power until he finally chose the best one.


    The demon king of magic. Its power was simple, clear, and best.


    All the seven horns that sprouted on the king''s head disappeared.


    He cultivated the power over a thousand years, to which the power of the King of Envy was added now. Thus, his power was now sublimated into that of a god.


    Eight horns of light sprouted on his head instantly.


    Besides, six wings of light spread behind the back of the King of Pride.


    A huge halo formed over his head.


    It was truly powerful like a god''s power.


    The King of Pride looked at the King of Violence''s eyes. Hoping that his huge eyes would be filled with fear and despair, he stabbed into the air with the Godly Energy of Pride. Then a sword of light, whose length would exceed 100 meters, was formed in the air. A giant in the shape of a black smoke grasped the sword of light, and it threw the King of Violence on the ground after piercing him with the sword.


    Now, this was his plan of action. First, he would kill the King of Violence and take away his Godly Energy of Greed as well as the dragon heart of this monster who was the most powerful dragon in the history of the demon world. Then he would kill all the remaining kings and take away their sins, so he can put together all the seven Godly Energies as well as the Seven Deadly Sins except for the Sin of Greed. Finally, he would rise to the throne of the true Demon God. After that, he would close the door of the celestial world that showed signs of reopening. Or he would fling it open and subdue the celestial world with the power of the Demon God.


    If his action plan were realized, he would surpass Mammon beyond comparison. All of Mammon''s achievements would look trifling, compared with the true Demon God''s great achievements.


    The King of Violence who was thrown on the ground saw the King of Pride indulging in daydreaming like that. He made up his mind at the moment he, who had remained only as an observer of the demon world for a long time, witnessed the enormous mana being released by the King of Pride''s eight horns and his madness.


    [My subordinate spirits, fight with me until the end!]


    His voice reached all the forces under his command. It was the king''s order, and they had no power to reject his order. The King of Violence became a tyrant for the first time since he ascended to the throne and squeezed out the power of his subordinates.


    This land was the dungeon of the King of Violence. But the king''s forces confronting their opponents under the command of the King of Pride collapsed helplessly. Those who fell to the ground were not just the races of Dark Elf or Orcs. Dragon soldiers and other dungeon warriors who were empowered by the King of Violence also collapsed, let alone the descendants of the King of Violence who were fighting in the sky.


    The power of the dungeon was united together. After swallowing the power of all the spirits of the dungeon, the power was delivered to the King of Violence, the owner of the dungeon. The King of Pride felt that power, too.


    The King of Violence laughed fiercely. He soared in the sky, ignoring the sword of light that pierced the middle of his back. The sword of light split his body and caused tremendous pain, but he ignored it.


    The King of Violence flapped his wings. The King of Pride hastily pressed down the King of Violence with a gravitational field. But the King of Violence did not stop attacking. He triggered the vortex of mana and disrupted the gravitational field. With the red sky being stained with blood, the two kings narrowed their distance.


    The King of Pride swung the Godly Energy of Pride again. A huge sword of light pierced the King of Violence, but he didn''t reject it. Hitting against the sword of light with his chest, he further narrowed his distance with the King of Pride.


    The power of envy wrapped the King of Pride and became a black giant. But the King of Violence immediately rushed and chewed it hard. His target was only one from the beginning.


    Bifronz also realized it. He deactivated the mana with which he was controlling the forces of the Dungeon Market. Then he hastily laid a barrier to protect himself. Abrasax did the same thing.


    He could not afford to stay fearful of the dragon army now. He withdrew all the mana directed toward the sky.


    The teeth of the King of Violence had cut the black giant. The King of Pride again swung the Godly Energy of Pride inside the black giant.


    The sword of light pierced the heart of the King of Violence. The King of Violence no longer delayed. He could easily narrow the distance with the King of Pride and bite the black giant''s neck.


    The strongest Red Dragon ever.


    The power of all the dungeon spirits concentrated on the King of Violence.


    All of this exploded at once. It turned into one light and covered the whole world.


    ***


    The commander of the dragon corps, Ancablosa, called "the farthest watcher," stopped flapping his wings because she sensed something unusual.


    Although it was taking place far away, she could see what was happening.


    The King of Violence''s last order was delivered to her.


    Instead of heading west, she headed east again.


    The king''s order was as follows, ''Gather all the dragon armies scattered all over my territory and look for the King of Geed. Then help him block the worst Demon God because only the King of Greed can save the demon world again.''


    Ancablosa showed no tears. Like a strong dragon, she thought of revenge. She headed east at full speed.


    ***


    The Queen of Fury, who was crying over the tragedy that happened at the Temple of the eight clans while she was absent, turned her head before she knew it. She began to shed tears again, although her eyes were swollen because of her crying too much.


    She could not know the reason exactly, but her heart ached a lot.


    She grabbed her chest.


    ***


    Sitri finally recovered and stood up, supported by Samael. The King of Violence was her contractor. That was why she could learn what had happened to the King of Violence.


    She saw how the King of Violence was killed during his last moment. He left behind a mental message for her.


    She clenched her teeth, and made up her mind like the King of Violence did.


    ***


    The King of Violence''s hideout, Rare, was now gone. His vast dungeon disappeared without leaving behind a handful of ashes. It was as if the God who created the world took away part of the western area.


    The short time that the King of Violence needed to narrow his distance with the King of Pride.


    During that short span of time, the king conveyed his last order to the dragon corps and a mental message for Sitri.


    It was the land that determined the fate of the demon world a thousand years ago.


    It was the land where Sitri, the Queen of Sloth, stood beside the King of Greed until his last moment. It was the land where the grave of Mammon, the great King of Greed, was located, which only Sitri and the King of Violence knew.


    The Godly Energy of Greed located there like a tombstone wriggled. The Godly Energy of Greed, which the King of Violence had placed there in honor of Mammon, soared into the air. It was the last secret weapon of the King of Violence. The Godly Energy of Greed soared into the air and raced toward its other half.

 261 The King of Greed 1

    Several things happened at the same time.


    At the moment when the forces of the King of Gluttony clashed against the forces of the Queen of Fury, the army of the Dungeon Market led by Orobas, the strongest Herculean power, hit the Temple of the eight clans and other important areas.


    Right at the moment when the Queen of Fury clashed with the King of Lust, the King of Pride led Bifronz, the best intellect, and Abrasax, the strongest magical power, to attack the King of Violence.


    When Yong-ho, the King of Greed, saved the Queen of Fury from the King of Lust, Gusion, regarded as the strongest among Mammon''s 12 Spirits, defeated Orobas.


    In the meantime, there was a final battle going on between the King of Violence and the King of Pride in the western region.


    All three battles were over finally. But Yong-ho did not move, leaning back in the captain''s seat of the giant red dragon¡ªTiamet.


    Shortly after Yong-ho led his subordinate spirits through the door of space to support the Queen of Fury, Tigrius headed north with Tiamet, the giant red dragon. Whatever the outcome of the battle, he needed to pick up Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits immediately. The 24 hours required for the reopening of the door of space were too long.


    When Yong-ho drove out the forces of the King of Gluttony by joining hands with the Queen of Fury, Tiamet led by Tigrius arrived timely.


    Despite the tragic massacres at the temple and elsewhere, the Queen of Fury fought it out tenaciously. She belatedly cried out at the tragedy, but she wept behind Yong-ho''s back. Tears were all over her face even though she tried to hide it. She also got aboard Tiamet, trusting Yong-ho''s hypothesis that the King of Violence might have been ambushed. Some representatives of the eight clans were strongly opposed to her riding Yong-ho''s flying vehicle, Tiamet, only with her bodyguards, she didn''t give up.


    Dritarastra, the Queen of Fury, trusted Yong-ho as an ally as well as a man. Besides, the giant red dragon, Tiamet, was essential in supporting the King of Violence. Tiamet, Mammon''s flagship flying vehicle, which was completed by Sitri, could fly in the sky several times faster than the giant wild bird, Astra.


    But everything was too late.


    Shortly after Tiamet headed west, Yong-ho heard several other news.


    Sitri woke up after recovering.


    The King of Violence''s secret hideout, Rare, disappeared from the ground.


    Sitri didn''t say much perhaps because the Queen of Fury was right next to her or perhaps because she was still feeling unwell. Sitri only said that the King of Violence made himself explode to defeat the King of Pride, adding that she would talk more at the Garden of Life.


    Now, about thirty minutes had passed since Yong-ho was briefed about the war status.


    [Master, you have arrived at the Temple of the eight clans.]


    Lucia whispered to Yong-ho in a cautious voice. Feeling a bit heavy, Yong-ho raised himself. When he got out of the captain''s door, Catalina, who was sitting in the hallway, quickly stood up.


    "Why don''t you come inside?" Said Yong-ho.


    When he expressed sympathy, Catalina laughed awkwardly and said timidly, "Because I thought you wanted to stay alone there."


    She let down her ears as if she was blue, but her tail fluttered slightly. He felt light-hearted when he noticed her lovely posture. After patting her hair pleasantly, he stepped forward hurriedly.


    There were already lots of people gathered when he got off Tiamet. The Queen of Fury and her bodyguards including Kirtimuka were in one place while Kaiwan and the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were on stand by across them.


    The Queen of Fury, standing with her shoulders drooping as if feeling melancholic, quickly corrected her posture when she saw Yong-ho. She first walked to him with strides and reached out.


    He did not hesitate to shake her hands again this time. He held her little warm hand. A smile was once again on her face.


    "Thank you for helping me a lot today. I think I owe you so much that I can''t pay it back easily."


    In fact, it wasn''t just that he saved her from the King of Lust. Gusion and other subordinate spirits he dispatched saved the Temple of the eight clans and their representatives. Although half of them, including King Yaksha and King Mahoraga, were killed, she had to give Yong-ho the credit for the survival of other representatives.


    Her sincere look and voice also boosted Yong-ho''s morale.


    He said, tightening his hand holding hers, "You''re welcome. We are allies."


    The Queen of Fury laughed again. Not only the King of Violence and the heads of the eight clans were arms were like adult protectors that she could rely on. Despite the loss of half of them, she could not lose her courage not because she was the queen, but because of her alliance with the House of Mammon, which they formed without any detailed plan at first.


    "I look forward to seeing you again sooner or later. It''s time for us to really work together."


    It was certain that the King of Violence made a suicidal attack against the King of Pride, but it was unclear what happened to the King of Pride and the two directors of the Dungeon Market. Moreover, the King of Lust was still alive.


    "I look forward to working with you, too. Goodbye," Yong-ho said goodbye to her.


    The Queen of Fury let go of his hand reluctantly. Looking back at him once more, she got off Tiamet with her bodyguards.


    Watching all this, Kaiwan narrowed her eyes with suspicion. She pointed at the queen with her chin. She whispered to Catalina next to her, "Hey, don''t you think she is openly trying to woo him? What do you think as a seasoned expert in this field?"


    Catalina opened her eyes wide at her unexpected question because she recalled Yustia''s love horoscope.


    The owner of the third card. A pure virgin. Like Catalina, she was born under the same star sign and was protected by a drunk dragon.


    While blinking her eyes, Catalina quickly raised her tail as if she was a bit upset. Why was she called a gullible pure virgin like her? But she admitted the reality easily and pondered over her question.


    While Kaiwan and Catalina chatted like this, new passengers appeared at Tiamet, the red giant dragon. They were Gusion and the arena spirits under his command.


    "Master!"


    "Gusion."


    Instead of shaking hands, Yong-ho and Gusion lightly touched their palms. Just a quick look at their body could confirm how violent and intense their battles were.


    "How about Orobas? Was he strong enough?"


    "Well, he is a level lower than you, master."


    Cracking a joke like that, Gusion stepped aside. Ophelia and Eligos, who appeared behind this giant monster Gusion, once again got a lot of load off Yong-ho''s heart.


    "Thanks for your great work, Eligos and Ophelia."


    "I, Ophelia, the daughter of Enderion, am honored to see you, our master of the Mammon family."


    "Master, it''s nice to see you back."


    Ophelia greeted Yong-ho politely while Eligos, who was momentarily embarrassed by Ophelia''s verbose greetings, replied as usual while trying in vain to come up with some nice greetings.


    Yong-ho tried to appreciate the great fighting of the arena spirits. In fact, he felt a bit awkward to do so because there were some previous masters of the Mammon family among them, but none of them complained to Yong-ho because they had been in the arena for so long, and they recognized him as the King of Greed.


    Right at the moment when Yong-ho was about to praise the arena spirits, he shuddered with some moaning.


    "Master!"


    "King of Greed!"


    At that moment, all their voices, including Gusion''s, were silenced by a big shouting.


    It was the shouting of the Queen of Fury who got out of Tiamet, the giant red dragon.


    Yong-ho felt his heart was beating. It was pounding more violently than ever. When he got the Godly Energy of Gluttony or faced the Queen of Fury right before his eyes, his heart didn''t beat so violently as it did now.


    Breathing out roughly, he hurriedly jumped out of Tiamet. He saw the Queen of Fury and her bodyguards waiting for him outside. All of them were pointing in one direction, and the Queen of Fury laid her hands on her chest as if she felt something strange.


    Yong-ho also looked at the sky. It was approaching him. The more he closed the distance with it, the more his heart was pounding.


    "It''s the Godly Energy of Greed!" He said spontaneously.


    "Cane?!"


    Catalina, who had the strongest eyesight among them, spoke. But it was only a moment. Catalina witnessed the object flying from a distance change its shape. Initially, it looked like an old-fashioned magic wand, but it now turned into a simple stick. Then it transformed itself again and finally took the form of a spear.


    Yong-ho raised his hand. He held the spear that flew through the sky in his hand. It was such an exquisite crossover that nobody knew whether he caught it, or it landed on his hand.


    But not only Yong-ho, but everyone else knew what it was. The Queen of Fury, who had the Sin of Fury and the Godly Energy of Fury, clenched her chest. Both Sins were resonating violently at the moment.


    The Sin of Greed.


    The Godly Energy of Greed.


    The Godly Energy of Greed was crying in his mind. It was truly a curious experience for him. Perhaps, it was because he obtained it only a moment ago, but the Godly Energy of Gluttony had never expressed its feelings like this.


    The crying of the Godly Energy of Greed never expressed itself with concrete words. So, Yong-ho just felt it. It seemed like it was complaining why he changed the flying direction.


    He laughed unwittingly. The complaint of the Godly Energy of Greed was very brief, but it conveyed a due message to him that it should.


    It was none other than the Godly Energy of Greed that the great King of Greed Mammon had used over a thousand years ago.


    This was the Godly Energy of true Greed.


    It was also the last gift of the King of Violence to Yong-ho.


    It was an object that he put up like a tombstone in Mammon''s grave to pay homage to his master.


    That was all. All kinds of color radiated from the magic field mounted on Yong-ho''s left arm, which had been called the new Godly Energy of Mammon or new Greed.


    It wasn''t just a simple resonance, and Yong-ho noticed it.


    The magic field that he needed to get the recognition of Mammon''s 12 Spirits was not something like the Godly Energy of new greed.


    Scathach was mistaken about it.

 262 The King of Greed 2

    The purpose of this artificial Godly Energy, which Mammon had designed but never completed, was never a substitute for the Godly Energy of Greed.


    It had a different purpose.


    Yong-ho didn''t know what the purpose was, but it was now clear.


    He sorted out his complicated thoughts. His heart, which was beating so violently as if it would burst at any moment, returned to normal. The true Godly Energy of Greed that was held in his right hand turned into a bracelet and was placed on his wrist as if to imitate Aamon. It was just next to Aamon.


    [The Godly Energy of Greed.]


    [She is finally back.]


    Aamon spoke in a wistful voice. Yong-ho could feel the Godly Energy of Greed responding to Aamon''s voice.


    At that moment, he remembered something that also had remained in both Aamon and the Godly Energy of Greed.


    Mammon, the King of Greed, didn''t deal with Aamon alone, the magic spear of the red lotus. What he dealt with was Aamon that became one with the Godly Energy of Greed.


    When Mammon was climbing the stairs of the celestial world alone, he separated Aamon from the Godly Energy of Greed. After leaving Aamon behind, he headed for the celestial door with the Godly Energy of Greed.


    Finally, Aamon and the Godly Energy of Greed became one again. Aamon regained its true power as the magic spear of the red lotus that could burn heaven and earth and evaporate the sea by wielding it only once.


    "Are you the King of Greed?"


    The Queen of Fury called Yong-ho. He hesitated for a moment as to what to say, but he made up his mind to tell her.


    He spoke confidently to his ally, "The Godly Energy of Greed has come back."


    Now, Yong-ho had not only the two Sins of Greed and Gluttony but also two Godly Energies pairing with them. Even though she was his ally, he was now a formidable partner for her.


    But the Queen of Fury was not afraid or jealous of him. Rather, she was really pleased.


    Kaiwan and Catalina murmured, "Yeah, she is behaving as expected."


    Yong-ho quickly spoke to the queen, "I will be back soon. Please take care of your own people and wait here."


    She didn''t expect it, but she nodded cheerfully.


    "Okay, I will wait."


    He turned right away. He had to hurry back to the Labyrinth of Greed. He needed to meet Sitri and talk a lot with her, but he couldn''t because he still had a lot of work to do.


    [Master! Giant flying vehicles are approaching this way!]


    Lucia shouted through Tiamet''s terminal. The surviving representatives of the eight clans, whose invisible air barrier system was broken by some directors'' ambush of the Dungeon Market, belatedly discovered them approaching their way.


    They were blue.


    It had big wings, a big tail, and gorgeous scales.


    "A dragon?"


    It was Yong-ho''s first-time seeing a dragon. Shortly after Catalina shouted, others could also confirm the dragon''s appearance. Moreover, it was not just one. Behind the giant blue dragon''s back was a red dragon and another was a black dragon.


    Extremely wary of dragons, Kirtimuka urgently triggered an urgent alert. Then the Queen of Fury''s bodyguards were on a combat mode immediately, and the spirits of the Mammon family that were on tense alert took their own weapons.


    But Yong-ho didn''t show any concern. The Queen of Fury knew who was flying toward her.


    "Ancablosa!"


    As if responding to the queen''s call, the huge blue dragon landed on the ground.


    The overwhelming presence of her giant body, which was dozens of meters long, dwarfed Bone Dragon.


    Landing in front of Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury, she took the shape of a human by casting the spell of transformation, one of the dragon''s strong merits. She now turned into an Afsaras with impressive dark hair.


    An Afsaras was characterized by her slimness, but given the attribute of Ancablosa, she was more tough than slim. She showed due manners to Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury, accompanied by two other dragons who turned into an Orc and a Dark Elf respectively by triggering their own magic.


    "Commander of the Dragon Legion, the farthest watcher, Ancablosa, is honored to meet the King of Greed and the Queen of Fury."


    She looked at them alternately and soon realized that they were the ones that the King of Violence referred to in his final message to her.


    Ancablosa was a woman by any standards. As soon as she exchanged greetings with them, she immediately got down to the point without giving them any background explanation.


    "His Majesty the King of Violence referred to the King of Greed in his last will. Can both of you lend me your hands for a moment? I would like to convey his last will to you."


    Although she was using honorific language to them, it seemed she was talking informally perhaps because of her lofty and stately atmosphere unique to Ancablosa.


    Yong-ho didn''t hesitate to take the hand that she stretched out. The Queen of Fury was about to reach out to Yong-ho too but withdrew it behind her back, noticing she didn''t have to. It seemed she was mistaken that their hands including his would form a triangle shape.


    It was an interesting situation at the moment, but Ancablosa was so serious that both Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury just focused on holding their hands.


    Ancablosa immediately conveyed the late King of Violence''s will to them. The voice of the King of Violence was echoing in the heads of Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury.


    ''Mobilize the dragon army! Find the King of Greed and help him! Stop the worst Demon God with him!''


    What the King of Violence meant by the ''worst Demon God'' was the King of Pride. Yong-ho could figure out why the King of Violence didn''t refer to the King of Pride merely as a king but the Demon God. The King of Pride had strength, terrifying mana, and Godly posture.


    After conveying his message, Ancablosa first let go of her hand. She explained what she knew because as the same dragon as the King of Violence, she had the direct chance to listen to the king''s last will.


    "The King of Violence made a suicidal attack on the King of Pride as soon as he conveyed his last will to me. I think he had two reasons for that. First, he wanted to damage both the King of Pride and the Dungeon Market. Secondly, he didn''t want to have his essence taken away by the King of Pride."


    The King of Violence was recognized as the strongest dragon in the demon world. As such, it would bring about the worst situation if the King of Pride took his essence.


    Ancablosa continued, "We don''t know the condition of the King of Pride, but he must have been dealt a fatal blow."


    In fact, when the King of Violence made a suicidal attack, not only his hideout, Rare, but also its surrounding area disappeared without even leaving any trace. Given such a strong explosion and its impact, it was highly unlikely that the King of Pride avoided his fatal attack.


    Ancablosa said, "Currently, the generals of the dragon are gathering their troops scattered across the territory of the King of Violence in one place, and at the same time, they are destroying the facilities of the dungeons still left intact within the King of Violence''s territory. I came here to meet you, the King of Greed, ahead of my main troops."


    Ancablosa paused for a moment and gazed at Yong-ho for long. Her gaze was as sharp as a blade.


    "If you have anything to order me, please tell me. I and my dragon army will obey your command."


    She made a simple declaration, but at first glance, it felt like a test to him.


    So, he responded naturally after making eye contact with her.


    "Help the Queen of Fury destroy the distribution channels of the Dungeon Market and its branches in her territory. Besides, I want you to protect the territory of the Queen of Fury."


    In fact, he discussed the matter of destroying the various facilities of the Dungeon Market within her territory. Since his order was rational and reasonable, Ancablosa accepted his request readily.


    "Sure, I will. Let me get down to the business right away."


    The Orc behind her turned into a red dragon again and flew away. It seemed that the Orc wanted to convey Yong-ho''s order to the Dragon Legion.


    Yong-ho looked at the Queen of Fury again and said, "Dritarastra, I would like to repeat it, if I may."


    The current situation was obviously not good. However, it didn''t mean the situation was necessarily bad for Yong-ho because he could combine all the troops under his integrated command. "I''m going to meet the Queen of Sloth. See you back soon."


    Sitri, the Queen of Sloth.


    Yong-ho did not hide the fact that she was with him and his subordinate spirits at the moment. It was nothing new to the Queen of Fury, but the queen smiled at him warmly. Although she was exhausted by the tragic happenings in various parts of her territory, she tried not to look weak to him.


    "I will be waiting for you."


    At that moment, Yong-ho wanted to touch her face, but he quickly controlled the urge. She was not Catalina or Kaiwan.


    Yong-ho wrapped up the meeting with Ancablosa politely then hastily returned to Tiamet, the giant red dragon and his main base. Although he had the strong support of the powerful Dragon Legion, he was rather nervous and uncomfortable because of the King of Violence''s last will to him.


    His subordinate spirits including Catalina gave Yong-ho some time to think alone. Rather than thinking about the King of Pride, he leaned deeply back in the captain''s seat and pondered over other things.


    He lifted his right hand where Aamon and the Godly Energy of Greed were embedded.


    Although he received it so suddenly, the true Godly Energy of Greed was finally in his hand.


    Since he had the experience of exercising the true power of Gluttony through the Godly Energy of Gluttony, he became curious about the power of Greed.

 263 The King of Greed 3

    The Sin of fury turned its owner''s anger into strength. The angrier the owner of the fury was, the stronger her power was.


    The power of the Sin of lust was temptation. All those who could not overcome the temptation became slaves of the King of Lust.


    The power of gluttony was eating. Using the power of gluttony, Yong-ho could eat not only pure mana but even the magic once processed or the energy of the sword.


    Then, what was the power of Greed?


    [I do not know either.]


    Yong-ho blinked his eyes before he knew when Aamon replied.


    Aamon continued, [Mammon used the power created by the mix of Greed and the Godly Energy of greed only to neutralize and weaken the power of other kings.]


    [I don''t know why.]


    [Maybe he did so because of the peculiarity of Greed or because I may have not grasped the true power of Greed.]


    The more he heard it, the more confused he was. So, he focused on the Godly Energy of greed just like he did when he exercised the power of Gluttony. But its reaction was different. Unlike the Godly Energy of gluttony that he could instinctively understand how to use, the Godly Energy of greed did not tell him anything.


    ''I wonder if it has no power at all.''


    But the Godly Energy of greed immediately responded to his thinking like that. To be exact, it must have been mad at him.


    ''The power of greed is the power of possession.''


    Maybe there was a clue there. Maybe the power of Greed was somewhat irrelevant to the battle just like the power of evolution.


    [Master, it seems I''m pushing you hard, but I have something to tell you by all means.]


    Aamon changed the topic. When Yong-ho concentrated on something else, Aamon kept talking, [When you fought the King of Lust, you used only the power of gluttony while forgetting your greatest power and the power of Greed that you have been using for a long time.]


    [The special ability that is activated by combining Sin and magic is obviously powerful. But that''s not all. I believe the owner will know it well.]


    Aamon was right. When fighting the King of Lust, Yong-ho did not properly use the power of Greed. It would be more correct to say he didn''t put it to operation.


    Yong-ho had two Sins¡ªgreed and gluttony. In terms of a car, it was like having two engines.


    If so, he had to exert the power of both engines.


    The King of Pride acquired the power of Envy. Unlike Yong-ho, he used both the power of Pride and the power of Envy at the same time. The synergy effect of the combined powers was much more powerful than he thought.


    Yong-ho immediately understood what Aamon was trying to remind him. He had to learn to use two Sins at the same time to confront the King of Pride properly.


    After he was done talking with Aamon, he cleared his mind in a break with what he used to do.


    ***


    Apparently notified by Lucia, all the spirits of the House of Mammon including Yuria came out to welcome Yong-ho even though it was very late at night.


    He stroked Yuria''s hair, whose eyes were shining brighter than usual, then headed straight to the Garden of Life. Yuria seemed a little disappointed when everybody including Yong-ho was busy, but he could not afford to pay attention to her now.


    The closer he got to the Garden of Life, the more impatient he was. Even though he already heard from Lucia that Sitri was in good condition, he was still very worried about her health and safety. He needed to check her condition by himself before he could feel relieved.


    Kaiwan was as impatient as Yong-ho, so the two quickened their steps in no time and almost ran to the Garden of Life.


    So, they finally arrived at Scathach''s mansion. As soon as he opened the front door, Yong-ho gasped for breath while Kaiwan rolled her eyes to look for Sitri. They saw Yustia and Samael momentarily, but they didn''t care. They were looking at only the red-haired woman buried deep in a chair made of blue waves.


    "Sitri!" He shouted.


    The red-haired woman responded to his call like the way she did, as always.


    "My beloved customer."


    Her familiar and simple greetings were more than enough to make him feel so much relieved.


    He smiled broadly at her response. Then he stepped forward and approached her. Sitri opened her arms to him, and the two naturally hugged each other.


    He felt warm when he hugged her. He could see what made her different from Catalina and Kaiwan. The difference wasn''t that he was holding her but that he was being held in her arms.


    "Sitri."


    He called her again, and Sitri tapped him on the back lightly.


    Their short but friendly hugging ended.


    "What a relief," he said. Sitri nodded quietly. Then she hugged Kaiwan, who approached her hesitantly.


    Only after she hugged them did others exchange greetings with her.


    "I, Samael, director of the Dungeon Market, am pleased to greet you, master of the Mammon family."


    She still used her title as a director of the Dungeon Market. He looked at Samael. Seeing her severed left arm, he agonized a bit but said softly, "I am glad to see you in person like this. Scathach can heal your wounded left arm."


    "Thank you for your consideration."


    After bowing to him politely, she sat next to Sitri. Right at that moment, Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits including Catalina, Scathach, and Gusion arrived at Scathach''s mansion.


    After greeting them all, Sitri started talking again.


    "My beloved customer, as you know, so many things happened during the last few days. It is no exaggeration to say that the balance of power of the demon world has completely collapsed."


    Three of the six kings died. The King of Violence, the King of Envy, and the King of Gluttony no longer existed.


    The King of Pride absorbed the power of the King of Envy, and the King of Lust helped him.


    Yong-ho, the King of Greed, took away the power of the King of Gluttony and joined hands with the Queen of Fury and the Queen of Sloth.


    Besides, there was a realignment of various forces under various kings.


    The King of Pride had the support of the Dungeon Market, with the addition of the territories of the King of Envy, King of Lust, and King of Gluttony.


    On the other hand, Yong-ho had the support of the forces of the King of Violence led by the Dragon Legion and the Queen of Fury, his ally. He also owned the unclaimed lands in the south, his stronghold.


    The South and North were divided. This kind of ambiguous power structure would be changed completely within a few days.


    "I don''t know why the King of Pride gained so much power. However, he is both the enemy of the Mammon family as well as the demon world. So, you have to stop him."


    The last will that the King of Violence left behind just before his death was truly strong.


    The current King of Pride could be said to be the worst demon like the King of Violence pointed out.


    Sitri paused for a moment to catch her breath. She had a lot to talk about with Yong-ho, but what she had to tell him and others right now was the forces of the King of Pride.


    "Three directors of the Dungeon Market were all under the command of the King of Pride. As a result, various resources of the Dungeon Market, such as its spirits and distribution networks also fell into the hands of the King of Pride. But this area in the south was not occupied by the king."


    It was only been several days since the coup happened at the Dungeon Market. The three directors didn''t touch Sitri''s territory at all.


    "I did not form any separate force. But that doesn''t mean that I didn''t care at all. My beloved customer, I understand you have already peeked into my warehouse, right?"


    Yong-ho recalled what he saw in the virtual space of the Dungeon Market. He saw dozens of large flying vehicles including the giant red dragon, Tiamet, and mammoth flying spirits in her warehouse.


    Sitri gently reached out and grabbed Samael''s left hand, who was seated next to her.


    Samael said to Yong-ho, "I also have some power that I hid somewhere. The traitors didn''t take away all of my power. Some of the distribution networks in the territory of the King of Gluttony are still in my hands. The most valuable items in a special auction house are also in my possession."


    It was not that all of the properties of the Dungeon Market were stolen by the three directors. Neither Sitri nor Samael were easy targets to them.


    When Samael was done talking excitedly, Sitri touched her hand again.


    After pausing for a moment, Sitri continued, "My beloved customer, I am the Queen of Sloth, but at the same time, I''m the founder of the Dungeon Market. So, I can do something. I would say it''s the kind of insurance that I have prepared for myself."


    Sitri quietly fidgeted with her fingers. Then there appeared in the air a light map of the demon world. Sitri pointed to the northern part of it and said, "I have a master key to freely use all distribution channels and warehouses at the Dungeon Market. Of course, Abrasax and Bifronz do not know this."


    The distribution network of the Dungeon Market was drawn above the map of the demon world. Distribution channels connected to each other like a spider web were located widely not only in the territory of the King of Pride but also throughout the northern part.


    Besides, there was specific information about the location of several warehouses and facilities.


    All this was very valuable for strategic purposes. And Sitri said clearly that she could use all those distribution channels and warehouses with the master key.


    "Perhaps, you have only one chance to use it properly because Bifronz will notice the existence of the master key after you use it. But how fatal your one-time use depends entirely on you."


    The balance of power of the six kings was broken, while there was formed a new balance between the North and South. And Yong-ho now possessed a dagger that he could stab into the heart of the north, although he could use it only once¡ªthe master key.


    Sitri continued to talk about what Yong-ho had to do next.

 264 The King of Greed 4

    Although the King of Violence''s suicidal attack was very unfortunate, Yong-ho didn''t think the King of Pride was killed by his attack, for the power of the King of Pride was too powerful.


    The King of Pride had eight horns of light, six wide wings of light, and a huge halo of light rising above his head. Indeed, it was God-like power and majesty.


    Sitri''s relationship with the King of Violence wasn''t that deep by nature. It was more than a thousand years that they existed in the demon world, but they met face to face for a dialogue only a few times, and even in that case, she talked to him as one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, not as the Queen of Sloth.


    It was only a few months ago that their relationship changed.


    Knowing what happened to Mammon in the past through the Godly Energy of Greed, the King of Violence also discovered the true identity of Sitri.


    The King of Violence had no ambition to rule the demon world. He simply sought knowledge as an observer of the world.


    The King of Violence first contacted Sitri. He did not covet the Sin of Sloth or its Godly Energy. He just wanted to meet her to hear from her more about what had happened on that day and the place where Mammon''s last fight took place.


    Meeting the King of Violence, Sitri realized that his pure respect for Mammon was genuine. Thus, Sitri signed a contract with the King of Violence. Through a special magical contract, she told him specifically about what happened on that day, and the King of Violence granted her request in return.


    The reason why he made the King of Gluttony restless by suddenly moving the Dragon Legion to the eastern border was because Sitri wanted it. It wasn''t just because of Sitri that the King of Violence told the Queen of Fury to use him more actively, but Sitri played a role to some extent.


    Her conversation with the King of Violence gave Sitri an unexpected joy. She found it was not as painful as she thought to share Mammon''s last moment with him. While talking with the King of Violence about it, Sitri felt that her wounded heart was healed.


    That was why she could maintain her relationship with the King of Violence. And their contractual relationship was useful in unexpected moments. The moment when the King of Violence was ready to attack the King of Pride at the risk of his life, and Abrasax, terrified in advance, deactivated the disturbing magic he had cast in the air, Sitri could receive more information than expected through her contractual relationship with the King of Violence.


    Sitri thought of the King of Violence.


    She seemed to be tired after talking long, so she paused for a moment and caught her breath before continuing.


    "Under the best scenario, the King of Pride was severely injured, and Abrasax and Bifronz were killed. But that would be an overly optimistic scenario. So, let me tell you under the assumption that the King of Pride was injured heavily, and we have gained time because of his wounds."


    The territory of the King of Gluttony was expanded in the light map of the demon world. Samael raised her left hand to point to the king''s territory.


    "A surprise attack through the Dungeon Market is now impossible. So, there will be an all-out war between the South and North. If that''s the case, the first thing we need to attack is the territory of the King of Gluttony. There is currently no king in that territory, and there is a big turbulence in the country at the moment. Moreover, you can mount a surprise attack through the distribution channels that are still in my possession. It''s time for us to ambush the King of Pride now."


    The King of Gluttony''s territory changed its hand overnight. Even though the King of Pride tried to attack the forces under the command of the Queen of Fury by mobilizing a huge army, he didn''t get anything. Besides, the supreme commander, King of Pride, was severely wounded. It was no exaggeration to say that the territory of the King of Gluttony was in turmoil.


    Catching her breath, Sitri spoke again, "You don''t have to occupy the territory of the King of Gluttony. Like you did before, you can launch a hit-and-run strategy of dungeon attacks on a larger scale. The important thing is to gather the essence of the dungeon and grow your beloved dungeon soul, Lucia, so she can take full control of the Labyrinth of Greed completely."


    [What?]


    As if she was surprised by Sitri''s sudden mention, Lucia shouted.


    Sitri looked at Yong-ho after smiling for a moment.


    "Complete Mammon''s Godly Energy. Completely occupy the Labyrinth of Greed to be the true owner of the dungeon and unleash all its power. You have to be on par with Master Mammon of the past in order to confront the King of Pride who boasts of the most mighty power."


    The power of the dungeon was its master''s power.


    The growth of the dungeon soon caused the master''s growth.


    The Labyrinth of Geed was the dungeon of Mammon, who could be said to be the strongest demon king ever. So, it was the strongest dungeon.


    Yong-ho could understand fully why Sitri told her to completely conquer the Labyrinth of Greed. He had to conquer it to complete the Godly Energy of Mammon.


    But Sitri''s last words provoked Yong-ho.


    "Wait a minute, wait, Sitri."


    She clearly said he needed to be on par with Mammon to confront the King of Pride.


    Yong-ho felt something different when she mentioned it. Not only Yong-ho but the others that were also gathered there felt the same way.


    "Sitri."


    This time, Gusion whispered to him. He intensely glared at Sitri with an angry expression, so much so that everyone in Scathach''s mansion turned their eyes at him.


    "Gusion."


    Sitri calmly called him, which made him even angrier.


    "Our Master Mammon had three Sins. And now, Yong-ho, our new master, has two Sins of Greed and Gluttony."


    In other words, Yong-ho needed another Sin and Godly Energy to be on par with Mammon. Although it might sound weird, obtaining Mammon''s Godly Energy was easy. Since it was a tool, all he had to do was just obtain it.


    But in the case of the Sin, it was different. To obtain another Sin, Yong-ho had to kill the owner of the Sin.


    If so, who should he kill to obtain another Sin? King of Lust? King of Pride, his greatest enemy?


    Catalina, who belatedly grasped what was going on, uttered an exclamation before she knew it.


    Kaiwan looked at Sitri, clenching her fists.


    Gusion opened his mouth again, almost growling.


    "If you are going to say you will sacrifice your life to our master, I''m not going to forgive you."


    Sitri''s soul is broken. But she was still a queen with one of the Seven Deadly Sins, with as many as seven horns. If Yong-ho could kill her and take her essence, he could obtain the third Sin and rise to a higher level than now.


    With everybody keeping silent, Sitri faced Gusion. Faced with him who was like an angry bull at the moment, she didn''t lose her composure.


    "Gusion, you hate me, right?"


    "Sitri!" Shouted Gusion.


    His loud shouting shook Scathach''s mansion, let alone the Garden of Life.


    It was not just Gusion who reacted violently. Unlike Gusion, Yong-ho was upset, too. He could not take her essence by killing her.


    Sitri looked at Yong-ho. She saw Scathach, who was about to cry at any moment, and heard Aamon who already arose into the flames of the red lotus.


    Sitri shook her head and held Yong-ho''s hand gently. She didn''t want to create a sad atmosphere like this, but she was touched by their violent reaction or resistance to her insinuation.


    She said in a tearful voice, "My beloved customer, don''t worry. I don''t want to die comfortably as if I was running away from you, leaning all the dirty work to you. I was Mammon''s former lover. I''m very greedy like him. I would like to see my beloved master happier than now with lots of children in the future."


    Then she turned her eyes at Catalina and Kaiwan. Catalina flinched the moment she heard it, and even Kaiwan blushed. Sitri smiled, looking at them.


    "The power of Greed is possession, so it''s something that only the King of Greed can do."


    Besides, Yong-ho had the Godly Energy of Greed. The basic function of the Godly Energy was to reinforce the power of Sin.


    "My beloved customer, you can use Kaiwan''s power of distortion and Tigrius''s power of unity becaue you have made them your subordinate spirits, who had such power for many years. However, not all the masters can use the power like you. Even if they obtain power in the same way, they can''t exert their power properly because the moment they become another master''s subordinate spirits, their power becomes very weak. Over time, it may even disappear."


    Yong-ho was different from other masters. Even now, Kaiwan and Tigrius could use their power as well as they did before they were made Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits, and Yong-ho could also make good use of their power. The only thing that Yong-ho lacked was his skill in using them.


    Greed never missed out on the power that came into its realm.


    "Power is the power of the soul that the master has. It''s also the same with Sin. If power is the power of the master, Sin is the power of the king."


    Yong-ho now could understand what Sitri was talking about. Everybody was surprised.


    "My soul is still poisoned by the celestial power. Because of this, if you get connected to my soul, it can hurt you, my beloved customer."


    Sitri grabbed his hand tightly and said, looking straight into his eyes, "Take the Queen of Fury as your subordinate spirit. Just obtain not only her body and soul but also her Sin."


    Sitri''s suggestion was ridiculous. The Queen of Fury was the head of the eight clans. She was Yong-ho''s ally. She obviously had a favorable opinion of him, but it had nothing to do with her becoming his subordinate spirit.


    But Sitri didn''t back off. When Yong-ho was embarrassed, she continued to persuade him.


    "You don''t have to do it right now."


    Yong-ho still had some time. He could make her his subordinate spirit even after defeating the King of Pride.


    "You are the King of Greed. You''re the most greedy man in the demon world. So, I believe you can do it. Can you do it?"


    Letting go of his hand, Sitri smiled playfully and even winked at him. Gusion, who got sullen and upset because of Sitri, was dumbfounded, while Scathach blinked. Kaiwan and Catalina sighed at the same time. Yustia rummaged the fortune cards again. Skull burst into laughter after a long time.


    And Aamon whispered alone in flames, making everybody confused.


    [Is it because of your anguish in the end?]


    Yong-ho didn''t reply. Only the Sin of Greed and its Godly Energy gave off a subtle power.

 265 Massive strike 1

    The dragons did not go back to the area where everything was gone. The dragons that were living near the king''s hideout moved north and east according to the king''s last will, preparing for the upcoming war.


    The night of the demon world was dark blue. The sun, coming from the east, turned the whole world blue or almost black, with its red ray.


    The sunlight reached the land that was gone now. The sun drove away the full night in that place where even small birds didn''t come back because of their instinctive fear.


    The wind blowing from the east wandered around on the empty land, and it soon turned into a little whirlpool. There was nothing or nobody in the land. So, no one witnessed the tiny whirlpool created by the wind quickly transforming into something else.


    It was a twist. Mana raged in the whirlpool created by the wind, which created a passage to a place that would have been impossible normally.


    Only mana would swirl in a small twist. But in a slightly larger twist, some other beings from other places descended through the passage.


    But this time, nothing special came out of the twist. It was neither mana nor any special being that came out of the twist. It was something different from mana, or something that could be called a force.


    The mana scattered around the twist had been altered or rather "contaminated."


    It was an unusual distortion.


    Actually, it happened everywhere in the demon world a long time ago.


    A strong wind blew again, passing through the traces that the cracks of the world left behind, which could no longer be called a twist.


    ***


    Yong-ho didn''t want to open his eyes.


    He didn''t want to wake up to face the reality. It was always dangerous outside one''s blanket.


    But unfortunately, he opened his eyes wide before he knew it.


    Half asleep, he looked at the ceiling with a blank expression.


    His bedroom was on the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed, namely, on the first basement level, so there was no window or sunlight. But the room was bright because Lucia turned on the lighting device of the room at the scheduled time.


    [Sleepyhead, it''s time to wake up]


    [Please tell me if you want to sleep a little more.]


    [Let me tell your subordinate spirits including Gusion and Scathach that you want to put off today''s schedule a little later.]


    He reluctantly got up from the bed and looked at the other side of Catalina. Unlike Catalina, Kaiwan was an early riser, but she was not seen on the bed. Apparently, she got up early and went out to wash.


    A long and tedious day passed and another day broke.


    It was no exaggeration to say that the world was overturned by the King of Pride, but Yong-ho didn''t need to be obsessed with the new reality. He needed some break to fight back.


    Finally, he got up from the bed. After taking off Catalina''s blanket, he left the bedroom with her on his back, who was still half asleep.


    It was time for him to start the day.


    "This is the essence of the guy called Orobas. I''ve brought it here because I thought it would be better for you to take it than me."


    Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits gathered at the gate control station in the space located on the 9th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed, not Scathach''s mansion.


    Yong-ho looked at Samael for a moment after receiving the essence of a brilliant color from Gusion. Having lost all her subordinate spirits to the three directors of the Dungeon Market, she made eye contact with Yong-ho with a calm expression.


    In fact, she already expressed gratitude to Gusion for taking revenge on Orobas.


    Without hesitating any more, Yong-ho grabbed Orobas''s essence.


    As the strongest power of the Dungeon Market, he had six horns. As a Red Demon, his mana was clearly one level below Yong-ho''s maximum mana, but it was still very powerful. Orobas was much stronger than Kaiwan or Catalina who had six horns like him.


    Orobas''s essence looked really tasty. Not only Greed but also Gluttony was craving for it in Yong-ho''s soul.


    However, Yong-ho did not immediately take it. He overcame the temptation even by exercising ''patience,'' the power of Yustia embedded in Mammon''s Godly Energy.


    Of course, it was because he wanted anything like an ordeal that he suppressed the temptation. It was because he wanted to create a synergy effect for an instant big growth.


    When he raised his right hand that didn''t hold Orobas''s essence, Scathach and Samael stepped forward at the same time. The two women knelt in front of him and raised their hands to hold his hands.


    [From now on, the ceremony of making Scathach and Samael Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits will take place.]


    [The current subordinate spirits of the Mammon family, please unleash your power to help our master.]


    In fact, Yong-ho planned to make Scathach his subordinate spirit a long time ago. In the case of Samael, Samael herself strongly requested it, while Yustia politely refused it.


    Yustia said she could give Yong-ho advice freely as an ordinary spirit, not his subordinate spirit. But Samael, craving for revenge, needed more power. It was only Yong-ho who could give her more power than when she was a director of the Dungeon Market because she lost her own dungeon and her subordinate spirits.


    The directors of the Dungeon Market were considered to be on par with the kings in terms of power, although they didn''t have Sins or Godly Energies like them. Even from Yong-ho''s point of view, it would be greatly helpful if he could make Samael, the fastest wing, his subordinate spirit. Despite a decrease in her mana, she still had six horns.


    He closed his eyes. All of the subordinate spirits shared their strength through Brigada.


    Lucia registered Scathach and Samael as Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits at the same time. He took Orobas''s essence at the moment when his mana was about to increase as a result of their registration.


    By simple calculation, Yong-ho now had three types of mana that was equivalent to six horns.


    His Gluttony devoured all of its power. His greed did not allow even the slightest leaking of power out of his body.


    Soon, his body changed.


    The six horns on his head disappeared at once, and instead, seven horns of light appeared.


    Like the King of Lust, he now had seven horns. It meant that his mana now went beyond the power of a seven-horn mana.


    [I can feel the power!]


    [Ah ah ah ah ah-!]


    Lucia screamed in a mixture of pain and pleasure so did his subordinate spirits who gathered in a circle around him. Eligos, Ophelia, and Tigrius enjoyed a remarkable increase in their power. A sixth horn soared between the five horns that sprouted over their heads.


    Samael was thrilled. She now felt a stronger force than she was as a director of the Dungeon Market. Kaiwan and Catalina, who already had six horns, gained mana that was close to the average mana of Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    Despite the rule that as the number of subordinate spirits increases, the amount of mana that they could gain would diminish, Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits'' mana increased remarkably.


    Yong-ho thought it was possible because of everybody''s cooperation.


    Orobas''s essence that Gusion obtained, taking Scathach and Samael as Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits, the synergy effect of the Sin of Gluttony and the Sin of Greed, Tigrius''s synthetic union and Yuhoyuan''s power, harmony, and the subordinate spirits'' sharing of their power through Brigada.


    As soon as they were done, they gasped for breath. As the moment that seemed like an eternity passed, the mana filling the space door control station scattered in search of its owner.


    Catalina and Kaiwan squatted down, and even the strong Red Demons¡ªOphelia and Eligos¡ªtrembled their knees. Tigrius broke into a cold sweat, leaning against his cane. It was only Skull and Gusion who were standing without moving at all.


    Wet with sweat, Samael raised her body and said after bowing to Yong-ho, "Master of the Mammon family as well as my body and soul, I''m going to attack the territory of the King of Gluttony. Please give me a go-ahead."


    In fact, Yong-ho set up the attack plan yesterday. The more quickly she ambushed them through her own distribution channel, the better. Moreover, it would be possible to check out the situation of the King of Pride''s camp through the surprise attack.


    "Sure, let me approve it. Go and strike them as much as you can."


    Responding to him with a smile, Samael magically connected the space door control station to her dungeon distribution channel. In the meantime, Yuria and Baduk, who was watching from a distance, ran quickly and handed out the energy recovery potion to all of the subordinate spirits.


    Yong-ho devised two teams for the attack on the territory of the King of Gluttony. Gusion''s team included Eligos and Ophelia while Samael''s team included Skull, Scathach, and Tigrius.


    Since they were going to attack through the distribution channel of the Dungeon Market, not just the door of space, Yong-ho could mobilize a large number of troops. Each team included the exclusive spirits of the arena, Skull''s unit as well as the spirits of the Dungeon Market taken from the warehouses of Sitri and Samael.


    Headed by Skull abroad Bucephalas, all the subordinate spirits except for Aamon, Catalina, and Kaiwan left the Labyrinth of Greed. Yong-ho couldn''t figure out how many times he would dispatch them in the future, but he felt he could evolve all of them once more before having it out with the King of Pride. Given the synthetic reinforcement, he could strengthen them much more than now.


    After seeing them off, Yong-ho got down to the next job right away. The reason he had Kaiwan and Catalina with him was he had some work to do with them.

 266 Massive strike 2

    It was the place guarded by Yuno in Virgo, the last one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    The 11th floor, where the Mammon family''s large banquet room and various living spaces were located, had a huge number of dungeon monsters. Moreover, as if to prove their power, even the weakest monster was powerful enough to be a four-star spirit by the standards of the Dungeon Market.


    However, it was the King of Greed, his guardian knight, Catalina, and his companion, Kaiwan, who entered the 11th floor now. Even the dungeon monsters that drove the masters of the Mammon family to the upper floors couldn''t be their match.


    Aamon, who became one with the Godly Energy of Greed, proved that all the old legends of the demon world were true. The green flames full of the energy of Greed spread ferociously to burn the dungeon monsters all at once.


    Catalina and Kaiwan also unleashed their new strength freely. A dark shadow and the whirlpool of the sword swept the dungeon monsters.


    There were only three on the 11th floor, but it took less than an hour for them to destroy all the dungeon monsters on the 11th floor.


    As the attack was done so quickly, Salami, who followed Yong-ho''s party as a possible reinforcement, just looked at his master and companion blankly, not knowing how to help them.


    [We have intelligence given by the dungeon spirit Yustia.]


    [Yuno in Virgo is currently located in the large banquet hall. If you go straight ahead, you will see the door of the large banquet hall.]


    As Lucia said, the grand banquet hall where Mammon used to hold a banquet with not only the 12 Spirits but also all the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family was vast. When Yong-ho opened the door, he saw a much larger and wider space than the Garden of Life.


    There were lots of white tables and chairs under the blue sky and green trees. Guided by Greed, Yong-ho crossed them all and stood in front of a small white building resembling Scathach''s mansion.


    A round blue door opened automatically. The colorful mosaics shining in the sunlight and the beautiful yet elegant interior where white doves seemed to come out didn''t draw Yong-ho''s attention. Yong-ho, Catalina, and Kaiwan all looked at the woman with silver hair sitting in the middle of the house, with their eyes closed.


    The legendary story about her was true. She was a surprisingly beautiful woman. She was the woman who could be compared with Sitri, the most beautiful woman Yong-ho had seen in his lifetime. While Sitri was a living beauty, the woman in front of him was a mystery itself, who seemed to disappear anytime soon, as if she was a woman taken out from a painting.


    Extremely tense before she knew it, Catalina swallowed, and Kaiwan also looked at the woman with her lips tightly closed.


    The woman blinked and soon tilted her head.


    Then she said in a voice which was as beautiful as her appearance, "Elune?"


    No one expected her to mention that name. That was why none of them could respond immediately, and the woman who got up from her seat, Yuno in Virgo, approached Catalina.


    She said, "You can''t help it, too. Were you born again under the same star sign as before? Did you get the drunk dragon''s bliss? Besides, this time, you have become the guardian knight of the Mammon family?"


    "Uh¡­ pardon?"


    Catalina was embarrassed when Yuno asked a barrage of questions unexpectedly. She couldn''t understand what Yuno was talking about.


    Yuno looked straight at her with her unshakable eyes and said, grabbing her hand, "I''m Yuno who is counting the stars and who discerns one''s soul. You have been born with the spirit of Elune. I can tell you that the souls that went through the Astral Line were all the same, but I can say clearly that you can still be called Elune''s reincarnation. Please forgive me for treating you informally. I was so happy to see you that I didn''t take into account your situation."


    Catalina''s eyes twinkled violently.


    At that moment, Kaiwan cut in quickly, "Wait, wait a second. Did you say Catalina is Elune''s reincarnation? Then, Catalina''s previous incarnation was Elune?"


    Even Kaiwan was apparently dumbfounded, unable to put together the mysterious puzzle.


    Yuno said calmly, "As I said before, I can''t equally treat the soul that passed through the Astral Line, the vast sea of ??souls wrapping around the stars, and the soul that didn''t. However, there is something left behind after the soul passes through the Astral Line. You can call it the essence of the soul. And in that sense, this woman can be rightly called Elune''s reincarnation. Of course, she is a bit different from the reincarnation you think of."


    Catalina and Kaiwan found it hard to understand her explanation.


    However, what she kept repeating shocked Catalina.


    "I am Elune''s reincarnation¡­"


    Catalina raised her hands unwittingly and covered her blushing face. If someone had said it, Catalina would have ignored it out of hand, but it came directly out of Yuno''s mouth, one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits. So, she trusted Yuno, and her heart was full. How could she not be thrilled when she heard that Elune, the object of her admiration, was her own past life? Her ears and tail flapped violently.


    Yuno looked at her very curiously.


    She continued, "I''m just amazed to know that you are born under the same star sign as Elune not only in your past life but also in your current life. Besides, you have the blessings of the drunk dragon. I''ve never seen a soul like you. You really deserve to be Elune."


    While she got carried away with the uncontrollable thrill, Catalina recalled the alter ego of Elune on the third floor of the Labyrinth of Greed and soon covered her face fully with both hands. Somehow she blushed and felt shy. Her flapping ears and tail drooped.


    At that moment, Kaiwan cut in again.


    "Hey, what about me? How was my previous life?"


    She spoke in a very excited voice, something Yong-ho hardly noticed before.


    Yuno replied after tilting her head, "I really don''t know. I don''t think you are included in the list of people that I know."


    In fact, this was normal. After throwing cold water on Kaiwan''s high expectations, Yuno finally turned to Yong-ho. She gracefully expressed due manners by slightly lifting the hem of a pure white dress that matched her silver hair and neat look.


    "Please forgive me for introducing myself to you. You''re the new King of Greed! Heir to the great Mammon family! I, Yuno, one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits who is counting the stars, am honored to meet you."


    Her calm introduction made Yong-ho feel less embarrassed. He looked at the last of Mammon''s 12 Spirits, and she looked at him calmly.


    Then she said in a voice mixed with yearning and wistfulness.


    "You look very like him."


    Yong-ho didn''t even have to ask who he was. Catalina, who seriously thought about sticking her nose in the dish with her face covered with her hands, raised her head suddenly. She seemed to expect something new.


    ''Really? I can''t believe it!''


    Wasn''t Yong-ho the reincarnation of Mammon, the great King of Greed?


    Yong-ho was born with the Sin of Greed for the first time since Mammon. Moreover, he had the power of evolution like Mammon. He also knew how to use Aamon, who used to be Mammon''s best friend.


    Besides, there were lots of things that Yong-ho achieved.


    It was no exaggeration to say that each of Yong-ho''s achievements was a miracle. He was a special being, no matter what anyone said.


    Kaiwan kept swallowing with her fists clenched. Then she suddenly shook her head.


    ''Oh, no. I can''t!''


    Come to think of it, there was Sitri. If Yong-ho was Mammon''s reincarnation, what would be his relationship with Sitri? Yuno said that the reincarnation she mentioned was different from what Kaiwan or Catalina thought of, but she did not specifically explain what was different. Moreover, the question was how Sitri would take it.


    Kaiwan looked at Yuno with an expression mixed with anticipation and worries.


    Yuno shook her head then said in a voice mixed with wistfulness and regret from the beginning.


    "You look like Mammon a lot, but you are not him. The one who is right in front of me is the completely new King of Greed."


    Having said that, she turned to Kaiwan. It seemed that she mentioned it with Kaiwan and Catalina in mind, in particular.


    Catalina blinked her eyes and slowly flapped her ears while Kaiwan let out a sigh of relief for some reason.


    Yong-ho also felt strange at that moment.


    She said he was not Mammon''s reincarnation. In a way, what she said was right, but it seemed that he was expecting to hear something like a special secret of his birth from her.


    Yuno smiled again and said, "But it''s very strange. I feel like His Majesty Mammon is right now with the new King of Greed."


    This time, Yong-ho was also persuaded by what she said. Indeed, he had lots of Mammon''s legacies, so much so that he was another Mammon.


    When Yuno was done talking, the flames of the red lotus arose right next to Yong-ho.


    Yuno, who was talking to them in a small voice, spoke up for the first time, "Aamon!"


    [It''s been a while, Yuno.]


    [I want to share my joy with you slowly, but the time is not good.]


    [Currently, the House of Mammon is faced with a very grave danger.]


    Aamon briefed her about the current situation shortly and clearly.


    Yuno''s fine eyebrows frowned. She realized the crisis of the Mammon family, but some other factors made her feel unpleasant.


    The King of Pride who took possession of the Sin of Envy, and the King of Lust helping the King of Pride.


    It was exactly the same political situation as it was a thousand years ago.


    Among the Seven Deadly Sins, Greed, Fury, and Gluttony were with the Mammon family, while the Sin of Pride, the Sin of Envy, and the Sin of Lust were hostile toward the Mammon family.

 267 Massive strike 3

    Yuno''s face hardened even harder when she heard the expression ''poisoned by the celestial world.''


    Instead of asking for further explanation, she immediately said to Yong-ho, "The new King of Greed! It would be useless for me to test Your Majesty in the current crisis. I recognize Your Majesty. I will provide you with power that the great Mammon has secured for me."


    Since Yong-ho already experienced it several times, he immediately lifted up the magic field in his left hand. When Yuno gently touched the magic field, a light pink color filled the few remaining holes of the magic field.


    The power of Yuno in Virgo, who was counting stars, was love.


    She could be said to be a collection of all emotions.


    Aamon had already belonged to Yong-ho, so now Yong-ho had to get the recognition of Richard in Leo. Once he recognized him, Yong-ho would finally get the recognition of all the 12 Spirits of Mammon.


    Yuno looked at the remaining hole then raised her head again to see Yong-ho.


    "But Your Majesty, I cannot be your subordinate spirit. My soul has been contaminated with the power of the celestial world like Sitri."


    That was why she stiffened her expression when she heard about Sitri. Yuno knew better than anyone how serious it was to have one''s soul contaminated by the power of the celestial world.


    "The Labyrinth of Greed and the Godly Energy of Mammon are based on Mammon''s 12 Spirits. So, if you want to bring out the power of both completely, you must have all the 12 Spirits first."


    Yong-ho currently has ten of them.


    He started off with Catalina and Eligos. Skull was his first subordinate spirit.


    Ophelia and Tigrius devoted themselves to Yong-ho when he was in the process of occupying the unclaimed land in the south.


    As Yong-ho''s companion, Kaiwan laid the foundation for the Mammon family to stand tall.


    As Mammon''s former deputies, Gusion and Scathach pledged their loyalty to Yong-ho.


    Samael dedicated her body and soul to Yong-ho to get even with the King of Pride and the three directors of the Dungeon Market who destroyed her dungeon as well as her subordinate spirits.


    Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus, had been with Yong-ho anywhere.


    Now, the only one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits that Yong-ho had to obtain was Richard, who had mighty combat power comparable to that of Gusion.


    "My job is to count the stars in the sky and check out people''s relations. It seems that the person who is fit to inherit the power of love is already hovering around Your Majesty, King of Greed. I can feel your bondage with her."


    Catalina quickly looked at Kaiwan, but Kaiwan nodded with a sigh because she could figure out who Yuno was referring to.


    Catalina, who was Elune''s reincarnation, inherited her power, "justice."


    Kaiwan herself inherited Magnadon''s power¡ªpassion¡ªwhile Ophelia took Asclepius''s "honor" as her strength. Skull and Tigrius chose ''Death'' and ''Harmony'' that best suited them.


    Scathach and Gusion possessed "life" and "courage," respectively, and Richard''s strength was "trust."


    Since Samael inherited Baruna''s "creation," what was left for possession was Justina''s "patience" and Yuno''s "love".


    It wasn''t yet decided whether Eligos would inherit patience or love, but no matter how much Yong-ho thought about it, love was not suitable for him.


    Kaiwan connected love with Dritarastra, the Queen of Fury. To her chagrin, she felt it was a perfect match for the Queen of Fury.


    If Kaiwan could put aside her own ego and private feelings, she would welcome with open arms Yong-ho having the Queen of Fury as his subordinate spirit.


    In that case, Yong-ho would be able to add the power of the queen in addition to the Sin of Fury.


    ''But is it really possible?''


    The Queen of Fury was the head of the eight clans in her territory. There were countless people who trusted and followed her there.


    As the name suggested, a subordinate spirit was literally subordinate to its owner. Because of this, such a being was supposed to dedicate not only his or her body and soul but also their lives to the master. In the case of Kaiwan, she offered to be his subordinate spirit. Others in her position would not have become his subordinate spirit even at the risk of their lives.


    If the Queen of Fury became Yong-ho''s subordinate spirit, it would mean that the entire people of the eight clans would also belong to him. Could the Queen of Fury, head of the eight clans, make such a decision? No matter how much she liked Yong-ho, that was something possible and something impossible in the demon world.


    Of course, there was one variable. It was the King of Pride.


    If not only the eight clans but also the whole southern land would be in danger of being taken over by the King of Pride, who the King of Violence even described as the Demon God, the queen might change her mind. Of course, it could happen only under the worst scenario.


    Yong-ho thought there was something lacking. He needed some more to make the queen his subordinate spirit.


    Kaiwan, who also had a lot on her mind at the moment, frowned.


    Yong-ho put his hand on Kaiwan''s shoulder and said, "Let''s do what we can do now."


    "Uh? What is it?"


    Instead of answering, Yong-ho ordered Lucia, staring into the air.


    "Lucia, please register Yuno as a general spirit first."


    [Okay, Master.]


    Lucia immediately started registering Yuno as a general spirit. Unlike the subordinate spirit, being registered as a general spirit didn''t need to connect his or her soul to their master, so Yuno did not reject the registration. Moreover, she needed to be registered at least as a general spirit in order to leave the mansion where she was staying, just like Justina did.


    Yong-ho then looked at the ceiling and floor. Upstairs was the last one of Mammon''s 12 Spirits, Richard in Leo, and below were the 12th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed and the 13th floor, the last one. Either way, there was no reason for him to delay things anymore.


    "Catalina, choose it," said Kaiwan cheerfully on purpose.


    Catalina erected her tail. She pouted her lips and pointed at the ceiling.


    Yong-ho respected Catalina''s wishes.


    ***


    Many things changed before and after the death of the King of Violence.


    The forces under the command of the King of Pride fought a fake war with the forces of the King of Envy no longer.


    The kingdoms of the demon world could survive because they had a strong central point called "king." After realizing that the King of Envy was killed, those masters under his command didn''t resist anymore. Just like the masters under the command of the King of Gluttony did, they gave up their loyalty to the late king and joined the forces of the King of Pride.


    The forces of the King of Lust, who had remained silent for a long time, finally revealed himself in the demon world. In addition to the Succubus and Incubus, several witches and lustful demons who organized and participated in Sabat formed the main pillar of his forces. And those dungeon monsters and beasts, who had been seduced by the forces of Lust, posed themselves as the vanguards.


    Although the forces of the King of Gluttony suffered great damages by Yong-ho and his party''s ambush, their power could not be ignored. Among the three masters who surrendered to the King of Pride, the two surviving masters¡ªthe third was killed by Samael¡ªgave up not only the dungeons destroyed by the surprise attack of the Mammon family but also the whole southern territory adjacent to its unclaimed area. Then they gathered all their troops in the north and formed a solid alliance with the forces of the King of Lust.


    The King of Pride and the King of Lust were nowhere to be seen. However, the movement of their forces suggested that the two kings were still up and running. Even the Dungen Market openly supported the King of Pride.


    As the forces in the north moved, so did their counterparts in the south. They moved their troops at the same time as if the cogs were meshing together.


    The forces of the Queen of Fury, which destroyed all distribution channels of the Dungeon Market in the queen''s territory, gathered at the border to confront the forces of the King of Lust and the King of Gluttony. The Dragon Legion that flew from the west also joined the queen''s forces.


    It seemed like a great war would happen anytime soon. It was terrible tension and tranquility that dominated the borders that the Queen of Fury, the King of Gluttony, the King of Lust, and the King of Envy shared with each other.


    On the fourth day after the death of the King of Violence, one of the eight-clan reconnaissance units from the Karvinka clan lost contact with the Queen of Fury.


    Since they were operating in the territory of the King of Pride, it wasn''t unusual to lose contact with them anytime. Because of this, the eight clans mourned the death of the reconnaissance unit but did not feel strange about their death.


    A small village on the periphery of the King of Gluttony''s territory disappeared. Since everyone focused on the border areas, very few people noticed that the village had disappeared. Even those who noticed it were not interested anymore. They just thought it was only one of the many damages caused by the Mamon family''s surprise attack.


    Several wanderers disappeared from the west of the unclaimed land destroyed by Embrio. Since they were literally wanderers, no one knew when and how they disappeared.


    Rather, it was not known at all that they disappeared.


    The Green Dragon, Caidelion, shuddered. Though he tried to scream as hard as he could, all he could do after squeezing his voice was just murmuring.


    He was still very young, but he was a dragon. Since he changed to his original body, he was a dozen meters long.


    However, Caidelion couldn''t fly or kick off the ground. At that moment, a huge, white, glowing hand gripped Caidelion''s neck and did not let go of it.


    It was a bizarre scene. Although he twisted his body in the air, it was tightly held by the huge arm. One huge arm was filling the twist in the air. It was not known what was beyond the twist. But what was clear was that the being beyond the twist wanted to come over this way.


    Caidelion felt instinctively that it wasn''t just physical force that pressed him. His body and soul were being destroyed by the force that squeezed his neck.


    Caidelion, who had been struggling for a long time, eventually closed his eyes and drooped.


    He didn''t move anymore.


    The twist that was rotating while creating cracks in the air now diminished. The shining being beyond the twist, which struggled to increase the twist even a little more, soon withdrew the huge arm as if it gave up.


    The Green Dragon, Caidelion, disappeared with the huge arm. And his extinction, just like other extinctions occurring simultaneously throughout the demon world, was not known to others.


    The twist has disappeared. The passage between the worlds that was opened for a while was closed, and another passage was opened from a distance.


    That number was still low. However, the speed at which the passage opened became slightly faster. A greater twist occurred.


    Chill wind from the north blew hard. At the moment when the South and the North started the war, some kind of erosion began in an invisible place.

 268 Dritarashutra 1

    "Anyway, that guy''s mouth is as close as an oyster."


    Gusion grumbled about him, but he was smiling though. Hugging Gusion''s arm, Scathach gazed at Richard warmly, who was always the same.


    The large banquet hall on the 11th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    Richard in Leo lowered himself on one knee in front of Yong-ho. Since he was so big, Richard could see him at eye level even though he lowered his posture deeply.


    Yong-ho also did not go to the trouble of explaining to him about the necessity to make him his subordinate spirit. So, he accepted Richard in Leo as his eleventh subordinate.


    A blue light was added to Mammon''s Godly Energy. The blue light symbolized Richard''s power, ''Trust''.


    The Life of Scathach, the Immortal Witch.


    The Death of Baphomet, the demon of slaughter.


    The Justice of Elune who cuts the moon.


    The Creation of the eight-handed Baruna.


    The Honor of Asclepius, the knight of the sun.


    The Harmony of YuhoYuan in yin and yang.


    The Courage of Gusion with the Herculean power.


    The Trust of Richard, the Silent Warrior.


    The Passion of Magnadon who scolds the earth.


    The Patience of Yustia who leads the way.


    The Love of Yuno who counts the stars.


    Eleven soft lights radiated from the circular plate attached to the surface of the Godly Energy of Mammon.


    Aamon whispered in the flames of the red lotus.


    [I also acknowledge you as my master.]


    [The new King of Greed!]


    Finally, the twelfth light was added. It was bright red, symbolizing Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus.


    Those subordinate spirits who stayed connected with Yong-ho could feel it. Yuno and Yustia, who signed a contract as Yong-ho''s general spirits, knew it through the twelve lights.


    At this moment, Mammon''s Godly Energy had been completed.


    Now that Eligos inherited Yustia''s patience, all he needed was his 12th subordinate spirit who could inherit Yuno''s love.


    Yong-ho reaped power from Mammon''s Godly Energy. Yong-ho had Richard stand up by putting his hand on Richard''s shoulder lightly. He then looked at the stairs leading to the 12th floor.


    [I''m now opening the 12th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.]


    Lucia spoke, and Yong-ho stepped forward. Mammon''s 12 Spirits and Yong-ho''s new 12 Spirits followed.


    Unlike previous floors, the 12th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed was a space only for Mamon''s 12 Spirits.


    Whenever Yong-ho moved one step forward, darkness retreated automatically. There was no single dungeon monster on the 12th floor which was filled with Mammon and his 12 Spirits'' power.


    The structure of the 12th floor was simple. There was a large rotunda in the middle, and twelve rooms were placed around it.


    Kaiwan nudged Catalina in the ribs with her fingers and asked, "Don''t you recall anything now? Something like the memories of your previous life."


    If each floor of the Labyrinth of Greed was an exclusive space of Mammon''s 12 Spirits, the 12th floor was a private space. Accordingly, there must be more private memories embedded in this space than any other floor.


    Recognized by Yuno as Elune''s reincarnation, Catalina struggled to recall anything, but eventually, she failed with her ears and tail drooping.


    "Uh, I don''t have any memory of this place. I can''t think of anything."


    Was it really true that she was Elune''s reincarnation?


    While Catalina was feeling gloomy, Mamon''s 12 Spirits, watching her feeling dejected, nodded almost at the same time. Obviously, she was like Elune''s reincarnation.


    Since Lucia needed some time to take over the 12th floor, Mammon''s 12 Spirits stepped toward their own room. The new 12 subordinate spirits belonging to Yong-ho also did not just stay in the hall. As if guided by their inherited power, all of them headed to the rooms of Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    Watching Kaiwan heading to Elune''s room while holding Catalina''s hand, Yong-ho grabbed the air with a smile. Then he entered Aamon''s room in front of him, holding Aamon in his hand.


    It was a spacious but desolate space. There were no proper decorations between the stone walls, the floor, and the ceiling. What was in the room was a low-sized altar, located alone in the innermost part.


    But Yong-ho couldn''t take his eyes off the altar. Standing before it as if he was bewitched, he looked at the hole where he could put the spear and the decorations around it. He uttered exclamations before he knew it, "Oh my God!"


    [Yes, my master.]


    [This is the place I met my master for the first time.]


    [Probably, you could have reached this place thanks to a special connection like the arena.]


    Aamon spoke in a low voice. His voice rang nostalgic as if he missed that day.


    It was only several days after Yong-ho became the master of the Mammon family that he met Aamon. It was not that long ago, but it looked like a distant past to Yong-ho.


    "I hugged you here for the first time," said Catalina rather proudly as if she was boasting to Kaiwan.


    Kaiwan frowned while Yong-ho chuckled.


    It seemed like Catalina talked about her going down the floor with him after falling down.


    "Yes, I know. I hugged you for the first time here."


    It was true that he hugged Catalina and rolled over the floor, but it was also true that this was the place where he evolved her for the first time. To be precise, her evolution took place at a place that connected Aamon''s room with an unknown space, but he didn''t have to mention it.


    Yong-ho, who recalled he touched Catalina''s thigh for the excuses of strengthening her agility, acknowledged his lustful inclinations at that time.


    [I think I know what you''re thinking.]


    [Your anguish is rising.]


    Ignoring what Aamon just said, Yong-ho left Aamon''s room with Catalina and Kaiwan. As if he was waiting, Skull approached him.


    "Skull Skull."


    Skull was holding very large scythes in both hands. One was a long, sharp sword and a black blade all in one.


    Yong-ho had never seen it before, but he could see what it was as soon as he saw it.


    A purple color that symbolizes death rose softly from Mammon''s Godly Energy.


    "Is it Baphomet''s sickle?"


    Skull nodded. The pitch-black scythe wasn''t just a weapon, but it was Baphomet''s alter ego.


    Baphomet needed that scythe to exist as the incarnation of death. Because of this, Magnadon, who was wary of Baphomet''s dangers, weakened his power by separating Baphomet from the sickle.


    "Skull Skull."


    Skull''s request was simple. He wanted Yong-ho to unite him with Baphomet''s sickle through synthetic reinforcement.


    But this kind of synthetic reinforcement, which combined Yong-ho''s subordinate spirit with an artifact could only be done once, unlike Yong-ho''s other evolutions. That was why it was best to do it with a good artifact, given the choice.


    But the problem was that Yong-ho could miss the right time for synthetic reinforcement while looking for the best possible artifacts. At a moment when his war with the King of Pride was around the corner, it was foolish for him to postpone the synthetic reinforcement, waiting for better artifacts.


    During the past few days, Yong-ho did a number of things at the same time, apart from taking a surprise attack on the territory of the King of Gluttony. One of his tasks at the moment was the selection of the artifacts for reinforcing the synthetic reinforcement of his 12 subordinate spirits. The treasure storage of the Labyrinth of Greed, the warehouse that only collected exclusive magic devices of Sitri''s Dungeon Market, and the auction items that could be called the legend of Samael''s special auction house.


    Kaiwan chose the dragon heart, which she had been coveting all the time. It was the dragon heart of Ernasaga, the silver dragon lord that became the material for the silver dragon armor, Yong-ho''s favorite. At that moment, Yong-ho did not forget to pay a silent prayer for Ernasaga who left it behind.


    Eligos and Ophelia each selected "Green God''s Fury" and "Green God''s Wrath" from Samael''s special auction items. It was armor worn on each arm and leg. Both carried the power of a powerful god of the alien world called the "Green God".


    Tigrius chose the magic cane that Magnadon used during his lifetime, and Catalina chose the moonlight sword, Elune''s beloved sword after thinking it over. What Samael chose was the heart of the ancient king, which was kept in Sitri''s warehouse. It was a magical device made of Brigada, but it seemed designed to increase the efficiency of the mana she received from dragons.


    Mammon''s 12 Spirits, including Gusion and Richard, were done with synthetic reinforcement or didn''t want it, so they were just satisfied with acquiring new weapons.


    [Master, I''ve taken control of the 12th floor.]


    [Let me open the 13th floor, the last floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.]


    All the subordinate and general spirits who were looking around the rooms gathered in the hall again. They looked down the stairs leading to the 13th floor.


    On the 13th floor was Mammon''s room, which was the true heart of the Labyrinth of Greed. Even Sitri, who was following quietly, found her eyes welled with tears.


    The door that was blocking the stairs opened. Upon arriving on the 13th floor, they stood before a steel door embossed with a giant dragon emblem representing Mammon.


    Yong-ho opened the door again. The heart chamber of the Labyrinth of Greed sensed the King of Greed immediately and welcomed the king gently.


    The heart room was monotonous. There was only a small passage leading to Mammon''s room and an old stone throne. But it was by no means an ordinary throne.


    After all, Scathach couldn''t control her emotions. She burst into tears like a child, and Gusion also tried hard to suppress his emotions, but he eventually showed tears.


    Yuno bit her lips. Yustia made a densely emotional smile.


    Yong-ho slowly approached the throne. There was nothing on the throne, but Yong-ho could also feel it. Amon whispered to him.


    [It is now a throne for you, master.]


    [Mammon must be very satisfied with you coming here.]

 269 Dritarashutra 2

    This time, Catalina and Eligos were choked with emotions, and Yong-ho also shared their feelings.


    He knew it the moment he sat on the throne.


    The Labyrinth of Greed was watching him, which remembered everything that had happened in the Labyrinth of Greed from the first day Yong-ho first came to the House of Mammon until all the happenings until now, such as the days when Yong-ho had only two subordinate spirits Catalina and Eligos and the day when he put a straw mat on the red carpet in the demon king''s room, eating and sleeping there.


    Later he added dungeon spirits starting with Goblin John and Ron to the House of Mammon. Eligos smiled brightly, watching the small makeshift trap and torture chamber, and Yuria and Baduk met for the first time through the jail bars. Skull rolled over the floor like a stone. Rikum and Burgrim joined hands with other dungeon spirits to improve the dungeon little by little.


    Many other things happened after that.


    It wasn''t just Yong-ho who saw it. Everyone in the heart room could see their own memories.


    "I, Ophelia, Enderion''s daughter, am honored to see you, the great King of Greed."


    Ophelia knelt in front of Yong-ho and expressed her courtesy. Eligos, who shed tears a lot, knelt before him along with her. He could not speak because his voice was hoarse, but his action a moment ago was enough. Instead of laughing heartily as he did, Skull also showed due manners to Yong-ho.


    It wasn''t just the new 12 subordinate spirits of Yong-ho who bowed to him politely. Mammon''s 12 Spirits also did the same. And the last one of them approached him.


    "My beloved customer, as the Queen of Sloth, I, Sitri, am pleased to see you, the new King of Greed that I admire."


    At that moment, everyone in the Labyrinth of Greed knew. Rikum and Burgrim, who were working on the ground floor of the House of Mammon, and Yuria, who was digging potatoes along with Baduk and the Dungeon Meerkat, also realized it.


    [I have completely captured the Labyrinth of Greed.]


    [My beloved master, the Labyrinth of Greed is now completely yours.]


    Lucia announced, and new mana was injected not only into the heart chamber but also into the entire Labyrinth of Greed.


    Now, the Labyrinth of Greed had returned to the Mamon family after a thousand and hundreds of years.


    ***


    The reason why the heart of the dungeon was called ''heart'' was not simply because it was the most important facility of the dungeon. Just as the heart of a living thing supplied blood to the whole body, the heart of the dungeon also injects mana into the dungeon.


    Until now, it was the heart of the dungeon located on the ground floor of the House of Mammon that supplied mana to the Labyrinth of Greed.


    The relationship between the dungeon and its master was close.


    The stronger the dungeon was, the stronger its master was. When the master became stronger, his dungeon also became stronger.


    Lucia, the soul of the dungeon, was like Yong-ho''s alter ego. Therefore, he vividly felt the process of everything about Lucia being transferred from the heart chamber on the ground floor to the deepest one as if it happened to him.


    On the day Mammon died, the soul of the Labyrinth of Greed also died. In order to prevent the destruction of his 12 Spirits, Mammon terminated his contract with them. As a result, the Labyrinth of Greed was separated not only from Mammon but also from his 12 Spirits.


    Lucia soothed the solitude of the Labyrinth of Greed. She became united with the Labyrinth of Greed on behalf of the soul of the dungeon where Mammon lived and died.


    The heart chamber of the dungeon was filled with Lucia''s energy. A blue light, which was like Lucia''s symbol, spread everywhere into the wall, the floor, and the ceiling. It was as if a new stream of water dipped the dry riverbed.


    A lump of blue light gathered before Yong-ho''s eyes. It was the magic of space leap.


    The light immediately exploded, and a girl with blue hair appeared among the shattering piles of light. It was Lucia.


    Lucia, with translucent butterfly wings behind her back, rotated in front of Yong-ho. Lifting the white hem slightly, she smiled at him broadly.


    [Ain''t I cute like a fairy?]


    [Thanks to taking control of the Labyrinth of Greed, I have grown a lot, too.]


    The way she flapped her large butterfly wings was pretty cute.


    However, Yong-ho expressed doubts about her look.


    "You''re still the same as before except for your wings."


    Lucia looked like a girl less than 10 years old. Thanks to her young age, her butterfly wings looked well on her, but it had nothing to do with her ''growth.''


    Lucia replied after clicking her tongue, [I could have been a well-proportioned beauty, but if I do, I have to feel sorry for Yuria, right?]


    [She is my only friend in this dungeon, so we need to grow together.]


    Lucia''s original body couldn''t leave the dungeon''s heart chamber while Yuria couldn''t go down alone to the innermost floor where the dungeon''s heart chamber was located. Because of this, even though they became friends with each other, both had little time to play together.


    But it would be different in the future. Lucia, who became the true soul of the Labyrinth of Greed, gained freedom of movement. She could now freely move anywhere within the Labyrinth of Greed.


    Now Lucia could play together with Yuria. How much loneliness would Yuria feel if Lucia alone became an adult? Lucia wanted to be her friend, not her sister.


    Yong-ho was moved to hear Lucia talking about Yuria like that, so he looked at her warmly.


    It was the same with other subordinate spirits. However, only one, Aamon, responded differently, [Well-proportioned beauty?]


    [This is the first time I''m hearing that, but I think I know what it means.]


    [Our master''s anguish...]


    But Yong-ho stopped him from talking anymore by violently shaking his right arm where Aamon was embedded. Then he took a deep breath. He quietly moved his fingers in the air and checked out the map of the entire Labyrinth of Greed. As expected, only one place was left for him to conquer.


    It was a place that Yong-ho hadn''t been to yet. Even now, he didn''t know what was in that place,


    although he was the true owner of the dungeon.


    But he didn''t have to mention it now because not only him but all his subordinate spirits knew where it was located.


    Yong-ho looked at everyone before he stood up from the throne.


    Then he asked Mammon''s 12 Spirits in a low voice, "Is it okay?"


    He was asking them whether he could step into that place or make it his own.


    Scathach nodded first and said, "The true owner of the Labyrinth of Greed is now our young master, oh, no, our master. Definitely, you can."


    "If you come across anything that should not be seen, it''s the fault of our Master Mammon who died without hiding it," Gusion added.


    Yustia and Yuno also showed approval by smiling at him.


    Lastly, Sitri approached him and spoke while gently overlapping her hand on the back of his right hand, "It''s his room. But it''s my beloved customer''s room now. So, he wouldn''t even care."


    Mammon''s room on the 13th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    The bedroom of Mammon who made the greatest achievements in the history of the demon world.


    Yong-ho stood up from the throne. At that moment, Catalina, who was standing side by side with Kaiwan, fluttered her ears. He didn''t need to use the rapport between his status as the master and his subordinate spirit to talk to her. He read her mind immediately and ordered readily.


    "Come on, Catalina. Just like my escort knight, come with me."


    Her tail flapped fiercely, like a puppy who heard she was okay to eat a snack.


    Kaiwan hugged her arm and said in passing, "Well, I''m going with you because I''m his wife."


    It was none other than Mammon''s room. Kaiwan definitely wanted to go in and look at it.


    Ophelia closed her lips tightly, barely holding up the urge to follow him, while Eligos wiped his tears as if he was touched by what was happening before his eyes.


    When Catalina and Kaiwan walked with him on both sides, he approached Mammon''s door, located right behind the throne. He opened the door engraved with a red dragon, Mammon''s symbol.


    It was not a very big room. Actually, it was large enough to house a whole basketball court, but it was never too big to be called Mammon''s room, who built the most powerful force in the history of the demon world. Besides, its interior was just plain, with luxurious furniture.


    His room had nothing like furniture except for a bed, a table, and a few chests of drawers.


    Only his bed was unusually large, which reminded Yong-ho of his own room.


    Nonetheless, Yong-ho felt the room was special because it was Mammon''s room.


    Catalina and Kaiwan began to look at the details closely, such as the walls and ceilings, one by one, like those who entered a museum.


    ''Did I expect too much?''


    Yong-ho slightly let down his shoulders. Of course, he didn''t expect any great treasure in Mammon''s room. What Yong-ho wanted was a conversation with Mammon.


    Elune, YuhoYuan, and Magnadon left their own alter egos on each floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. Thanks to this, Yong-ho could chat with them, though briefly.


    ''Any possibility that Mammon left his own alter ego here? If that''s the case, can I have a conversation with him?''


    Of course, even if he could talk to Mammon, Yong-ho didn''t want to ask him how to overcome the current crisis or any know-how on increasing his power drastically.


    He just wanted to chat with the great Mammon with a pure heart.


    ''Well, come to think of it, it must have been pretty hard for him to send off his 12 Spirits.''


    Of course, like Elune, he could have left behind his alter ego before going to the battlefield, but it looked like Mammon would not do that.

 270 Dritarashutra 3

    Mammon said he did not regret his choice.


    What was that choice that he mentioned at that time? Did it mean his alliance with other kings to prevent the invasion of the celestial world? Or did it mean his decision to block the door to the celestial world alone? The two choices didn''t make any sense anyway.


    For example, as for the alliance, he would have mentioned anything like ''regret'' because the other kings didn''t yet betray him back then. As for his decision to stand up to the celestial world alone, he had little time to do so. In fact, he was in an urgent situation where he had to return his 12 Spirits back to the demon world. So, it was unreasonable for him to open the door to the human world in order to send the Demon God''s heart.


    If so, then what was it? Why did Mammon leave the Demon God''s heart in the human world? And why did he mention the qualifications of his successor?


    Yong-ho shook his head lightly and got all the doubts out of his mind. Maybe he was thinking too deeply. He was not quite sure if Mammon''s regrets were necessarily related to the door of the celestial world or the other kings'' betrayal.


    Catching his breath calmly, he set about his next task. Invoking the power of Greed, he found a passage to a secret room somewhere in Mammon''s room.


    The room itself responded to his Greed. The wall that Catalina was looking into suddenly cracked, revealing a secret door.


    Startled, Catalina looked at Yong-ho, and Kaiwan quickly approached the secret door.


    The steel door engraved with the dragon''s head was tightly sealed.


    Yong-ho put his hand in his pocket then took out the key to the secret room¡ªthe last reward that he obtained in Mammon''s arena.


    ***


    The pure white sand in a large bowl formed various shapes high and low. A little bit of color was added to this, which soon created a great map of the entire demon world.


    The red sand moved over the three-dimensional map of the demon world. The sand was lumped together in four, all of which was inching toward one point.


    As if rising up against the red sand, the blue sand also moved on the map of the demon world, but its number was not even half that of the red sand. It seemed to be swallowed up by the red sand wriggling threateningly.


    "Too many."


    The red sand was the northern forces, while the blue sand was the southern forces.


    Dritarastra, the Queen of Fury, stared at the map, with her teeth clenched.


    It was natural that the northern forces were overwhelming numerically.


    On the other hand, the southern forces were a combined army of the Queen of Fury and the King of Violence. Although there was an unclaimed land in the south, it didn''t build up a large army like other kingdoms because it had been divided for a long time.


    Comparing the military strength between them, the combined forces of the four kings were twice the number of their counterparts. Besides, they had the additional resources of the Dungeon Market''s forces. So, they had a tremendous numerical superiority in the number of troops.


    "Although we are numerically inferior to them, we are superior in terms of the quality of the troops and their military strength. Even if they have hundreds of thousands of Skeleton soldiers or Goblins, they won''t be able to outpower our dragon army," said the blue dragon, Ancablosa, clearly, who was sitting next to the Queen of Fury. Even though she was in a polymorphic state of a slender Afsaras, she had a discerning judgment.


    The dragon corps numbered only one hundred. However, their combat power was recognized as the strongest in the demon world. Ancablosa didn''t say that merely to comfort the Queen of Fury in this crucial situation.


    The northern forces totaled more than one hundred thousand. It was the first time in the history of the demon world that such a large army was created as a group like that.


    However, most of the troops consisted of low-level soldiers such as Skeleton Soldier, Orc Warrior, and Goblin Rider. Accordingly, the dragon army could easily defeat them, given the choice.


    "Besides, we do have the forces of the King of Greed, right?" Asked Ancablosa.


    When she quickly moved her long and thin fingers, new green sand was added to the top of the map of the demon world. The number of the sand was only a handful, so much so that when added to the blue sand, it didn''t make much of a difference.


    But its quality was different. Ancablosa had learned over the past few days how the forces of the King of Greed led by Yong-ho smashed the forces of the King of Gluttony.


    The subordinate spirits under the command of the King of Greed, namely Yong-ho, were unusually strong. Although they numbered just a little over ten, all of them were strong enough to have more than six horns, which was literally incredible.


    Besides, some of them, whose power was almost equal to the king despite their lack of Sin and Godly Energy, also belonged to Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits.


    Indeed, they were an elite force that could be found in legends.


    When Ancablosa told her about the power of the forces of the King of Greed, the Queen of Fury, who was full of worries until a moment ago, made a relaxed smile.


    Watching her smile brightly, Ancablosa smiled bitterly. As a matter of fact, the King of Violence loved the queen''s pure and innocent heart.


    "Ancablosa, you''re right. Now is not the time for us to despair. It''s time we found a way to win."


    As if she pulled herself, the Queen of Fury spoke energetically.


    As if on cue, Gardimundi opened the door of the queen''s barracks and came in.


    "The spies of the Karvinka clan in the rear noticed the reinforcement of the King of Greed. You can confirm it through the telescope."


    The Queen of Fury changed her expression once again. But she flinched a bit instead of standing up right away. Ancablosa understood her feelings. She expressed gratitude to the queen for her warm consideration then suggested, "It would be nice if you could go out for fresh air for a moment and check the forces of the King of Greed coming to us."


    "Hmm, do you really think so?"


    After all, Ancablosa grinned at her instead of smiling bitterly.


    Then she said with a nod, "Yes, I think so."


    The Queen of Fury stood up from her seat and stepped forward with a bright smile.


    Shortly afterward, the Queen of Fury blankly looked at the big telescope directed toward the sky in the south. Kirtimuka opened her eyes wide, and Ancablosa was embarrassed to see the King of Greed''s forces flying toward them.


    The King of Greed and his forces were overwhelming, to say the least, surpassing the Queen of Fury and her deputies'' expectations. Ancablosa realized that some of the Dungeon Market''s forces were included in the king''s forces.


    It was a large combined army led by the giant red dragon, Tiamet.


    Dozens of flying vehicles and flying spirits were flying the sky with such a terrifying force that the Queen of Fury and her people on the ground were overwhelmed at their grandeur might.


    ***


    [I, Dritarastra, Queen of Fury, would like to welcome the King of Greed.]


    The queen''s voice was not heard in real-time but in the video recorded through magic. Moreover, the background of the video was not on her fortress or her field barracks but on the back of the wild bird, Astra.


    Yong-ho, seated in the captain''s seat of the giant red dragon, Tiamet, knitted his brows. The Queen of Fury in the video was hiding her tense look with a casual smile. She made this video on her way to the battlefield because she had no time to greet him in person due to the enemy''s sudden attack.


    "What is the status of the war?"


    [It seems that the battle is about to begin.]


    [Communication is not smooth because there is a strong magic field all over the battlefield.]


    After replying, Lucia spread the light map of the entire demon world right next to the video of the Queen of Fury.


    The current battlefield was the plains in the northeastern part of the Queen of Fury''s territory. The queen chose to make a turn to stop the northern army that appeared out of the blue sky.


    As a matter of fact, the larger the size of the army was, the more difficult they could carry out a covert operation.


    Anyway, the northern army was a large army of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, so the southern army did not miss the movement of this huge northern army. According to the observation, their fighting should have broken out three or four days later at the earliest.


    But such a prediction was wrong. The forces of the King of Pride, the King of Envy, and the King of Lust were suddenly added to the forces of the King of Gluttony who were facing the southern army up close. About half of the northern army began their march at a terrifying pace and forced the southern army to confront them. This was possible because of various movement magics and the Dungeon Market distribution channels installed all over the northern area.


    Of course, Yong-ho himself used the distribution channels to ambush the forces of the King of Gluttony, but he could not hide his surprise at the massive movement of the northern army.


    There was a fundamental difference between moving one hundred elite forces and moving tens of thousands of forces.


    Even Samael, one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, was also embarrassed.


    Yong-ho changed his strategy immediately. What was important now was the battle between the forces of the North and the South. Since the troops mobilized by both sides were so huge, the King of Pride and the King of Lust could appear. Yong-ho concluded that he could not leave the Queen of Fury confronting the two kings.


    "I ordered the supply troops to be separated from the main forces. The main forces must move to the battlefield right away."


    The battle fleet of the Mammon family filling the sky was divided into two. The battleships headed by the giant red dragon, Tiamet, picked up their speed to head toward the north.

 271 Dritarashutra 4

    The squadrons of the Asura and Yaksha clans also lined up. Behind them were dragons that had subdued various huge beasts while the Garura and Karvinka tribesmen prepared to fly at any time, holding their spears and bows. The Deva tribesmen whose mana was particularly strong among the eight clans operated the magic guns that fired mana in the rear, and the tribesmen of the Mahoragas and Gandarabas clans were mixed with other forces of the eight clans, depending on their specialties.


    The southern troops that the Queen of Fury hastily mobilized for the war totaled about 32,000.


    The number of the northern army was estimated to be about 70,000 to 80,000, so the southern troops led by the queen were less than half of the northern troops.


    However, the southern army did not consist solely of the tribesmen of the eight clans. The Queen of Fury had a strong alliance called the Dragon Legion.


    Now, the queen looked far away. She noticed the flow of magic swirling wildly under the red sky. It was caused by the magic field that the northern army activated to interfere with the large-scale magic of the southern forces.


    On the battlefield of the demon world, magic was always a variable that produced miracles.


    Accordingly, the northern army with an overwhelming number of troops had to get rid of this magic by all means.


    The Queen of Fury noticed giant dungeon spirits among the skeletons, Orc warriors, Goblin riders, and other miscellaneous infantrymen. Cyclops, the one-eyed giant grasping a rock the size of a house, was so big that it looked like it was carrying the sky on its head. Chimeras with the heads of lions, Griffon and Drake cried out viciously, and the Hydras with nine heads and potent poisons and many unknown beasts showed off their extraordinary presence.


    It was one of the reasons why the Queen of Fury gave up her dungeon fortress and took the lead to fight them. The high wall of her dungeon fortress was meaningless in front of dozens of super-large enemy spirits. Rather than being beaten unilaterally in one place, it was better for her to confront them on a wide plain.


    The Queen of Fury bit the big horn in her mouth. She was counting the numbers, staring at the northern forces that started marching toward her army.


    The dirt had risen densely everywhere. Even though she was far away from them, she felt as if the hot breath of the Goblin riders seemed to tickle the tip of her nose.


    The roaring of the northern forces filled the sky. The earth was shaken by the clouds of tens of thousands rushing toward the southern army.


    At some point, the Queen of Fury finally blew the horn. Its loud and magnificent sound penetrated through the northern army''s roaring.


    The queen didn''t order the army to charge at their northern counterparts. The southern troops were patient again this time. The sound of the queen blowing the horn reached the sky, and the second reason why the queen chose to fight became apparent. The Dragon Legion appeared suddenly in the sky. Ancablosa, who stood out among the dragons in the red sky, pierced through the clouds and appeared herself, and the dragon soldiers lined up behind her opened their mouths at once.


    It didn''t matter that the queen couldn''t use massive magic because of the magic field. The most powerful weapon of the dragons was never magic.


    Their huge shadows in the sky were cast over the northern army''s heads. Then the Dragon Breath of the dragon soldiers from the sky rained down on the northern troops on the ground.


    Light, lightning, and flames struck the ground. At that moment, the Queen of Fury blew a second horn. Now, the southern army screamed violently and rushed toward the northern army.


    The queen threw the horn and stood at the forefront of the southern army, holding a huge ax of lightning.


    The queen knew her strength and weakness. So, she chose to fight at the front line instead of commanding the army in the rear. It was Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura clan, in the sky that commanded the southern army.


    Biryubakcha''s order was issued to each unit of the southern army. Since this was a battle between tens of thousands of troops on both sides, it would not end up being a simple confrontation. Both the southern and northern forces had their own formations for the battle.


    The southern and northern forces finally clashed. The Queen of Fury, who was at the forefront of the southern army, wielded the huge ax of lightning with all her might. The Ogre''s upper body exploded when he was rushing toward her recklessly. With the Ogre''s blood gushing and the fragments of his bones scattering in all directions, the queen again swung the ax and struck the ground this time. The thunderbolt that occurred around the struck ground killed dozens of the Orc warriors around the Ogre.


    Screams and explosions filled the battlefield. A massive slaughtering war began on the plains.


    The Queen of Fury moved her eyes more than her hands. She tried to check out the fighting in the sky, let alone the fighting on the ground.


    In the sky, the Dragon Legion and the northern army''s flying fleet were engaged in full-scale air combat. The giant eagles, which were said to live only in the north, attacked the dragons in groups, and the battleships apparently belonging to the Dungeon Market fired the magic flames. Just like the dragon soldiers'' Dragon Breath was a surprise attack, the ambush by the northern forces'' flying squadrons was something they never expected. Since both sides hid their secret weapons, they were startled by each other''s unexpected strike.


    The Queen of Fury immediately rolled her eyes, briefly watching Ancablosa trampling on the back of the behemoth with seven heads and biting his neck. She wanted to find and support those soldiers of the southern army who were on the defensive at the moment.


    The whole battlefield looked like a chaotic mess with huge beasts raging from both the sky and the earth and tens of thousands of troops colliding violently. But it wasn''t. Looking down from high in the sky, Biryubakcha, the general commander of the southern army, knew that both the southern and northern forces were fighting as part of their grand strategies. The two armies pushed against each other in a strange balance, and many of their units on the left and right began a complex operation.


    "Kirtimuka! Help them on the left!"


    Shouting at her, the Queen of Fury swung the huge ax at the same time. Six Orc warriors were smashed into pieces at once, and her bodyguards headed by Kirtimuka threw themselves toward the queen.


    Some of the southern units on the left were crumbling. There were too many northern soldiers on the right who rushed to defeat them. Left neglected without any support, the southern units were certain to be defeated, which would change the tide of the battle.


    On the battlefield, the passage of time could be weird. As the moments between life and death continued, every minute and second felt much longer.


    Finally, the Queen of Fury grabbed the huge ax again then injected a stronger mana into the Godly Energy of Fury. At that moment, the queen saw the head of the Garura clan shouting. A very good piece of news was delivered through the communication device attached to her ear.


    [They are here!]


    "Skullkull!"


    The sound of a bizarre roaring echoed into her ears clearly.


    The Queen of Fury swallowed. She shouted with joy at the arrival of the reinforcements in the rear that she forgot to notice because she was so absorbed in the fighting.


    They attacked the northern forces who struck against the left wing of the southern army. At the forefront of them was Skull, the incarnation of death on top of a pitch-black beast.


    Skull, the Avatar of Death, who was created through Yong-ho''s final synthetic reinforcement.


    Skull''s violet eyes flashed from his pure and white skull. A purple or almost black light sparkled between Skull''s black armor, and his dark red cloak broke the surroundings.


    Then Skull swung Baphomet''s sickle. He fully inherited the power of the incarnation of death that had come to the alien world in the distant past, dealing a fatal blow to all those who touched the tip of the sickle. It didn''t matter whether they were Orcs, Ogres, and Trolls.


    Even several huge beasts and demon beasts could not dare to block Skull. And behind that incarnation of death, the Corps of Death made a silent roar.


    They were none other than Skull''s unit with a dozen Death Knights taking the lead. All of them, armed with magic weapons, were in sync with Skull. They rushed without any hesitation. They crushed, cut, kicked, and trampled the northern forces.


    They had tremendous destructive power. The right-wing of the northern forces was shattered by the Skull unit''s strike. Moreover, their striking speed was very fast. The Skull unit comprising of only several hundred were certain to annihilate the right-wing of the northern army, which was more than ten times their size.


    "Skullkull!"


    Skull roared. His violet energy of death covered the earth, which brought about a terrible and surprising thing. The northern soldiers, who were smashed to pieces, became the undead and stood up. Then they rushed toward the northern soldiers who were their allies a little while ago.


    Many soldiers of the northern army died but stood up again as undead. The more the northern army''s soldiers died, the number of undead also increased. More and more northern soldiers were dying accordingly. Indeed, it was a series of nightmares for the northern army.


    But that wasn''t all. The Queen of Fury felt her heart was beating fast. She got thrilled, clutching her chest before she knew it. In great excitement, she turned her head toward the southern sky.


    "The King of Greed!"


    Salami, who was transformed into a huge heatwave dragon, flew behind the Skull unit. And on his back Yong-ho¡ªthe King of Greed¡ªwas standing. He was dressed in silver dragon armor, according to the wish of the Queen of Fury.

 272 Dritarashutra 5

    Yong-ho looked straight ahead. He then swung Aamon toward the rear of the Skull unit. He wanted to demonstrate its legendary force of the past once again.


    The magic spear of the red lotus. With just a single swinging Aamon could burn heaven and earth and evaporate the sea! It could no longer be called a wave of green flames.


    It was a tsunami of flames. A huge and enormous flame engulfed the entire Skull unit then passed by them and burnt the right-wing of the northern army.


    "Skullkull!"


    Skull ran through the flame. Skull and his unit were not injured in the flames of Greed.


    They slaughtered the northern forces with the flames of Greed that never extinguished.


    Shouting loudly, Salami rotated his body. Yong-ho broke through the air, led the beating of his heart and Greed. Jumping off Salami''s back, he landed next to the Queen of Fury.


    The Queen of Fury saw Yong-ho. Yong-ho also saw the queen. At that moment, a storm of the sword caused by the shadow of a blade and a blade whip swept around Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury. The northern forces around them turned into ashes and almost evaporated, gushing blood.


    Catalina and Kaiwan joined Yong-ho, and ten bullets were fired from Yong-ho''s main battleship, Tiamet, the giant red dragon. It was Gusion who flew like a cannonball and jumped into the middle of the northern forces. Next to him were Eligos and Ophelia, who were strengthened through the synthetic reinforcement like Skull. Each of them unleashed their beast brutality right next to Gusion, who could be called the final crystal of the Red Demon.


    The flying air unit commanded by Samael, the fastest wing, supported the Dragon Legion''s fight. The dragons that the King of Gluttony collected one by one to deal with the Dragon Legion now supported them. They fought the northern forces with them.


    Like Dragon Lord Ancablosa said, the power of the King of Greed''s forces could not be assessed simply by the number of his troops.


    "Sorry I''m late," Yong-ho said to the Queen of Fury. But the queen shook her head violently.


    With her face blushing, she shouted, "It''s okay! I would like to welcome you from the bottom of my heart!"


    It looked like she wanted to hug him right away. If she had not met him here on the battlefield, she would probably have done so.


    The situation had changed a bit from the moment it was revealed that Yong-ho was the new King of Greed, so Kirtimuka made a complicated expression, while Catalina, wearing shadow armor all over her body, was focusing only on the fight around her. Kaiwan grabbed her whip sword tightly, shaking her head.


    Yong-ho brought out the power of Greed and Gluttony at the same time then opened up the seven horns of light at once.


    Startled, the Queen of Fury turned around to see him. It was only 15 days when they joined hands to confront the King of Lust. Now, his mana was much stronger than then.


    Instead of explaining, Yong-ho wielded Aamon, and the queen just smiled instead of asking questions. Listening to her heart beating again, she empowered the Godly Energy. She tried to get furious even while she was holding back the urge to smile.


    A fierce battle ensued. The blood of the troops was strewn everywhere as the fighting went on.


    How long did it pass?


    Yong-ho suddenly raised his head and looked far away. He did so, led by instinct, so did the Queen of Fury and Sitri. The eyes of the three met at a distance. Yong-ho and the queen did not know why, but Sitri was thrilled. They screamed at the same time.


    The air split.


    There was a huge twist over the heads of the northern army.


    The twist was a torrent of mana. Mana was abundant in the sky and the earth in the demon world, and accordingly the inhabitants there were sensitive to the flow of mana.


    But even so, there were limitations. The northern forces already spread the magic field all over the sky on the battlefield. So, a couple of distortions at this point would not make any meaningful change. Moreover, they were engaged in the fighting now.


    Therefore, the reaction of everyone on the battlefield was abnormal.


    It didn''t matter whether they were sensitive or not, nor did it matter whether they were fast or not.


    Some Ogres who were trampling on the heads of the Yakshas who fell on the ground raised their heads before they knew it.


    The warrior of the Asura clan and the Orc Warrior who were staring at each other, equipped with their swords, took their eyes off each other at the same time. Even though they were facing each other, who could take each other''s life at any moment, they just looked up at the sky as if they were bewitched.


    Even the goblin, who was dying while painfully squeezing the intestines protruding through his torn stomach, moved to see what was in the sky tearfully.


    It didn''t take long for both the southern army and the northern forces everywhere to react the same way. It took only a few seconds at most then sudden silence fell to the noisy battlefield.


    It was creepy, indeed. The screams, shouts, and roaring that suddenly stopped made them feel as if time stopped.


    At first, it was a piece of crack. It was a crack in the sky.


    There was a hole when the crack opened, then mana swirled and distorted everything near it like any other twist.


    Almost everyone didn''t know what the hole in the sky was. But those who witnessed the twist noticed it instinctively. That wasn''t like a mere twist.


    Like everyone, Opelia, who looked at the hole as if she was possessed, suddenly turned her eyes to the side because there was something that caught her eye in addition to the bizarre phenomenon in the sky.


    Gusion''s fists were trembling hard.


    He was not fearful or angry. There was some intense emotion on his face that was difficult to define.


    Gusion moved his lips as if to say something, but he didn''t say it.


    The Queen of Fury''s heart was beating. She grabbed her own chest. She felt a subtle pain.


    A terrible feeling that she had never felt in her life seemed to grip her. The Sin of Fury was groaning.


    Finally, the hole was opened. It was a huge hole that was a dozen meters in diameter.


    Both the northern and southern forces stared at the black hole. Naturally, their eyes met.


    It was a huge eye. A shining eye looked out from inside the hole. Then it made eye contact with both the northern and southern forces.


    Yong-ho instinctively knew it. The eye was smiling.


    He had goosebumps on his back. And at that moment, the silence broke. The northern forces, who were right under the hole, fell on the ground like a broken marionette. Now, everyone on the battlefield who looked like they were possessed came to their senses. Then they screamed all at once.


    A glowing hand protruded from the hole. A giant''s hand, wrapped by a pure white light, swept the ground. All kinds of light arose from the scattered bodies of the northern forces. Then they were sucked into the hole. It was as if their essence was being absorbed.


    Hundreds of them fell simultaneously. Hundreds of lights soared simultaneously. When the white giant''s hand swept through the northern forces, more lights were sucked into the hole.


    The northern army ran away, screaming. The southern army was in a strange mood, watching them fleeing toward them rather than attacking them. The southern troops just saw the giant''s shining arm trying to get out of the hole without even wielding a weapon at them.


    Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura clan, thought about it. He was faithful to the basics because he didn''t know what the hole was or what the glowing arm protruding from the inside was.


    The battlefield was wide. Although the hole was large, it was not comparable to the battlefield where tens of thousands of troops clashed.


    So, the Queen of Fury had to take advantage of this confusion. Rather, now was the time for the southern army to rush them.


    But she could not bring herself to issue the order. What came out of her mouth was something like a groaning of fear.


    The Queen of Fury turned. She looked at the sky, with her back against the northern forces.


    "Oh, no!"


    A line was drawn high above the heads of the southern forces. It was also a crack, and it quickly got distorted. It distorted everything around it and became huge. A shining eye from the inside of the black hole looked down at the southern army.


    "No!"


    The Queen of Fury shouted. The tribesmen of the eight clans right under the hole fell on the ground. All kinds of lights soared, and a couple of hands protruded from the inside of the hole. Filling the hole, the mysterious being grabbed the hole instead of smashing those on the ground like they did to the northern forces. Then, it opened the hole wider as if opening a door. Then it stuck out its head suddenly!


    It was a pure white light. Not only its head but also its shoulders came out of the hole now. The giant of light, reminiscent of the King of Violence, smashed the southern army with his flexible arms. At the same time as the earth was shaken, hundreds from the eight clans had their essence taken away by the giant of light before being scattered on the ground and died without even a single scream.


    It was a silent horror. The giant of light moved his arms without crying or roaring. In just a few seconds, while everyone was distracted by this unrealistic situation, the giant of light took the lives of hundreds of the southern soldiers. It was a catastrophe caused by their close formation.


    "Run away! Biryubakcha, have the troops retreat!"


    The Queen of Fury shouted desperately.

 273 Dritarashutra 5

    Biryubakcha''s hesitation delayed the troops'' retreat by a few seconds. During that short span, however, more than a hundred southern soldiers were killed. It was no exaggeration to say that there were almost none who survived right under the hole. A huge blank was created in the middle of the southern army.


    "Scatter to the left and right!"


    Finally, Biryubakcha ordered his southern troops. Moving his hands, he issued a more complex order this time. The southern troops located far from the hole got into ship-shape immediately as if to show off the efficiency of their usual training, but those close to the hole did not. Those who fled in fear and confusion were wounded or killed in the process. Too many of them were trampled to death or injured by the same race, namely the tribesmen of the eight clans.


    There was big confusion in the sky. Ancablosa, who was commanding the Dragon Legion, was embarrassed. The dragons and beasts in the sky near the hole were visibly weakened as if they were poisoned. The flying monsters that followed the dragon army couldn''t fly properly and fell down. After they fell, all of them had their essence taken away by the giant of light.


    The same thing was happening to the northern forces. So, the northern forces were not responsible for this whole bizarre phenomenon. If so, what the hell was it?''


    "The celestial world!"


    Ophelia suddenly screamed. Eligos also realized it. It was the same situation that Gusion once described.


    [You must stop it!]


    [Defeat the godly man and close the hole. If left unchecked, more godly men will appear. In the worst case, you will summon the door of the celestial world Mammon closed!]


    Aamon shouted urgently. He had experienced fighting the guys from the celestial world directly. Yong-ho didn''t know what Aamon meant by the godly man. But it was clear that the godly man was far from an ordinary being.


    [Awaken the power of Sin.]


    [That hole is not a proper door of the celestial world. So, you can close it with the same trick as stopping the twist.]


    Yong-ho focused on the current situation. He didn''t think about why the celestial world got reconnected with the demon world or why the twisting occurred right above the place where the southern and northern forces were engaged in the fighting.


    The Seven Deadly Sins, the fragments of the Demon God''s soul, responded to the power of the celestial world. In particular, Greed cried out more angrily than usual.


    Kaiwan followed him without any hesitation. Catalina carried her on the back and took off.


    Skull riding on Bucephalas started rushing backward. Skull, who had penetrated deep into the right-wing of the northern army, led the Death Knights to lead the Skull unit. He then injected Brigada with the power of death taken from Baphomet''s sickle. Skull gave it to his master, Yong-ho.


    Ophelia and Eligos also turned to the southern army. Gusion gazed for a moment at the celestial hole above the northern forces'' heads but soon raced toward the southern forces. He could not afford to care about the hole above the northern army.


    The giant of light, who was trying to stick his chest out of the hole after his head and shoulders, saw Yong-ho charging at him quickly. He shook both arms with which he smashed the southern soldiers. A wall of pure white light was shot toward Yong-ho.


    But the green flames that ran from top to bottom broke the wall of light. The flames of Greed burned away the celestial power that formed the wall of light.


    Yong-ho did not stop for a moment. He read the flow of the mana. Just like the hole did, the celestial power arising from the godly man''s body distorted his mana. Yong-ho could read the movement of the godly man through the twisting of the mana.


    The godly man''s arm broke through the air at a terrifying speed. Yong-ho urgently lowered his altitude to avoid his arms before raising it again. Then Yong-ho burned the celestial power with the flames of Greed when the latter rushed to demolish his mana. Finally, he reached the head of the godly man and met his eyes.


    There was a black hole in the pile of light where the silhouette was not clearly visible. And there were eyes shining in the hole again.


    The godly man opened his mouth wide. Yong-ho stretched Aamon toward the head of the godly man. Then he strengthened his mana by activating the Demon God''s heart king''s mighty power. He injected a tremendous amount of mana into the man through Aamon.


    The power of the celestial world was scattered at once, and the godly man shuddered. He screamed silently and swung his arms recklessly. Numerous tentacles of light came out from the space between the man and the black hole. They were aiming for Yong-ho.


    But Catalina and Kaiwan did not let them attack Yong-ho. Catalina''s blade of the shadow and Kaiwan''s whip sword cut the tentacles of light. The Queen of Fury, who belatedly followed the two, struck the head of the godly man with the Godly Energy of Fury.


    The power of the Queen of Fury, which became stronger when she got more furious, was terrifying. The godly man''s head was shaken greatly then shattered and scattered light.


    Yong-ho withdrew mana then fired the green flames toward the godly man''s chest, who was staggering at the Queen of Fury''s attack.


    The godly man''s chest was pierced by the ultra-high flames, and the godly man couldn''t sustain himself anymore. He released enormous celestial power at once then slipped back into the hole as if he was running away. But the green flames arising from his chest destroyed his body.


    [Now is the chance!]


    [Seal the distortion!]


    Yong-ho now forgot the godly man. After turning Aamon back into a bracelet, he concentrated mana on both hands. Just like how he closed the twisting in the past and just like how he stopped the mana of the swirling seven colors, which was Magnadon''s last trap, he controlled the mana in the surrounding area. The horns of light that sprouted on his head radiated even more intense light.


    The hole was twisted again. It rotated in the opposite direction from the beginning. Then it began to get smaller. Then, the light tentacles poured out from the inside of the hole. But these tentacles trying to block him were stopped by his 12 subordinate spirits and the Queen of Fury who finally arrived at the right moment.


    "Surround your body with mana! You have to shut down the power of the celestial world!"


    Gusion shouted at the top of his voice not only at the subordinate spirits but also the whole southern army. The power of the celestial world was no different from poison to the demons. So, they had to avoid the situation where they were inevitably exposed to the poison.


    And finally, the hole was closed. The power of the celestial world was scattered by the mana before disappearing, and the swirling flow of mana was also stabilized by Yong-ho''s control.


    Yong-ho breathed out roughly. Even though it wasn''t a real celestial door but a kind of dog hole, he had to consume a considerable amount of mana to close it.


    But the fighting wasn''t over yet. There was still another hold in the sky over the northern troops.


    Yong-ho turned and so did the Queen of Fury. The two felt some sharp chest pain.


    They felt the power of Sin in the northern forces. It must be the power of the King of Lust. Besides, it wasn''t only the King of Lust that was out there.


    Gusion gnashed his teeth. Scathach, who was healing hundreds of tribesmen of the eight clans at the same time, stared into the north. The Sin of Sloth was crying deep down in Sitri''s heart.


    Ancablosa was thrilled. She remembered the last will of the King of Violence.


    "The King of Pride," said Yong-ho.


    At that moment, tremendous mana occurred in the northern army as if it exploded. It swallowed up the torrent of mana created by the hole of the celestial world. The godly man, who was sticking his head and shoulders out of the hole, groaned, trampled down by mana.


    The Queen of Fury finally knew the King of Violence''s heart. She truly understood why he chose to make a suicidal attack against the King of Pride.


    There was a god-like being beyond that world. The title "Demon God" used by the King of Violence when referring to the being was by no means an exaggeration.


    As if he was desperately struggling, the godly man released the power of the celestial world. And at that moment, another hole began to open above the heads of the northern forces.


    Yong-ho concluded that it was not time for him to just stand as an onlooker.


    "Dritarashutra! Withdraw the southern army right now! You have to retreat!"


    It was not the time for him to deal with both the northern army and the celestial world.


    There was no guarantee that the King of Pride and the King of Lust would give priority to closing the door of the celestial world like Yong-ho. There was a high possibility that they would rush toward Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury, totally ignoring the safety of the northern and southern forces.


    Now was not the time for Yong-ho to fight against the northern forces. He had to concentrate on saving even one more southern soldier.


    Fortunately, the Queen of Fury understood his intentions right away. She was a queen who loved her people more than anyone else. So, she ordered the head of the Garura clan, Biryubakcha, to withdraw the southern forces immediately. The northern army could not pursue them. Although Yong-ho felt the presence of strong mana beyond the hole, the King of Pride and the King of Lust didn''t show themselves.

 274 Dritarashutra 6

    As soon as they arrived at the dungeon fortress located on the eastern border of the Queen of Fury''s territory, the queen and the heads of the eight clans convened a meeting. Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits also attended the meeting, which was held at the conference room on the top floor of the Queen of Fury''s dungeon.


    Since they came to the meeting from the battlefield without taking any break, everyone was in combat uniform. They could not afford to delay things. The main topic of the conference was definitely about the twist that suddenly appeared on the sky of the battlefield and the giants of light that suddenly came out of it.


    It was Sitri who took the lead in the discussion, while the Queen of Fury and the heads of the eight clans were silent. Only after they were done talking did the head of the Asura clan opened his mouth. "I really can''t believe it."


    His voice was weak. He didn''t take issue with Sitri or Yong-ho, of course.


    There were so many alien zones in the demon world, which had numerous small and large passages that were connected with each other.


    For example, there were dozens of alien spirits traded at the Dungeon Market every year.


    So, the existence of the celestial world was nothing new.


    However, when they talked about other kings, Seven Deadly Sins, and other stuff, the heads of the eight clans were thrown into confusion.


    Mammon, the King of Greed, who saved the demon world by sacrificing himself a thousand and several hundred years ago. The King of Pride, the King of Envy, and the King of Lust who betrayed Mammon and concealed the relevant facts in history.


    One thousand years was a long time for the dragons. Moreover, the dragons who went through the times of Mammon, the King of Greed, thoroughly lived as outsiders.


    Dragons were and now were lazy individualists. So, the current situation in which the dragons formed a legion and participated in the war was very unfamiliar to them.


    Perhaps if they could scrutinize the records of the previous generation or the generations prior to that, they would be able to find some records about the celestial world or the godly men. Nothing would be more detailed than what Sitri had to tell right now.


    The Queen of Fury decided to recognize what Sitri was going to say from now on. Otherwise, she couldn''t take a step forward.


    "Okay, let me sort out my thoughts for a moment. Please confirm what I''m about to say, Queen of Sloth."


    Sitri nodded slowly.


    The moment the hole was opened, a huge amount of celestial energy was released. The reason that the soldiers of the northern and southern armies right under the hole lost their lives en masse was because they were unprotected and exposed to the celestial energy.


    "Second, it''s the door of the celestial world that connects the demon world and the celestial world. As the celestial door opens little by little, distortions take place throughout the demon world. The more the celestial door opens, the more distorting takes place on a large scale. "


    Sitri nodded again.


    The Queen of Fury said finally, "Third, the giant of light that appeared this time is a godly man. The appearance of a godly man means that more than a third of the door of the celestial world has already opened."


    The godly men were by no means ordinary beings.


    Aamon added right after the Queen of Fury was done talking.


    [We saw several celestial beings while we were fighting against the celestial world. And we divided them into two main types.]


    [One of them are those who are considered to be general inhabitants of the celestial world.]


    [They have covered their entire bodies with a dim light close to gray. Small ones are the size of goblins, and large ones are equal to Ogres.]


    [They are not very strong, except that they have celestial energy.]


    [We judged these godly men as the celestial soldiers.]


    Those they saw in today''s fighting had never been caught by Yong-ho''s party. However, Catalina and Kaiwan remembered the beings behind the tentacles of light when they attacked Yong-ho. Perhaps, they were the godly men.


    [The godly man is covering his whole body with a bright white light.]


    [He emits not only an enormous amount of celestial energy but also, he is huge in size.]


    [As we saw him today, the way he attacked us is not that powerful. In some respects, he is just a huge monster. What matters is his celestial energy.]


    The number of soldiers killed by just two godly men who appeared in the camps of the northern and southern armies was huge. But what mattered was the way they killed the soldiers.


    The godly men killed the soldiers that were gathered in close formation with their huge bodies. If there were any giant monsters as huge as the godly men today, they could fight as well as the godly men in today''s fighting.


    However, the godly men could not defend the strike of the Queen of Fury and Yong-ho. Just like Aamon said, they were no more than huge monsters when their celestial energy was removed.


    Of course, their huge size itself was a tremendous weapon, and separating the celestial energy from them was unthinkable, but the important thing was the fact that they were not absolute beings like God. This meant that the Queen of Fury and Yong-ho''s forces could easily confront them.


    [There are not so many godly men. Usually, one godly man appears when a mid-or large-sized hole is opened.]


    [Even in the final and decisive battle in front of the door of the celestial world, there were only a few dozen goldy men.]


    Kirtimuka opened her mouth wide as if she could not believe him. Aamon said there were only a few dozen, but each of them was a giant over a hundred meters tall. She seemed to now know why the kings of the olden days joined hands to fight against them.


    [What we should be vigilant against most is not the godly man. There are godly men who are almost as large as Ogres.]


    [Mammon, the King of Greed, called these godly men godly generals. Like the godly man, they not only emit a huge amount of celestial energy, but they are also very strong. They show up only when a supersized hole is made, and among Mammon''s 12 Spirits, there are only three who can confront these godly generals. They are ??Gusion, Richard, and Elune.]


    As a matter of fact, ??Gusion, Richard, and Elune could be called the three greatest powers of Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    Fortunately, there weren''t many godly generals. The number of godly generals that Aamon witnessed during the battle with the celestial world a thousand years ago was around 20.


    Aamon was silent for a while. Only after everyone around him recognized the existence of the godly man and godly generals did he continue.


    [It is not known what the purpose of the godly man is. We have made several attempts to communicate with them, but we have never had any meaningful conversations with them.]


    [One thing is clear though. It is the fact that the power of the celestial world is in direct opposition to the demon world. If all the doors of the celestial world are opened and the connection between the celestial and the demonic world is fully secured, no one can be sure what will happen in the future]


    [There might be a possibility that the demon world itself will perish.]


    Everybody was silent while Aamon was speaking. The faces of the heads of the eight clans turned pale while Kirtimuka gulped in a tense mood.


    Gusion, who was listening to Aamon quietly until now, spoke in a rather harsh voice, "We don''t have to be scared too much. We can confront the celestial energy with our mana. As long as we can block or endure the celestial energy, we can confront them without any problem."


    This time, Scathach added, "The power of the celestial world acts like a poison not only to those in the demon world, but also those from alien worlds. However, its effect on these alien beings is weaker than that of those in the demon world. So, I think if any of those among the eight clans come from the alien world, they can more effectively deal with the godly men."


    In fact, there were more northern soldiers than their southern counterparts who lost their lives right after the hole was opened. Even though both sides were exposed to the celestial energy helplessly, the southern soldiers were killed much less than the northern soldiers because they were from the alien world, not from the demon world.


    When she finished speaking, Scathach turned to Yong-ho who was listening to her seriously. Yong-ho was not purely from the demon world, of course. Although Mammon''s blood was flowing in his body, the blood of the human world was also flowing in his body at the same time.


    The Queen of Fury was not also purely from the demon world. Of course, it had been several hundred years since the eight clans including her came to the demon world, so they could be recognized as pure demons, but strictly speaking, they could fall in the category of alien beings.


    Scathach found hope in such a fact.


    "How much time is left for the celestial door to fully open?"


    The head of the dragon clan, Surka, asked with a nervous expression.


    Scathach didn''t bother to lie to him.


    "I can''t be sure. But if I look back at what happened during Mammon''s times, I would say there are only a couple of months left before the celestial door is fully opened."


    The head of the dragon clan closed his eyes tightly.

 275 Dritarashutra 7

    [However, the fact that the godly man has appeared means that the situation has already become quite serious.]


    [If you consider that you haven''t noticed the existence of the twisting until the godly man appeared, I think it''s possible that the celestial door will open faster than it did a thousand years ago.]


    This time, there was a more chaotic silence spreading among the participants in the meeting. Dragon Lord Ancablosa, who did not lose her composure amid such a chaotic mood, asked Scathach, "Why don''t we close the celestial door just like Mammon, the King of Greed, did a thousand years ago?"


    "Yes, that''s the solution. It will solve everything," said Scathach with a light smile.


    That was what not only Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury but also Ancablosa and the Dragon Legion wanted badly. The dragons of the past were not united as one, so their fight against the celestial world was not very helpful. However, the current Dragon Legion was different.


    Everyone was calculating the gains and losses of this option.


    Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura clan, said with a sigh, "Is it unreasonable for us to ask for a ceasefire with the northern army?"


    "You know what? These are the bastards who betrayed Master Mammon one thousand years ago. We can never believe them," snapped Gusion angrily.


    Gusion, who felt the Sin of Pride directly on the battlefield, was convinced that the guy in the rear of the northern army was the King of Pride. He was definitely the King of Pride of the past who betrayed Mammon, not the current King of Pride.


    Gusion wasn''t curious about how that king was still alive or how he gained such great power.


    The only thing that mattered to him was to take revenge on the King of Pride. His desire to take revenge on the king, which had been dormant deep down in his heart for the past one thousand years, was strongly rekindled.


    With the atmosphere getting more and more serious, the head of the dragon clan asked again in a weary voice, "Is there any possibility that the King of Pride will shut the door of the celestial world again? If we don''t act, all of us in the demon world will have no choice but to perish together." What he said was a real possibility.


    But Sitri shook her head and said, "Well, I think the King of Pride would rather choose to kill us first even before the celestial door opens. He will try to close the door after taking away the powers of the King of Greed, the Queen of Fury as well as mine."


    Sitri was also convinced of the existence of the King of Pride of the past. He was a lunatic. Despite the possibility that Mammon could not close the door of the celestial world, he betrayed Mammon because he put more priority on Mammon''s death than preventing the destruction of the demon world.


    If he were the same King of Pride of the past, he would prioritize defeating Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury over closing the celestial door.


    "So, this is our best option. We have to defeat the King of Pride first then fight the godly men of the celestial world in order to close the celestial door," shouted Gusion loudly.


    The head of the dragon clan and the head of the Garura clan felt averse to Gusion''s declaration at the moment, but they soon understood him. In fact, the King of Pride had been advocating the annihilation and enslavement of different races from the alien world by promoting the supremacy of pure blood of the demon world. He was a guy who could not coexist with the eight clans from the beginning.


    The Queen of Fury closed her eyes. She let out a long breath then said with a smile, "I''m going to take a short break. Queen of Sloth and Mammon people, thank you for your precious comment and insight."


    In fact, like the southern forces, the northern army also retreated in the face of the godly man''s unexpected attack. So, she could take out some time for a break.


    When the Queen of Fury left the meeting room, Kirtimuka and Gardimundi hurriedly followed her. The head of the dragon clan and the head of the Garura clan also expressed due manners to Yong-ho and Sitri before leaving. Some representatives from the eight clans who were waiting outside the conference room approached Yong-ho and his party to show them to a break room.


    Sitri looked at Yong-ho silently, who nodded to her slowly.


    ***


    The Queen of Fury sat blankly in the sky garden on the top floor of Vimana, her dungeon. The night air was cold, but she didn''t think it was cold. She just wanted to be united with the darkness of the night.


    But she could not if she wanted to. No matter how much she closed her eyes to try to forget the situation, she had to face the cruel reality. Not only the northern army but also the celestial world were both a tough challenge for her.


    The Queen of Fury went to the trouble of humming a song. Although she hummed it lightly, her singing created a beautiful melody, just like the head of the Gandharva clan who were good at singing and dancing. The moonlight and starlight seemed to melt into her singing.


    After she was carried away with the excitement of her singing for a moment, she quickly closed her lips and stopped humming. Vimana was her dungeon, so she could know all the little things that were happening in Vimana. She noticed there was a visitor waiting in front of the sky garden.


    Her heart was pounding. By now, she could have gotten used to his visit, but she could turn to the visitor only after she took a big breath.


    The visitor said with a gentle smile, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"


    "Of course. As I told you many times today, I would like to welcome you very much."


    Rather than overreacting to him in an excited voice, she sat down on a large rock.


    Yong-ho settled next to her casually.


    Because of an awkward atmosphere, either Yong-ho or the queen needed to break the ice first.


    The Queen of Fury hesitated nervously while Yong-ho moved his lips several times. At last, he said, looking at her, "Queen of Fury, or let me call you Dritarashutra."


    The queen flinched for a moment then nodded obediently. She turned slightly to face him.


    He looked at her briefly. In fact, it was quite surprising that the two met face to face like this in the queen''s dungeon.


    Yong-ho himself was now in the dungeon of the Queen of Fury, and the queen faced him without her bodyguards.


    This kind of casual meeting was possible because they trusted each other as allies.


    "I would like to tell you something as your ally and strong friend. You may feel unpleasant or offended by what I have to say, but I hope you can hear me out."


    At that moment, he was very serious. Looking at him squarely, the queen corrected her posture immediately and said, "Please give me a second."


    The Queen of Fury put her hand on her chest. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After taking a deep breath several times, she faced him again and said, "Now you can go ahead. I am ready to hear what you have to say to me."


    The Queen of Fury was also serious. It wasn''t Dritarashutra, the woman who was in love with him, but the head of the eight clans in her capacity as the Queen of Fury, who was facing him.


    Instead of beating around the bush, Yong-ho put it bluntly, "The King of Pride is very strong. It would be difficult for us two to confront him together. As you know, he is accompanied by the King of Lust when he is fighting."


    Most of the southern forces did not see the King of Pride, overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the celestial holes and the presence of the godly men, but Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury certainly saw him. While fighting on the battlefield today, the two clearly realized why the King of Violence made the extreme choice of suicidal attack against the King of Pride, and why he called the king the Demon God.


    The amount of mana that the King of Pride unleashed at the last minute exceeded that of Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury. Moreover, the King of Lust was also very strong. Although Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury didn''t yet fully get used to their Godly Energies, the King of Lust not only blocked their attack but also escaped from the scene.


    The Queen of Fury nodded at Yong-ho''s explanation. She wanted to forget about it, but as the queen of the eight clans, she could not turn away from reality.


    The King of Pride was strong. The Queen of Fury knew she could not confront him alone, let alone the King of Lust.


    Instead of comforting the Queen of Fury who seemed to have resigned to reality, Yong-ho changed the topic.


    He said, looking at the Godly Energy of Greed fitted on his right arm, "The power of Greed is possession. I never let go of what I have in my hand. You know Kaiwan and Tigrius, my subordinate spirits, right?"


    "Of course, I know them." The Queen of Fury nodded quickly. In particular, she was familiar with Kaiwan because she met her several times.


    "Both of them are former masters of their own houses. As you may know, when the master becomes a subordinate spirit, his or her power is greatly weakened. It may disappear altogether after a long time. But they still have their own power. Moreover, I can use their power as if it were my own. I can do all this because I have the power of possession by way of Greed."

 273 Dritarashutra 6

    Biryubakcha''s hesitation delayed the troops'' retreat by a few seconds. During that short span, however, more than a hundred southern soldiers were killed. It was no exaggeration to say that there were almost none who survived right under the hole. A huge blank was created in the middle of the southern army.


    "Scatter to the left and right!"


    Finally, Biryubakcha ordered his southern troops. Moving his hands, he issued a more complex order this time. The southern troops located far from the hole got into ship-shape immediately as if to show off the efficiency of their usual training, but those close to the hole did not. Those who fled in fear and confusion were wounded or killed in the process. Too many of them were trampled to death or injured by the same race, namely the tribesmen of the eight clans.


    There was big confusion in the sky. Ancablosa, who was commanding the Dragon Legion, was embarrassed. The dragons and beasts in the sky near the hole were visibly weakened as if they were poisoned. The flying monsters that followed the dragon army couldn''t fly properly and fell down. After they fell, all of them had their essence taken away by the giant of light.


    The same thing was happening to the northern forces. So, the northern forces were not responsible for this whole bizarre phenomenon. If so, what the hell was it?''


    "The celestial world!"


    Ophelia suddenly screamed. Eligos also realized it. It was the same situation that Gusion once described.


    [You must stop it!]


    [Defeat the godly man and close the hole. If left unchecked, more godly men will appear. In the worst case, you will summon the door of the celestial world Mammon closed!]


    Aamon shouted urgently. He had experienced fighting the guys from the celestial world directly. Yong-ho didn''t know what Aamon meant by the godly man. But it was clear that the godly man was far from an ordinary being.


    [Awaken the power of Sin.]


    [That hole is not a proper door of the celestial world. So, you can close it with the same trick as stopping the twist.]


    Yong-ho focused on the current situation. He didn''t think about why the celestial world got reconnected with the demon world or why the twisting occurred right above the place where the southern and northern forces were engaged in the fighting.


    The Seven Deadly Sins, the fragments of the Demon God''s soul, responded to the power of the celestial world. In particular, Greed cried out more angrily than usual.


    Kaiwan followed him without any hesitation. Catalina carried her on the back and took off.


    Skull riding on Bucephalas started rushing backward. Skull, who had penetrated deep into the right-wing of the northern army, led the Death Knights to lead the Skull unit. He then injected Brigada with the power of death taken from Baphomet''s sickle. Skull gave it to his master, Yong-ho.


    Ophelia and Eligos also turned to the southern army. Gusion gazed for a moment at the celestial hole above the northern forces'' heads but soon raced toward the southern forces. He could not afford to care about the hole above the northern army.


    The giant of light, who was trying to stick his chest out of the hole after his head and shoulders, saw Yong-ho charging at him quickly. He shook both arms with which he smashed the southern soldiers. A wall of pure white light was shot toward Yong-ho.


    But the green flames that ran from top to bottom broke the wall of light. The flames of Greed burned away the celestial power that formed the wall of light.


    Yong-ho did not stop for a moment. He read the flow of the mana. Just like the hole did, the celestial power arising from the godly man''s body distorted his mana. Yong-ho could read the movement of the godly man through the twisting of the mana.


    The godly man''s arm broke through the air at a terrifying speed. Yong-ho urgently lowered his altitude to avoid his arms before raising it again. Then Yong-ho burned the celestial power with the flames of Greed when the latter rushed to demolish his mana. Finally, he reached the head of the godly man and met his eyes.


    There was a black hole in the pile of light where the silhouette was not clearly visible. And there were eyes shining in the hole again.


    The godly man opened his mouth wide. Yong-ho stretched Aamon toward the head of the godly man. Then he strengthened his mana by activating the Demon God''s heart king''s mighty power. He injected a tremendous amount of mana into the man through Aamon.


    The power of the celestial world was scattered at once, and the godly man shuddered. He screamed silently and swung his arms recklessly. Numerous tentacles of light came out from the space between the man and the black hole. They were aiming for Yong-ho.


    But Catalina and Kaiwan did not let them attack Yong-ho. Catalina''s blade of the shadow and Kaiwan''s whip sword cut the tentacles of light. The Queen of Fury, who belatedly followed the two, struck the head of the godly man with the Godly Energy of Fury.


    The power of the Queen of Fury, which became stronger when she got more furious, was terrifying. The godly man''s head was shaken greatly then shattered and scattered light.


    Yong-ho withdrew mana then fired the green flames toward the godly man''s chest, who was staggering at the Queen of Fury''s attack.


    The godly man''s chest was pierced by the ultra-high flames, and the godly man couldn''t sustain himself anymore. He released enormous celestial power at once then slipped back into the hole as if he was running away. But the green flames arising from his chest destroyed his body.


    [Now is the chance!]


    [Seal the distortion!]


    Yong-ho now forgot the godly man. After turning Aamon back into a bracelet, he concentrated mana on both hands. Just like how he closed the twisting in the past and just like how he stopped the mana of the swirling seven colors, which was Magnadon''s last trap, he controlled the mana in the surrounding area. The horns of light that sprouted on his head radiated even more intense light.


    The hole was twisted again. It rotated in the opposite direction from the beginning. Then it began to get smaller. Then, the light tentacles poured out from the inside of the hole. But these tentacles trying to block him were stopped by his 12 subordinate spirits and the Queen of Fury who finally arrived at the right moment.


    "Surround your body with mana! You have to shut down the power of the celestial world!"


    Gusion shouted at the top of his voice not only at the subordinate spirits but also the whole southern army. The power of the celestial world was no different from poison to the demons. So, they had to avoid the situation where they were inevitably exposed to the poison.


    And finally, the hole was closed. The power of the celestial world was scattered by the mana before disappearing, and the swirling flow of mana was also stabilized by Yong-ho''s control.


    Yong-ho breathed out roughly. Even though it wasn''t a real celestial door but a kind of dog hole, he had to consume a considerable amount of mana to close it.


    But the fighting wasn''t over yet. There was still another hold in the sky over the northern troops.


    Yong-ho turned and so did the Queen of Fury. The two felt some sharp chest pain.


    They felt the power of Sin in the northern forces. It must be the power of the King of Lust. Besides, it wasn''t only the King of Lust that was out there.


    Gusion gnashed his teeth. Scathach, who was healing hundreds of tribesmen of the eight clans at the same time, stared into the north. The Sin of Sloth was crying deep down in Sitri''s heart.


    Ancablosa was thrilled. She remembered the last will of the King of Violence.


    "The King of Pride," said Yong-ho.


    At that moment, tremendous mana occurred in the northern army as if it exploded. It swallowed up the torrent of mana created by the hole of the celestial world. The godly man, who was sticking his head and shoulders out of the hole, groaned, trampled down by mana.


    The Queen of Fury finally knew the King of Violence''s heart. She truly understood why he chose to make a suicidal attack against the King of Pride.


    There was a god-like being beyond that world. The title "Demon God" used by the King of Violence when referring to the being was by no means an exaggeration.


    As if he was desperately struggling, the godly man released the power of the celestial world. And at that moment, another hole began to open above the heads of the northern forces.


    Yong-ho concluded that it was not time for him to just stand as an onlooker.


    "Dritarashutra! Withdraw the southern army right now! You have to retreat!"


    It was not the time for him to deal with both the northern army and the celestial world.


    There was no guarantee that the King of Pride and the King of Lust would give priority to closing the door of the celestial world like Yong-ho. There was a high possibility that they would rush toward Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury, totally ignoring the safety of the northern and southern forces.


    Now was not the time for Yong-ho to fight against the northern forces. He had to concentrate on saving even one more southern soldier.


    Fortunately, the Queen of Fury understood his intentions right away. She was a queen who loved her people more than anyone else. So, she ordered the head of the Garura clan, Biryubakcha, to withdraw the southern forces immediately. The northern army could not pursue them. Although Yong-ho felt the presence of strong mana beyond the hole, the King of Pride and the King of Lust didn''t show themselves.


    The Dragon Legion left the front line.


    Yong-ho, who was defending his position at the far rear of the southern forces, turned to take a look at the northern forces before he left the battlefield.


    He felt the Sins of Pride, Envy, and Lust that were clearly tangible through the swirling power of the celestial world.


    Yong-ho didn''t stay long on the battlefield. He left the battlefield with his subordinate spirits.

 274 Dritarashutra 7

    As soon as they arrived at the dungeon fortress located on the eastern border of the Queen of Fury''s territory, the queen and the heads of the eight clans convened a meeting. Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits also attended the meeting, which was held at the conference room on the top floor of the Queen of Fury''s dungeon.


    Since they came to the meeting from the battlefield without taking any break, everyone was in combat uniform. They could not afford to delay things. The main topic of the conference was definitely about the twist that suddenly appeared on the sky of the battlefield and the giants of light that suddenly came out of it.


    It was Sitri who took the lead in the discussion, while the Queen of Fury and the heads of the eight clans were silent. Only after they were done talking did the head of the Asura clan opened his mouth. "I really can''t believe it."


    His voice was weak. He didn''t take issue with Sitri or Yong-ho, of course.


    There were so many alien zones in the demon world, which had numerous small and large passages that were connected with each other.


    For example, there were dozens of alien spirits traded at the Dungeon Market every year.


    So, the existence of the celestial world was nothing new.


    However, when they talked about other kings, Seven Deadly Sins, and other stuff, the heads of the eight clans were thrown into confusion.


    Mammon, the King of Greed, who saved the demon world by sacrificing himself a thousand and several hundred years ago. The King of Pride, the King of Envy, and the King of Lust who betrayed Mammon and concealed the relevant facts in history.


    One thousand years was a long time for the dragons. Moreover, the dragons who went through the times of Mammon, the King of Greed, thoroughly lived as outsiders.


    Dragons were and now were lazy individualists. So, the current situation in which the dragons formed a legion and participated in the war was very unfamiliar to them.


    Perhaps if they could scrutinize the records of the previous generation or the generations prior to that, they would be able to find some records about the celestial world or the godly men. Nothing would be more detailed than what Sitri had to tell right now.


    The Queen of Fury decided to recognize what Sitri was going to say from now on. Otherwise, she couldn''t take a step forward.


    "Okay, let me sort out my thoughts for a moment. Please confirm what I''m about to say, Queen of Sloth."


    Sitri nodded slowly.


    The moment the hole was opened, a huge amount of celestial energy was released. The reason that the soldiers of the northern and southern armies right under the hole lost their lives en masse was because they were unprotected and exposed to the celestial energy.


    "Second, it''s the door of the celestial world that connects the demon world and the celestial world. As the celestial door opens little by little, distortions take place throughout the demon world. The more the celestial door opens, the more distorting takes place on a large scale. "


    Sitri nodded again.


    The Queen of Fury said finally, "Third, the giant of light that appeared this time is a godly man. The appearance of a godly man means that more than a third of the door of the celestial world has already opened."


    The godly men were by no means ordinary beings.


    Aamon added right after the Queen of Fury was done talking.


    [We saw several celestial beings while we were fighting against the celestial world. And we divided them into two main types.]


    [One of them are those who are considered to be general inhabitants of the celestial world.]


    [They have covered their entire bodies with a dim light close to gray. Small ones are the size of goblins, and large ones are equal to Ogres.]


    [They are not very strong, except that they have celestial energy.]


    [We judged these godly men as the celestial soldiers.]


    Those they saw in today''s fighting had never been caught by Yong-ho''s party. However, Catalina and Kaiwan remembered the beings behind the tentacles of light when they attacked Yong-ho. Perhaps, they were the godly men.


    [The godly man is covering his whole body with a bright white light.]


    [He emits not only an enormous amount of celestial energy but also, he is huge in size.]


    [As we saw him today, the way he attacked us is not that powerful. In some respects, he is just a huge monster. What matters is his celestial energy.]


    The number of soldiers killed by just two godly men who appeared in the camps of the northern and southern armies was huge. But what mattered was the way they killed the soldiers.


    The godly men killed the soldiers that were gathered in close formation with their huge bodies. If there were any giant monsters as huge as the godly men today, they could fight as well as the godly men in today''s fighting.


    However, the godly men could not defend the strike of the Queen of Fury and Yong-ho. Just like Aamon said, they were no more than huge monsters when their celestial energy was removed.


    Of course, their huge size itself was a tremendous weapon, and separating the celestial energy from them was unthinkable, but the important thing was the fact that they were not absolute beings like God. This meant that the Queen of Fury and Yong-ho''s forces could easily confront them.


    [There are not so many godly men. Usually, one godly man appears when a mid-or large-sized hole is opened.]


    [Even in the final and decisive battle in front of the door of the celestial world, there were only a few dozen goldy men.]


    Kirtimuka opened her mouth wide as if she could not believe him. Aamon said there were only a few dozen, but each of them was a giant over a hundred meters tall. She seemed to now know why the kings of the olden days joined hands to fight against them.


    [What we should be vigilant against most is not the godly man. There are godly men who are almost as large as Ogres.]


    [Mammon, the King of Greed, called these godly men godly generals. Like the godly man, they not only emit a huge amount of celestial energy, but they are also very strong. They show up only when a supersized hole is made, and among Mammon''s 12 Spirits, there are only three who can confront these godly generals. They are ??Gusion, Richard, and Elune.]


    As a matter of fact, ??Gusion, Richard, and Elune could be called the three greatest powers of Mammon''s 12 Spirits.


    Fortunately, there weren''t many godly generals. The number of godly generals that Aamon witnessed during the battle with the celestial world a thousand years ago was around 20.


    Aamon was silent for a while. Only after everyone around him recognized the existence of the godly man and godly generals did he continue.


    [It is not known what the purpose of the godly man is. We have made several attempts to communicate with them, but we have never had any meaningful conversations with them.]


    [One thing is clear though. It is the fact that the power of the celestial world is in direct opposition to the demon world. If all the doors of the celestial world are opened and the connection between the celestial and the demonic world is fully secured, no one can be sure what will happen in the future]


    [There might be a possibility that the demon world itself will perish.]


    Everybody was silent while Aamon was speaking. The faces of the heads of the eight clans turned pale while Kirtimuka gulped in a tense mood.


    Gusion, who was listening to Aamon quietly until now, spoke in a rather harsh voice, "We don''t have to be scared too much. We can confront the celestial energy with our mana. As long as we can block or endure the celestial energy, we can confront them without any problem."


    This time, Scathach added, "The power of the celestial world acts like a poison not only to those in the demon world, but also those from alien worlds. However, its effect on these alien beings is weaker than that of those in the demon world. So, I think if any of those among the eight clans come from the alien world, they can more effectively deal with the godly men."


    In fact, there were more northern soldiers than their southern counterparts who lost their lives right after the hole was opened. Even though both sides were exposed to the celestial energy helplessly, the southern soldiers were killed much less than the northern soldiers because they were from the alien world, not from the demon world.


    When she finished speaking, Scathach turned to Yong-ho who was listening to her seriously. Yong-ho was not purely from the demon world, of course. Although Mammon''s blood was flowing in his body, the blood of the human world was also flowing in his body at the same time.


    The Queen of Fury was not also purely from the demon world. Of course, it had been several hundred years since the eight clans including her came to the demon world, so they could be recognized as pure demons, but strictly speaking, they could fall in the category of alien beings.


    Scathach found hope in such a fact.


    "How much time is left for the celestial door to fully open?"


    The head of the dragon clan, Surka, asked with a nervous expression.


    Scathach didn''t bother to lie to him.


    "I can''t be sure. But if I look back at what happened during Mammon''s times, I would say there are only a couple of months left before the celestial door is fully opened."


    The head of the dragon clan closed his eyes tightly.

 275 Dritarashutra 8

    [However, the fact that the godly man has appeared means that the situation has already become quite serious.]


    [If you consider that you haven''t noticed the existence of the twisting until the godly man appeared, I think it''s possible that the celestial door will open faster than it did a thousand years ago.]


    This time, there was a more chaotic silence spreading among the participants in the meeting. Dragon Lord Ancablosa, who did not lose her composure amid such a chaotic mood, asked Scathach, "Why don''t we close the celestial door just like Mammon, the King of Greed, did a thousand years ago?"


    "Yes, that''s the solution. It will solve everything," said Scathach with a light smile.


    That was what not only Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury but also Ancablosa and the Dragon Legion wanted badly. The dragons of the past were not united as one, so their fight against the celestial world was not very helpful. However, the current Dragon Legion was different.


    Everyone was calculating the gains and losses of this option.


    Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura clan, said with a sigh, "Is it unreasonable for us to ask for a ceasefire with the northern army?"


    "You know what? These are the bastards who betrayed Master Mammon one thousand years ago. We can never believe them," snapped Gusion angrily.


    Gusion, who felt the Sin of Pride directly on the battlefield, was convinced that the guy in the rear of the northern army was the King of Pride. He was definitely the King of Pride of the past who betrayed Mammon, not the current King of Pride.


    Gusion wasn''t curious about how that king was still alive or how he gained such great power.


    The only thing that mattered to him was to take revenge on the King of Pride. His desire to take revenge on the king, which had been dormant deep down in his heart for the past one thousand years, was strongly rekindled.


    With the atmosphere getting more and more serious, the head of the dragon clan asked again in a weary voice, "Is there any possibility that the King of Pride will shut the door of the celestial world again? If we don''t act, all of us in the demon world will have no choice but to perish together." What he said was a real possibility.


    But Sitri shook her head and said, "Well, I think the King of Pride would rather choose to kill us first even before the celestial door opens. He will try to close the door after taking away the powers of the King of Greed, the Queen of Fury as well as mine."


    Sitri was also convinced of the existence of the King of Pride of the past. He was a lunatic. Despite the possibility that Mammon could not close the door of the celestial world, he betrayed Mammon because he put more priority on Mammon''s death than preventing the destruction of the demon world.


    If he were the same King of Pride of the past, he would prioritize defeating Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury over closing the celestial door.


    "So, this is our best option. We have to defeat the King of Pride first then fight the godly men of the celestial world in order to close the celestial door," shouted Gusion loudly.


    The head of the dragon clan and the head of the Garura clan felt averse to Gusion''s declaration at the moment, but they soon understood him. In fact, the King of Pride had been advocating the annihilation and enslavement of different races from the alien world by promoting the supremacy of pure blood of the demon world. He was a guy who could not coexist with the eight clans from the beginning.


    The Queen of Fury closed her eyes. She let out a long breath then said with a smile, "I''m going to take a short break. Queen of Sloth and Mammon people, thank you for your precious comment and insight."


    In fact, like the southern forces, the northern army also retreated in the face of the godly man''s unexpected attack. So, she could take out some time for a break.


    When the Queen of Fury left the meeting room, Kirtimuka and Gardimundi hurriedly followed her. The head of the dragon clan and the head of the Garura clan also expressed due manners to Yong-ho and Sitri before leaving. Some representatives from the eight clans who were waiting outside the conference room approached Yong-ho and his party to show them to a break room.


    Sitri looked at Yong-ho silently, who nodded to her slowly.


    ***


    The Queen of Fury sat blankly in the sky garden on the top floor of Vimana, her dungeon. The night air was cold, but she didn''t think it was cold. She just wanted to be united with the darkness of the night.


    But she could not if she wanted to. No matter how much she closed her eyes to try to forget the situation, she had to face the cruel reality. Not only the northern army but also the celestial world were both a tough challenge for her.


    The Queen of Fury went to the trouble of humming a song. Although she hummed it lightly, her singing created a beautiful melody, just like the head of the Gandharva clan who were good at singing and dancing. The moonlight and starlight seemed to melt into her singing.


    After she was carried away with the excitement of her singing for a moment, she quickly closed her lips and stopped humming. Vimana was her dungeon, so she could know all the little things that were happening in Vimana. She noticed there was a visitor waiting in front of the sky garden.


    Her heart was pounding. By now, she could have gotten used to his visit, but she could turn to the visitor only after she took a big breath.


    The visitor said with a gentle smile, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"


    "Of course. As I told you many times today, I would like to welcome you very much."


    Rather than overreacting to him in an excited voice, she sat down on a large rock.


    Yong-ho settled next to her casually.


    Because of an awkward atmosphere, either Yong-ho or the queen needed to break the ice first.


    The Queen of Fury hesitated nervously while Yong-ho moved his lips several times. At last, he said, looking at her, "Queen of Fury, or let me call you Dritarashutra."


    The queen flinched for a moment then nodded obediently. She turned slightly to face him.


    He looked at her briefly. In fact, it was quite surprising that the two met face to face like this in the queen''s dungeon.


    Yong-ho himself was now in the dungeon of the Queen of Fury, and the queen faced him without her bodyguards.


    This kind of casual meeting was possible because they trusted each other as allies.


    "I would like to tell you something as your ally and strong friend. You may feel unpleasant or offended by what I have to say, but I hope you can hear me out."


    At that moment, he was very serious. Looking at him squarely, the queen corrected her posture immediately and said, "Please give me a second."


    The Queen of Fury put her hand on her chest. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After taking a deep breath several times, she faced him again and said, "Now you can go ahead. I am ready to hear what you have to say to me."


    The Queen of Fury was also serious. It wasn''t Dritarashutra, the woman who was in love with him, but the head of the eight clans in her capacity as the Queen of Fury, who was facing him.


    Instead of beating around the bush, Yong-ho put it bluntly, "The King of Pride is very strong. It would be difficult for us two to confront him together. As you know, he is accompanied by the King of Lust when he is fighting."


    Most of the southern forces did not see the King of Pride, overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the celestial holes and the presence of the godly men, but Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury certainly saw him. While fighting on the battlefield today, the two clearly realized why the King of Violence made the extreme choice of suicidal attack against the King of Pride, and why he called the king the Demon God.


    The amount of mana that the King of Pride unleashed at the last minute exceeded that of Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury. Moreover, the King of Lust was also very strong. Although Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury didn''t yet fully get used to their Godly Energies, the King of Lust not only blocked their attack but also escaped from the scene.


    The Queen of Fury nodded at Yong-ho''s explanation. She wanted to forget about it, but as the queen of the eight clans, she could not turn away from reality.


    The King of Pride was strong. The Queen of Fury knew she could not confront him alone, let alone the King of Lust.


    Instead of comforting the Queen of Fury who seemed to have resigned to reality, Yong-ho changed the topic.


    He said, looking at the Godly Energy of Greed fitted on his right arm, "The power of Greed is possession. I never let go of what I have in my hand. You know Kaiwan and Tigrius, my subordinate spirits, right?"


    "Of course, I know them." The Queen of Fury nodded quickly. In particular, she was familiar with Kaiwan because she met her several times.


    "Both of them are former masters of their own houses. As you may know, when the master becomes a subordinate spirit, his or her power is greatly weakened. It may disappear altogether after a long time. But they still have their own power. Moreover, I can use their power as if it were my own. I can do all this because I have the power of possession by way of Greed."

 276 Dritarashutra 9

    Yong-ho did not stop talking. As if holding onto the Queen of Fury eagerly, he said something important, "Power is the power of the soul. Sin is no different."


    Young-ho''s words were no different from his announcement to her. It seemed as if some violet light peculiar to the queen''s eyes was twinkling.


    The Queen of Fury was suppressing herself. She held back the urge to get up right away and shout at him but listened to him respectively. He was not done talking yet, and the Queen of Fury clearly promised him that she would hear him out.


    "I don''t want to fight you. I''m not threatening or blackmailing you now. I''m serious. Even after I defeat the King of Pride, I would like to maintain a strong alliance with you."


    Of course, he didn''t think so from the beginning. He didn''t think of being lenient toward her because she was a beauty. He fought several masters in the process of unifying the southern areas. Of course, there were also female masters among his opponents.


    It was by necessity that Yong-ho made an alliance with the Queen of Fury. Therefore, he hid from her the fact that he possessed the Sin of Greed, and that he killed the King of Gluttony. He was not sure what would happen to his alliance with her after he defeated the northern troops.


    However, after fighting the King of Lust, he changed his mind when he revealed to her that he was the King of Greed.


    The Queen of Fury still regarded Yong-ho as a strong ally. Instead of blaming him and doubting himself for hiding the facts, she reached out to him again.


    Of course, she might have done so because she also needed his help. But he didn''t think so. He could feel she was sincere toward him, so he wanted to respond sincerely.


    He didn''t want to fight the Queen of Fury. He wanted to take her as his strong ally.


    He didn''t even think of killing her and taking away her Sin and essence.


    "Please be my subordinate spirit."


    The Queen of Fury clenched her teeth at that moment. He looked straight at the queen.


    "After I defeat the King of Pride and stop the advance of the celestial world, I will release you from the status of my subordinate spirit as soon as you wish for it. Let me promise it under the swear of a dragon."


    It was the suggestion offered by Yuno who counted the stars.


    The subordinate spirit was fundamentally created by mutual contracts. Even if one became a subordinate spirit and devoted one''s body and soul to one''s master, it was impossible for the master to completely control one''s heart.


    Yong-ho''s pledge was a particularly powerful one among various contract magics that existed in the demon world.


    That was why he also offered his life as collateral.


    If Yong-ho rejected her request to break out of the contract of being his subordinate spirit when she wanted it, he would have to lose his life.


    Since the dragon''s pledge was activated only when the contract was broken, the Queen of Fury could not kill Yong-ho.


    This would be an ideal situation when Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury focused on the contract alone, aside from the scrutiny of those around them as well as their status.


    Armed with Greed, he could obtain the power of Fury. By making the queen his subordinate spirit, he would obtain more power, and so would the queen. The contract of the master and subordinate spirit relationship brought about the growth of both.


    However, this was only possible when they completely trusted each other.


    The Queen of Fury was not alone. She was the leader of the eight clans.


    "Will you give me some time to think for a moment?"


    The Queen of Fury said, straining her voice.


    He said, with a nod, "I am sorry for making such a tough request to you."


    The queen replied, "I think today is probably the hardest day since I became the queen."


    Having said that, the queen smiled with an effort then stood up from her seat.


    She felt the night air was unusually cold.


    "Take a break. I think you are also exhausted," she said.


    Then the queen left the Air Garden of her dungeon. He noticed Gardimundi and Kirtimuka silently following her. Fortunately, the two women quietly listened to his request to the queen without balking at all.


    [You conveyed your sincere message to her. Now is the time for you to wait until you hear from her.]


    Aamon whispered to Yong-ho. He closed his eyes.


    ***


    [Master, wake up.]


    Yong-ho blinked his eyes. It seemed that he fell asleep after closing his eyes briefly.


    He was still in the Air Garde of the queen''s dungeon. No one came to pick him up as if Aamon already informed his subordinate spirits about his location.


    Not long after opening his eyes, Yong-ho understood the situation. The Queen of Fury was standing at a distance from him. Dressed a little more loosely than last night, she walked toward him and stood in front of him. She had bloodshot eyes at the moment.


    "Probably, I''ve never been in greater agony than today since I was born.


    The smell of her fragrant flesh peculiar to the Gandarva clan tickled the tip of his nose.


    The Queen of Fury boldly took a seat next to him and said, "I''ve been thinking about it all night."


    The queen breathed in the cold night air. Then she covered her face with both hands and raised her head after a while.


    "I''ve a couple of conditions."


    Yong-ho was silent. She turned to him with her jewel-like eyes shining in the dark.


    "First, you have to keep it to yourself that I''m going to be your subordinate spirit. Of course, I understand you can''t hide it to the Queen of Sloth and your 12 subordinate spirits, but you should not reveal it to anybody else. What I mean is the ordinary tribesmen of the eight clans as well as the general dungeon spirits of the Mammon family should be kept in the dark about it.


    This is the condition Gardimundi wants you to agree to."


    Of course, she set out the condition, keeping in mind the situation where she would be freed from the status of his subordinate spirit.


    Yong-ho thought the condition was reasonable. He could understand that her people would not easily accept the fact that she became another master''s subordinate spirit, no matter how strongly she felt the necessity. Anyway, she thought it would be better to deal with the contract secretly if it was needed for Yong-ho''s short-term battle with the King of Pride.


    "And the next condition is..." She slurred.


    Only after she moved her lips hesitantly did she face him again and said sharply, "Okay, this is my second condition. Take responsibility for me and my people."


    "Dritarashutra?" Yong-ho immediately asked before he knew it.


    There was no more shame or shyness in her face.


    She said in her capacity as the queen of the eight clans, "King of Greed, you are the one who has got here alone from the alien world, without relatives or friends. So, you don''t have your own people or family here."


    As she said, Yong-ho was from the human world. Based on Gardimundi''s background investigation of Yong-ho, only Kaiwan had a kinship with Yong-ho and the House of Mammon.


    The Queen of Fury admitted calmly that the King of Greed was strong and that the balance of power between them was broken a long time ago.


    When it was revealed that Yong-ho was the King of Greed, Kirtimuka thought that the queen should give up the political marriage of the Mammon family and the eight clans, but Gardimundi and the heads of the eight clans didn''t agree. They believed that Yong-ho was the perfect candidate for the queen. In a situation where the balance of power among the kings collapsed, it was best for the queen to cultivate stronger power or acquiesce to the stronger power in order to survive.


    "Treat the eight clans as your race. By defeating the King of Pride and the celestial world, please let the eight clans live in a peaceful demon world. Please cherish and love them."


    That was her most important condition. She did not ask him for anything more.


    "If so, I, Dritarashutra, will live with you for the rest of my life. Of course, I''m going to make the dragon''s contract with you, just in case."


    At the end of her words, she suddenly got shy.


    Yong-ho was happy and embarrassed at that moment.


    He said, "Oh, wait a moment. So, what you mean is..."


    "Oh, not yet. I am willing to be your subordinate spirit temporarily to help you defeat the King of Pride, but I need time to be on more intimate terms with you, so I can confirm whether you can really care about my people."


    After babbling quickly like that, the queen stood up suddenly, then reached out to him, looking at him gently.


    "I will trust you, King of Greed."


    She really offered her real trust in him. He took her hands and said, "Thank you, Queen of Fury. I''ll surely pay back your trust."


    This time, his promise to her was different from what Mammon made to the King of Pride and the King of Lust. In some respects, it was like the promise between Mammon and Sitri who would never betray each other.


    "By the way.."


    The queen, who was fidgeting with her fingers on his big hand, turned her gaze from him.


    Then she said shyly, "Now, how about talking to each other informally? We have become closer than before, and we''re going to be much more closer..."


    He chuckled at her suggestion and nodded cheerfully.


    "Sure, Dritarashutra."


    The queen smiled brightly. Instead of replying, she grasped his hand once again.

 277 Mammon 1

    Mammon''s 12 Spirits did not see Mammon''s last moment. Even Aamon, who was always with Mammon, didn''t see it either. They saw him last when he was climbing the stairs to the celestial door alone.


    But Sitri was beside him during his last moment. Even when Mammon forcibly sent back his 12 Spirits to the Labyrinth of Greed, she was with Mammon. That was why she could see what happened to him more than anybody else.


    Sitri saw Mammon, the King of Greed''s last moment, and what he did after closing the celestial door.


    Sitri remembered them all. She never forgot them. Rather, she could never forget them.


    ***


    All of the major figures of the Mammon family and the eight clans gathered at Tiamet, the giant red dragon.


    It was a secret meeting. There were only a few among them in both camps who knew why they gathered in one place early in the morning.


    By using the core of the giant red dragon, Tiamet, as a terminal, Lucia spent hours creating a mana-sharing passage between the Labyrinth of Greed and Tiamet. Since the Labyrinth of Greed at the southern end of the demon world was very far away from the dungeon fortress of the eight clans where Tiamet was currently located, it was a really tough job for Lucia, but she made it in the end. It was literally the result of her sweat and hard work.


    Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury stood, facing each other. Behind him were his 12 subordinate spirits, headed by Catalina and Kaiwan, while the queen was accompanied by her subordinate spirits, Gardimundi and Kirtimuka, as well as the surviving heads of the eight clans, namely the head of the Asura clan, Rakshika, and the head of Dragon clan, Sukura, and the head of the Garura clan, Biryubakcha.


    Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits and the heads of the eight clans did not stand up randomly. Under their feet was a magic circle drawn by Yuno who counted the stars and Yustia who led the way. It was in the shape of a huge magic circle consisting of lots of small magic circles.


    [Come on, please feel relaxed.]


    [I think I should do something like a speech, but let me skip it!]


    When Lucia spoke in a somewhat exaggerated voice, the 12 subordinate spirits as well as the heads of the eight clans grimaced at her suddenly.


    The Queen of Fury blushed. She rolled her lips into her mouth once then gently raised her head and looked at him.


    They were faced with a situation where there was an imminent attack from the celestial world. Besides, the King of Pride''s forces were still active in the northern area.


    But it would be no good at all if they shuddered with fear, doing nothing.


    Her two eyes were bloodshot because she agonized over it all night.


    Yong-ho finally made eye contact with her. After smiling at her gently, he ordered Lucia to proceed with the ceremony.


    [We are going to begin the ritual.]


    [I hope you can relax and release your mana naturally.]


    All 12 subordinate spirits opened up their horns. Since the weakest of them had six horns, a huge amount of mana filled the space. The heads of the eight clans, who were about to release as much mana as them, once again keenly felt the power of the House of Mammon. Convinced that their choice was right, they injected power into the magic circles.


    A bright light came from the magic circles that swallowed up not only the mana transmitted from the Labyrinth of Greed but also the mana of the 12 subordinate spirits and the heads of the eight clans. Mana was concentrated on the place where Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury met.


    What Yong-ho was trying to do wasn''t just a simple contract on making her his subordinate spirit.


    Typically, any master who became another master''s subordinate spirit had to give up many things, such as freeing his or her own subordinate spirits and cutting off the connection with the soul of the dungeon.


    But Yong-ho did not want to force all of those things on the Queen of Fury, so he prepared a special contract.


    This was possible because Yuno and Yustia, who made the first contracts for the master''s subordinate spirits in the demon world, were present at the ceremony. Instead of drastically increasing the mana required for the contract on the queen''s subordinate spirit, they made sure the queen kept many of what she currently had.


    For example, it was impossible for her to increase a new subordinate spirit, but she was not supposed to lose her existing subordinate spirits. She could also get connected with the soul of the dungeon.


    Their collected mana was refined. A white ray of light wrapped around Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury.


    [We''re proceeding with the ceremony on the contract on her subordinate spirit.]


    [Master, please give her the certificate on her subordinate spirit.]


    He gently raised the queen''s hand then put a Brigada bracelet on her white, thin wrist.


    Then he put a ring on her finger, which Burgrim made skillfully.


    The light completely covered him and the queen completely. When he gave the ring to her, the contact was fully effective now.


    Soon they felt a change. The 12 subordinate spirits felt a new figure was added between them and Yong-ho. The Queen of Fury was thrilled to know she could get connected with the soul of her dungeon immediately. She unwittingly let out an exclamation of surprise.


    Both Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury had experienced executing this kind of subordinate spirit contract before. As a result, he had as many as eleven subordinate spirits, while she had Kirtimuka and Gardimundi.


    But it was different this time. It was no exaggeration to say that the difference between the past contract and the current contract that the two executed was night and day.


    This was a contract that required the Queen of Fury with one of the Seven Deadly Sins to become another king''s subordinate spirit. It was the first time that the King of Greed created a contract on his subordinate spirits since the opening of the demon world.


    Yong-ho felt the power of Fury.


    Dritarashutra, the Queen of Fury, trembled with thrill when she felt the mana of Greed and Gluttony transmitted through Brigada. She was letting out a breath full of pain and pleasure.


    Greed, Gluttony, and Fury.


    The three Sins had become one under the King of Greed. Mammon''s body and soul were put together once again. The Demon God''s heart was beating violently.


    Mammon''s Godly Energy also responded. It delivered the last power that could not find its original owner, namely the love of Yuno who counted the stars, to Dritarashutra.


    Scathach''s Life, Skull''s Death, Catalina''s Justice, Samael''s Creation, Ophelia''s Honor, Tigrius'' Harmony, Gusion''s Courage, Richard''s Trust, Kaiwan''s Passion, Eligos'' Patience, and Dritarashutra''s Love.


    And Aamon.


    Finally, Yong-ho had a complete set of 12 subordinate spirits. Only now did he complete Mammon''s Godly Energy.


    Yong-ho realized the real reason why Mammon, the King of Greed, created his Godly Energy, and what he wanted to achieve with it.


    Mammon''s Godly Energy united the three Sins into one. It reminded them of the fact that they had been originally one but scattered for so long.


    Sitri grabbed her chest. She felt the Sin of Sloth that wanted to be united with the three Sins.


    She looked at Yong-ho, suppressing her pounding heart.


    A new horn of light sprouted from Yong-ho''s head. It started with one. It then grew to seven at once. Moreover, it didn''t stop there.


    He had an eighth horn now as the result of the enormous power created by the three Sins as one!


    The 12 subordinate spirits screamed all at once. Even the Queen of Fury hugged her shoulders and screamed.


    Yong-ho roared, too. He peeked into the great achievements of Mammon, the King of Greed.


    ***


    The tribesmen of the eight clans who gathered at the dungeon fortress realized that something tremendous happened. However, they couldn''t figure out what it was. All they could do was take a glimpse of the moving dungeon, Vimana, and the giant red dragon, Tiamet, which the King of Greed got aboard to come here.


    The ritual of the queen becoming Yong-ho''s subordinate spirit was over. Yong-ho''s 12 subordinate spirits, who consumed enormous mana during the ceremony, lay down without exception, and it took nearly half a day for all of them to recover.


    "As you may already know, my name is Dritarashutra. I hope I can get along with you well in the future."


    Three women gathered in one of the cabins of Tiamet, the giant red dragon and Yong-ho''s main battleship.


    Since she was born and raised in the culture of polygamy and polyandry among the eight clans, the Queen of Fury didn''t seem to be conscious of Catalina or Kaiwan.


    Kaiwan was nervous when the queen held out her hand in a friendly manner with a bright smile.


    She cleared her throat then replied in a bit of a sulky voice, "Well, I''m your senior in terms of Yong-ho''s subordinate spirit. So, when we are together like this, I won''t treat you as the Queen of Fury. Got it?"


    "No problem."


    The queen responded readily again this time, and Kaiwan felt somehow defeated.


    She felt even ashamed of herself because she knew what she just said to the queen was immature and rude. Although the queen responded kindly, she was still the head of the eight clans anyway.


    Above all, she was the Queen of Fury who was much more powerful than Kaiwan had thought.


    At that moment, Catalina, who was quietly standing next to her, touched Kaiwan''s arm.


    "Why?"


    "Hmmm. I''m your senior in terms of Yong-ho''s subordinate spirit..." Catalina said timidly.


    As soon as she heard that, Kaiwan glared at Catalina, who let down her ears and tail without ending her words.


    Silencing Catalina immediately, Kaiwan looked back at the Queen of Fury.


    She said, gently holding her hand, "It''s nice to see you. I''m Kaiwan. And this girl here is..."


    "Oh, my name is Catalina, our master''s escort knight," Catalina answered immediately, correcting Kaiwan''s funny introduction. Given that she erected her tail, she was obviously upset with Kaiwan.


    The Queen of Fury opened her mouth for a moment then stroked Catalina''s head.


    Then she said with a bright smile, "I feel like we can hit it off very well. Don''t you think so?"

 278 Mammon 2

    ''Oh my god!''


    Aside from the Queen of Fury, what was Catalina flapping her tail at?


    Kaiwan quickly reached out and pulled Catalina toward her then said, hugging her tightly, "No, Catalina, you''re mine. You''re on my side."


    Kaiwan called her urgently before she knew it. The Queen of Fury looked at Kaiwan this time then nodded gladly. As she was advised by Gardimundi in advance, the queen said after changing her tone a little, "Alright, no problem."


    Kaiwan once again gulped, aghast at the queen''s unexpected action, while Catalina flapped her ears and tail.


    ***


    On the day when the ceremony was held, the northern forces did not show any movement. As far as they could detect to the best they could, the new hole of the celestial world was not opened either. This development was fortunate for the southern forces.


    [All of the celestial holes except for the celestial door are incomplete.]


    [The larger the size, the longer it will take, but if left unattended, the door will close someday.]


    That was a characteristic of general twisting. The hole in the celestial world was special in that there was a celestial world beyond it, but the fact that it was a temporary passage to the alien world was the same as the other twisting.


    [So, it might sound a bit irresponsible, but it''s best to leave the hole out of your reach just neglected as it is.]


    [If you close the celestial door as quickly as possible, you can minimize the damage.]


    During Mammon''s times, they responded a little differently. Not only Mammon, but his 12 Spirits went out to close the hole of the celestial world.


    But they couldn''t do it now. Unlike Mammon''s days, Yong-ho and his subordinates were engaged in a war. Yong-ho could not disperse his forces recklessly now and when the northern army would resume their attack.


    The damage caused by the celestial hole would never be small. If a hole was opened enough for the godly man to come out, quite large places such as the Free City or the masters'' dungeon could be destroyed.


    But Yong-ho had to refrain from taking any action now. Ending the war as soon as possible was the best option that he could take.


    When Aamon was done talking, Gardimundi said, "The course of the northern forces has changed significantly. Everyone, please look at the map."


    There was a sand map of the demon world in the middle of the conference hall of the mobile dungeon Vimana. When everybody focused on it, the red sands showing the northern forces began to move.


    The northern troops gathered near the eastern border of the Queen of Fury''s territory headed northwest. Those who didn''t join the northern forces also moved with them.


    The amount of red sand that was united as one was truly enormous.


    Gardimundi continued, "It seems that the northern forces are trying to force us to fight them on a large scale instead of dividing themselves into several units to attack us. Based on the information collected until now, the expected path of movement of the northern forces is as follows."


    A line of light was drawn over the map of the demon world. The line was passing through the collective residences of the eight clans located throughout the territory of the Queen of Fury.


    It was a fairly reasonable prediction. However, there was something dubious about it. If they wanted to force Yong-ho''s army to fight like this, they didn''t have to go to the trouble of changing their infiltration route.


    Why?


    Were they scared of the possible opening of the celestial hole again?


    "I think I know their intention to some extent," said Gusion suddenly.


    Scathach nodded. She fidgeted with her fingers in the air on behalf of Gusion, who was poor at magic skill. Then a new line of light was drawn over the line that Gardimundi drew. It was slightly different from the path of infiltration that Gardimundi anticipated, but it passed through the unclaimed land between the territories of the Queen of Fury and the King of Envy.


    There was no dungeon or Free City there. So, there was no reason for the northern forces to pass through it.


    But Mammon''s 12 subordinate spirits thought differently. Yuno and Yustia groaned while Scathach realized once again that it was the King of Pride who led the northern forces.


    The unclaimed land without any people or resources.


    Yong-ho knew it instinctively.


    Sitri said to him on behalf of Mammon''s 12 subordinate spirits, "On that day, one thousand and several hundred years ago, it''s the place where the celestial door opened."


    ***


    The northern army was a huge army unprecedented in the history of the demon world.


    Even though all of them were not yet gathered, the number of spirits included in one large group exceeded 100,000.


    The movement of the large army was like a mountain and a forest walking on the ground. Moreover, the northern army was not composed solely of ground forces. Several flying monsters and giant monsters filled the sky.


    Regardless of the enemy or friendly forces, their massive movement was a spectacular scene. In fact, the scouts of the Karvinka clan who observed the movement of the northern army from a distance were overwhelmed with awe and fear.


    Asmodeus, the King of Lust, was in the midst of such a large army. He was inside a battlewagon pulled by a giant Hydra with seven heads.


    It was huge, befitting a carriage pulled by the Hydra. It looked like a palace on the move.


    The King of Lust stood by the window. Instead of the red sky of the demon world, a gray cloud fell over his head. A cold wind was blowing through the falling rain.


    The celestial hole opened again. The look of the godly man was the same as before. The celestial power still acted as a deadly poison to demonic beings.


    It was a thousand and several hundreds of years ago, but the King of Lust didn''t feel like that. It wasn''t just because he had lived so long.


    Even now, if he closed his eyes, he felt like he would go back to that time, when the kings with the Seven Deadly Sins gathered together for the first time in the history of the demon world, and when they were united against an external enemy called the celestial world.


    But the King of Lust did not close his eyes because he knew it was just futile sentimentalism. More than a thousand years had already passed. Even if he recalled the past, nothing would change, just like one''s past would not change no matter how often one regretted it.


    When the King of Pride''s surprise operation to subdue the demon world overnight failed, the King of Lust had a different idea from the King of Pride briefly.


    ''What if I just stopped fighting like this? Do we have to subdue the south?''


    The King of Violence was dead. The King of Gluttony and King of Envy were long gone as well.


    The King of Pride had risen to the position of the King of Greed, Mammon, of yesteryear.


    In terms of mana alone, the King of Pride had already surpassed Mammon.


    Of course, there was the Queen of Fury, the Queen of Sloth, and the King of Gluttony, but none of them were strong enough to beat the King of Pride.


    The King of Pride, the King of Envy, the King of Lust, and the King of Gluttony had their own territory, but even Mammon could not obtain such a large land when he was alive.


    So, the King of Lust just wanted to stop fighting. He felt the masters in the south would never be able to target the north. If the King of Pride made up his mind, he would be able to enjoy peace amid tension, just like he did a few months ago.


    The raindrops were cold. The King of Lust woke up from a dream. It was stupid. He had lived for more than a thousand years, but he hadn''t changed now or in the past.


    The days when he fought against the celestial world with Mammon were never honorable. The King of Envy was compelled to surrender, and the King of Pride expressed a sense of intense inferiority. The King of Lust didn''t know what to do, looking at the two kings.


    It was impossible for the King of Lust to stop the King of Pride. Just like he acquiesced after he failed to persuade the King of Pride not to betray Mammon, he couldn''t stop the King of Pride''s determination to attack the south.


    When Mammon saved the demon world by sacrificing himself in the end, the King of Lust keenly realized it. At the very moment, when the House of Mammon virtually collapsed, the King of Lust understood it, looking at the vanity on the King of Pride''s face.


    The King of Pride that the King of Lust used to know was no more. The King of Pride crossed the river of no return on the day when Mammon saved the demon kingdom.


    The King of Lust turned. There was a large throne in the middle of the dark room. The king was asleep, half lying on the throne. He didn''t even move as if he was turned into a statue.


    The current King of Pride got rid of the royal family of his predecessor. This had nothing to do with any figurative meaning. Heavily wounded by the King of Violence''s suicidal attack, the King of Pride brought together all the royal members that he had given birth to and raised over the past one thousand years and killed them all overnight. Then he devoured all the essence they had.


    He didn''t even miss those failures that came out in the process of making the best one. The total of essences absorbed by the King of Pride numbered one thousand, and his power of dominance minimized the loss incurred in the process of him absorbing their essences.


    The King of Lust approached the King of Pride. Only Abrasax and Bifronz survived among those who followed the King of Pride on the day when the King of Violence made a suicidal attack. And they were now somewhat at a distance from the King of Pride because they were scared that the king might take away their essence anytime if they were near him.

 279 Mammon 3

    What would have happened if the King of Lust himself was on the side of Mammon, the King of Violence one thousand and a hundred years ago?


    What would have happened if the King of Lust rejected the request of the King of Pride for help and helped the King of Envy instead?


    The King of Lust embraced the King of Pride. The King of Lust thought that he made an impossible assumption again. The King of Lust never could disobey the King of Pride.


    The King of Pride was a monster that had survived by taking the flesh of his descendants for thousands of years. He was a maniac who made himself the best by treating his descendants like dogs and cows for a thousand years. He was a slaughterer who killed and ate his flesh and blood over a thousand years.


    Nevertheless, the King of Pride did not covet the King of Lust''s essence and Sin.


    In fact, the King of Pride didn''t even think of it, just like the King of Lust himself could not leave him at the end of the day.


    The door of the celestial door was opening again. In the south were Mammon''s 12 Spirits and Sitri, the Queen of Sloth who had experienced several kings'' betrayal a thousand years ago. Because of this, they could not even think of anything like a great alliance to deal with their public enemy, the celestial world.


    The celestial door was like a time limit. It was good to compare it with the water that rose up to one''s ankle.


    They had to end the fight before the time was up.


    ''When this fight is over...''


    What was the next task after they defeat the southern forces and close the celestial door completely?


    Would the King of Pride be satisfied with that situation? Could he shake off Mammon''s shadow and smile again?


    The King of Lust thought no more. He buried his head in the King of Pride''s arms. He pressed his face against his warm chest then closed his eyes. He dreamed about the future instead of recalling the past.


    ***


    The Garden of Life was quiet because the skeletons that were farming day and night under the blue sky disappeared.


    There was no Skull''s hearty laughter, and there were no dragon soldiers who tried to slack off whenever they could. There was no sound of hundreds of them plowing the fields under the command of the Death Knights.


    It was already one month ago, which was too long for Yuria, who just turned one year old.


    Treant, the chief guard of the Garden of Life, waddled to the potato field and stood. He was standing there to make a shade for Yuria, who was absorbed into farming today, just like she was yesterday in the Garden of Life where even Scathach had left.


    While squatting down and digging for potatoes, Yuria put down the hoe before she knew it.


    When she was with the Skull unit, she had never thought of this, but today, she felt it was too vast and wide.


    "Wal! Wal!"


    "Whining! Whining!"


    Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat looked at Yuria at the same time. Instead of responding to the two, Yuria rummaged through the pocket she had around her neck and pulled out a piece of paper. It was a chicken voucher the baby dungeon Meerkat gave her last time.


    She planned to use it immediately when Yong-ho came back, but she couldn''t. Even after Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits came back, they were all busy.


    Yuria was quick-witted, sensitive to what was going on around her. She also heard something from Uncle John and Ron of the Goblin Ranger, one of the elders of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Yong-ho and the Mammon family members were facing a big fight that would control the fate of the entire demon world.


    So, she knew she should not overstep. She decided to wait quietly until everything was over. She thought when the fight was over, everything would go back to normal like before. She decided to be a little more patient.


    "I wish our master could come back as soon as possible."


    Yuria showed a big smile on purpose. Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat smiled like her. The three started hoeing once again.


    Treant shook its branches to make a cool breeze for them.


    ***


    Burgrim worked sincerely, as always. After leaving the Labyrinth of Greed and joining Yong-ho''s northern expedition, he was finally checking the weapons that the elite forces of the Mammon family would use.


    Rikum, the garrison commander of the House of Mammon and the leader of the Black Orc Squadron, sat face to face with Burgrim and inspected his armaments.


    Burgrim was reticent by nature, while Rikium said a few words while fighting. Because of this, there was silence between them now.


    Burgrim struck the hammer. Suddenly, Rikum raised his head and tried to say something to him, but he immediately stopped and looked at his sword again.


    It seemed like yesterday that Rikium stormed into the House of Mammon at the order of Poras, but a lot of time had already passed.


    ''But I felt pretty close to him back then.''


    Suddenly, he recalled the time when he visited the Free City with the master of the Mammon family. He also remembered when he opened his eyes wide, watching the master smashing the Land Worm.


    Rikum smiled before he knew it because he recalled the time when he fought against Embrio''s large army. He felt he was going to be killed back then.


    ''It was terrific.''


    It was the first time he saw a Bone Dragon. He also watched Yong-ho smashing a Bone Dragon alone.


    Yong-ho, his master and the King of Greed.


    Rikum shook his head. He got the useless thoughts out of his mind. What he felt long and distant was not important to him. Rikum himself was the proud garrison commander of the House of Mammon. That was enough for him.


    Burgrim struck the hammer again. The sound of his hammering was rhythmical.


    ***


    The top of the deck of the giant red dragon Tiamet commanded a view of the camp of the southern forces. Standing alone against the sky that was gradually turning black, Tigrius had a cigarette in his mouth. The wind from the north was particularly cold because of the heavy rain pouring down in the far north.


    Tigrius said, "What about Eligos?"


    "Eli brother is meeting Yong-ho right now. The night is long. I''ll see him later anyway, so it''s okay."


    Ophelia, standing next to Tigrius, had a cigarette in her mouth as well. Unlike Tigrius''s, she was using a short pipe with a classical atmosphere.


    Since the days when the Mammon family badly needed a hand, they had been taking care of the housekeeping of the Mammon family day and night. Besides, they worked together to build a fortress city in the unclaimed area in the north, so they were close to each other. In some respects, they had something like a grandpa and granddaughter relationship.


    Tigrius politely smoked a cigarette, and Ophelia puffed out a long white smoke.


    She said as if she suddenly remembered something.


    "A lot of things have changed, and that in a short time, right?"


    In the meantime, Yong-ho did exactly what the King of Pride wanted. Just like the northern forces, the southern forces were on the march to the place where the celestial door was opened a thousand years ago.


    They would arrive there in several days. In a few days, the fate of the demon would be decided. Fixing his eyes on the north, Tigrius opened his mouth.


    "History¡­" He blurred at the end of his words.


    Ophelia looked at Tigrius, who then made a gentle smile worthy of an old gentleman.


    "I thought I could see it in a history book."


    Ophelia also laughed. Chuckling like a girl, she grabbed the short pipe again.


    "I agree. Who would have thought that the hostess of a remote southern tavern would be here with you?"


    If her father, Enderion, saw her with six horns, what would he say? Would he be happy, saying he was proud of her? Or would he be jealous, saying he wanted to be like her?


    "Don''t you think we have met a very good master, do you?"


    Although they were forced to join the House of Mammon in the first place, they didn''t feel like that later.


    "I can''t deny what you said."


    Tigrius put the cigarette he smoked on a portable ashtray and turned.


    Since he was about to go down in the history of the demon world, he wanted to keep his name firmly known in the history books.


    "Wow, you still look young. Look at that muscle!"


    Looking at Tigrius''s solid build, Ophelia shouted then put down the short pipe.


    She looked at the northern sky where there was the celestial gate.


    ***


    The arena spirits, one of the main forces of the Mammon family, were chatting, gathered in one place. They numbered over one hundred, but they were from different races over a thousand years old. Even if they could not feel the passage of time in the arena, a thousand years was enough time for them to build a strong bond among themselves.


    The former masters of the House of Mammon stood out among the arena spirits because they liked to group together, in particular. While they were chatting away, Yukrasion, the master ten generations ago, raised her head. She blinked her big eyes under her gray hair.


    "Are you Kaiwan?"


    Instead of answering, Kaiwan waved lightly and approached the former masters.


    Yukrasion tilted her head and said, "Why aren''t you staying with our master, full of desire?"


    Another former master quipped, "Aren''t you feeling emotional if you have an upcoming battle and want to act cute before your lover?"


    Their voices were cheerful unlike when they were in the arena.


    Kaiwan replied, "Can you please stop paying attention to me? The battle is around the corner."


    Then she sat down by her favorite ancestor, Yukrasion.


    She looked around quickly and asked, "How about Gusion?"


    "Of course, she is flirting with her lover now."


    "Don''t look for him now. He will be greatly embarrassed."


    "Were you dumped by our master?"


    The former masters began to tease Kaiwan again. When they were in the arena, they just zipped their lips, but as soon as they were freed from the arena, they were so noisy.


    "Please don''t talk nonsense! I''m just staying away from him. Besides, he has someone ahead of me. Don''t worry, I''m going to go back to him at night and have a great time."


    Grumbling like that, she lifted up one of the empty glasses before Yukrasion. Instead of filling her cup, Yukrasion opened her eyes wide and asked, "Has Yong-ho really dumped you?"

 280 Mammon 4

    She pondered over how to respond to Yukrasion''s question for a moment then just filled the glass instead of replying.


    In the meantime, the Queen of Fury and her bodyguards filled up their glasses.


    Kirtimuka, who was filling the queen''s wine glass, asked in a subtle voice, "Aren''t you going to see him?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "You know what I am talking about."


    Covering her mouth with a big hand, Kirtimuka laughed frivolously. Although the queen was innocent, she knew the meaning of Kirtimuka''s loaded question.


    With her face blushing, the queen snapped, "Hey, can''t you stop talking nonsense?"


    Kirtimuka said, shaking her head again, "I know you haven''t had a wedding ceremony, but¡­"


    The queen was at a loss, not knowing how to respond.


    Gardimundi, who was watching them quietly, just smiled at the queen.


    Since the Queen of Fury became the King of Greed''s subordinate spirit, the status of Gardimundi and Kirtimuka was also changed Their master-subordinate spirit relationship with the queen was still maintained, but they could no longer influence each other. As a result, Gardimundi and Kirtimuka could not share the power that the queen newly gained after becoming the King of Greed''s subordinate spirit.


    With the war with a fatal influence on the fate of the demon world just around the corner, Kirtimuka was busy bantering with the Queen of Fury. Even though the battle for the devil''s fate was only a few days ahead, it was good to see Kirtimuka bantering with the queen, while the queen was struggling to get out of her embarrassing suggestion. Rather than shuddering with fear of the war, they tried to shake it off by spending their time as happily as they could.


    After agonizing for a moment, Gardimundi also decided to chime in with Kirtimuka, her long-cherished foe. She knew her behavior was rude to the queen, but at the same time, she found it so amusing to see the queen sweating, bungling, and shuffling when she was strongly asked to go to Yong-ho''s bedroom.


    When her two faithful friends as well as subordinate spirits started teasing her at the same time, the queen was so embarrassed as to feel like crying anytime.


    ***


    Gusion and Scathach said nothing, holding each other in their arms. They enjoyed each other''s warmth through close physical contact.


    They didn''t need any new resolution. They cried bitter tears enough on the day when they had to see Mammon leaving alone to save the demon world. They didn''t have to go to the trouble of renewing their determination that they had made during the past one thousand years.


    Scathach kissed Gusion''s lips. Gusion hugged her slender body tightly.


    Yuno didn''t blame Yustia. She went to see Richard, who kept silent all the time. He was tight-lipped, standing there like a rock as he had done a thousand years ago.


    But he was far from dumb. Yuno still remembered Richard''s voice and his screaming back then.


    Mammon''s 12 Spirits didn''t talk to each other. They just remembered the past and brushed up on the common goal they had shared.


    ***


    A red carpet was laid on the floor of the captain''s seat of the giant red dragon Tiamet.


    Catalina and Eligos were by the side of Yong-ho, who sat down with a straw mat on it.


    Skull rolled on the floor here and there.


    Although Skull gained the status of Avatar of Death, something like a mythical being, he just enjoyed rolling on the floor like he used to. Yong-ho grinned, recalling the days when Skull was a skeleton worker.


    Eligos was baking pancakes directly in front of Yong-ho. That was a familiar scene Yong-ho was exposed to every day when he just became the master of the House of Mammon.


    Eligos had much fewer wrinkles than before, and his strong build looked good, but he had one thing that didn''t change at all like Skull. He was still Yong-ho''s butler at the House of Mammon.


    "It smells good."


    "It''s almost done."


    Smiling warmly, Eligos slowly turned the frying pan on a simple stove that Yong-ho had bought from the human world.


    It was because of Yong-ho''s request that Eligos suddenly baked pancakes. Although he was not in the room of the demon king at the House of Mammon, Yong-ho felt nostalgic, watching the straw mat on the carpet, Skull on the floor, and Eligos baking the pancakes.


    Yong-ho always saw this kind of scene in the RPG games he had played or from the cartoons he watched as a child. Namely, right before the final battle, the fighters gathered together and chatted among themselves in a relaxed mood.


    At the time, Yong-ho grumbled, unable to understand why they looked so miserable before the final battle, but he seemed to understand now as he was in the same situation. When he was faced with a big, probably final battle with the fate of the demon world at stake, he wanted to chat with his subordinate spirits or his colleagues.


    On that day five years ago, or exactly six years ago, his father said something like this, "The blood of the demon king flows through our family."


    And five years later, Catalina and Eligos visited Yong-ho himself.


    So many things happened after that.


    He survived life-threatening moments so many times. There were so many things that he would not have experienced if he had been a normal college freshman in the human world.


    Yong-ho turned his head to the side. Catalina, whose eyes were weak in the morning and strong at night, was staring at the pancakes with her eyes shining.


    "Catalina, you''re still the same."


    "Pardon?"


    Catalina looked back at Yong-ho, flapping her ears a bit.


    Watching her reaction, he clicked his tongue.


    "At first, I thought you were really a cool knight here. But you were weak and dumb."


    He suddenly recalled her getting cold feet when he asked her if she could confront Crimson Ogre. Pouting her lips, Catalina touched his arm by flapping her tail. Since she was so timid, she expressed her protest and anger like that.


    Right at that moment, Yong-ho opened his eyes wide and raised his voice.


    "Uh? What the heck?"


    Catalina was embarrassed because Yong-ho was disturbed by her flapping tail, so she immediately calmed down her tail, pretending to be innocent.


    But it wasn''t because she flapped her tail to touch his arm that he reacted like that.


    In fact, he would not be upset or feel bad even if Catalina hit him with her tail.


    Bursting into laughter, he said, "Is your evolution EXP already full?"


    The evolution EXP could be acquired not only through combat but also through one''s daily life. Actually, Catalina''s evolution EXP was already full when she flapped her tail just once.


    It wasn''t long before Yong-ho proceeded with synthetic reinforcement of Catalina, but her evolution was done a long time ago.


    "Stay still."


    Yong-ho then activated the power of evolution.


    Somehow, he saw the window of her evolutionary status after a long time.


    [Name: Catalina (Female)]


    [Race/Title: Shadow Queen (Mixed Demon)]


    [Category: Demon (Superior)]


    [Attribute: Wind Level 4 / Darkness Level 10]


    [Individual nature]


    [Innocent/Dumb/Seductive]


    [Individual aptitude]


    [Charm / Mana / Agility / Skill]


    [Evolution EXP: 100/100]


    [Attraction Specialization Level 7 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î(5.5)]


    [Fitness Specialization Level 5 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î(4.5)]


    [Agility Specialization Level 9 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï(6)]


    [Mana Specialization Level 9 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î(5.5)]


    [Skill Specialization Level 8 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î(5.5)]


    [Attribute Enhancement Level 7 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î(5.5)]


    Her evolutionary status was so splendid that it could not even be compared with when Yong-ho first met her. He couldn''t help but laugh after checking her individual nature.


    Innocent, dumb, and seductive was the exact description of Catalina as she was now.


    "Okay, let me have you go through evolution after a long time."


    Catalina was glad to hear him mention ''evolution.'' She flapped her ears and blushed when Yong-ho openly talked about her individual nature marked by ''innocent, dumb, and seductive.''


    She erected her tail tightly as she was nervous at the moment.


    [Master.]


    [Your anguish is rising sharply.]


    "Skullkull."


    Skull laughed heartily, and Eligos also laughed warmly.


    With Catalina at a loss of what to do, Yong-ho put his hands on her thighs. It wasn''t because he was sexually aroused. In fact, the day he first discovered Aamon, he wanted to recreate the moment when he had evolved Catalina.


    After all, Catalina also laughed, but he focused his consciousness.


    Then he activated the power of evolution.


    ***


    It was late into the night. While everyone was sleeping, Sitri woke up alone and looked into the darkness. She felt it was the same as in the past, but this time, she felt different.


    It was the same that a final battle was going on under the celestial door, but this time, the target and purpose of the battle were different.


    There was no unjust betrayal this time. It was a simple fight that they should confront the enemy, namely the celestial world with their might.


    Sitri reflected on the past, as always. She recalled the bitterest and clearest memory in her life.


    Namely, the moment when Mammon died in her arms.


    The moment she herself ended Mammon''s last breathing.


    Back then, Mammon had told her not to cry. He was even smiling during his last moment.


    "Mammon."


    There was Mammon''s tomb in the unclaimed area under the place where the celestial door was opened. It commanded a good view of Yong-ho''s final battle with the King of Pride.


    Sitri hugged her own shoulders. Recalling Mammon''s last smile, she once again renewed her determination. She firmly decided that she would not repeat the same mistake under any circumstances.


    It was already very late into the night, but it didn''t take long for Sitri to feel that dawn was breaking slowly.


    ***


    The northern forces headed for the promised land.


    The southern forces also headed for the promised land.


    It was the land where the celestial door was opened one thousand and several hundreds of years ago.


    There was nothing left in the land after the great war on that day.


    The main pillar of the southern forces was the tribesmen of the eight clans. When the forces under the command of the Queen of Fury joined the southern forces, they numbered almost 60,000.


    The Dragon Legion now boasted of their strongest power since they were founded.


    The number of dragons was over one hundred and thirty, and among them, the number of fully grown ancient dragons was twenty-three. The number of flying beasts and flying monsters following the Dragon Legion was almost 10,000.


    The flying fleet of the House of Mammon, backed by the main forces of the Dungeon Market with the support of Sitri and Samael, strongly reinforced the Dragon Legion. The spectacular grandeur of the 23 flying monsters flying through the sky stood out even when more than one hundred dragons were filling the sky.

 281 Mammon 5

    With Skull on his back, Bucephalas raised his head and looked at the sky. Salami, who was his everlasting opponent and bad friend, was not in the sky. Actually, Salami was on standby inside Tiamet to help Yong-ho out during the most crucial moment of the battle.


    Bucephalas did not know the outline of the operation of the upcoming battle properly. His dear boss, Skull, explained something to him, saying "Skull Skull," as always, but Bucephalas couldn''t understand it at all.


    But he didn''t care because his duty was always the same. He was supposed to carry his boss on his back and run around the battlefield with vehemence.


    Bucephalas made a loud noise to express greetings to Salami. Of course, he didn''t get any reply from Salami, but he didn''t care. He was convinced that his message was clearly conveyed to his boss, Salami.


    Salami moved his crouched body slightly, making a little groaning. He could not be seen from inside the hangar of the giant red dragon Tiamet, but he knew from his experience that Tiamet was now heading for the battlefield. The start of the real fighting was imminent.


    Salami curled up a little more. He saved his stamina, thinking of Bucephalas who must be marching on the ground. He couldn''t show his shabby status at the moment to Bucephalas.


    [You will arrive at the first gathering place in 30 minutes.]


    [The northern forces are gathering. It looks like both the northern and southern forces are entering the promised land at about the same time.]


    The southern forces were the enemy of the northern forces, but strangely enough, they never communicated with each other about when and where they would fight. But they were drawn to each other. Adjusting the speed of their movement, they marched to the promised land.


    The northern troops at the first gathering place were close to 200,000, which was almost twice the total of the southern forces.


    There were three reasons why the southern forces responded to their northern counterparts'' demands for fighting.


    First, they would ravage the territory of the Queen of Fury if they were not stopped.


    Second, the southern forces could not afford to drag their feet long because of the celestial world.


    Third, the southern forces believed they could beat their northern counterparts this time.


    [You are lying if you can say you are not scared about this fighting, right?]


    Lucia said to Yong-ho''s subordinate spirits gathered at the bridge.


    But Gusion said sarcastically, "I am not scared at all."


    "I''m not either."


    "Of course, I''m not!"


    Kaiwan and Eligos shouted in the negative respectively.


    "I''m not scared at all, either."


    While everyone laughed and showed confidence, Yong-ho, who was sitting in the captain''s seat, turned his gaze slightly to the side. He naturally made eye contact with Sitri.


    Instead of saying something, Sitri simply smiled with her eyes then put her hand on Yong-ho''s shoulder. It was her small move, but he felt heightened a lot.


    They were nearing the promised land now.


    It was time for the real fighting.


    ***


    The Queen of Fury once again held the horn in her hand.


    Unlike the other subordinate spirits, she stayed on the ground, not joining Yong-ho''s expedition army. Since she was the head of the eight clans despite Yong-ho''s subordinate spirit, she thought of standing at the forefront of her forces, as always.


    But this time, she couldn''t just take the lead to fight. In this battle, she had to carry out a mission that only she could do in her capacity as the head of the eight clans.


    The tribesmen of the eight clans stopped marching and lined up. It was the first time that the Queen of Fury saw so many of her eight clans gathered in one place.


    Everyone looked at the queen. Over 70,000 eyes of the tribesmen in the sky and on the ground were fixed on her.


    The queen took a deep breath. She was thrilled with lots of mixed feelings. When they looked at her, their eyes were full of mixed feelings of fear, courage, respect, and affection.


    The southern army was silent. With their mouths shut, they just waited for the queen to give an order. In no time, they were letting in and out a breath like one. It was the breathing of a huge army as one.


    Kirtimuka squared her shoulders and raised the flag in her arm. Gardimundi also raised a royal banner next to it, symbolizing the Queen of Fury.


    Finally, the queen opened her lips. She shouted in a thunderous voice, which nobody imagined could come from her small and slender figure with everybody tight-lipped.


    "Fighters of the eight clans!"


    "Warriors in arms!"


    Feeling thrilled at her thunderous shouting, they strongly responded to her by raising their weapons simultaneously.


    The queen kept shouting, "Descendants of the Dragon Lord! All demon warriors in the south!"


    The Dragon Legion watched the Queen of Fury. The spirits belonging to the Mammon family and the Dungeon Market shone their eyes.


    When her large army cheered and shouted with joy, the queen didn''t agonize to impress her soldiers with eloquent speech. As always, she just spoke her mind honestly, "The enemy is over there. Let''s defeat them all together to save the demon world. Let''s save our lives."


    Her goal was to defeat the northern army and close the celestial door. In other words, she wanted to save everyone who lived in the demon world.


    There was a thunderous applause from the southern forces again. The Queen of Fury turned then stared at the northern army located in a place that was not far away. She had a horn in her mouth and blew out loud without hesitation.


    Everyone heard the sound of her blowing the horn.


    Now, the battle began finally between the southern and northern forces.


    The arrows shot from both sides filled the sky. Magic bullets fired from the wild monsters burned the sky in a beautiful curve.


    With all of that attack going on, the southern army rushed to their northern counterparts. The northern forces also charged at them. Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura clan, saw tens of thousands of monsters rushing toward them. Dragon Lord Ancablosa ordered the Dragon Legion to just wait even though the monsters were rushing toward them.


    The distance between the southern and northern forces gradually narrowed. In a few seconds they were going to collide, and at that moment, hundreds of them would be killed.


    Bucephalas also rushed. Skull, which was on Bucephalas''s back, lifted Baphomet''s sickle. At that moment, Sitri, standing on the deck of the giant red dragon Tiamet and looking down at the battlefield, began to move. She lifted the wand that she had made on the same day when the Dungeon Market was born in the demon world. It was Sitri that made the Dungeon Market, but she could not dominate it alone. The demon world was too vast for her to manage alone, and she needed time to heal the poison of the celestial world. While she had been asleep for dozens of years or several hundred years, she needed somebody who had to run the Dungeon Market on her behalf.


    So, Sitri set up the system of five directors. In return for downgrading her status as one of them, Sitri could maintain the welfare policies that Mammon had introduced. Over time, her status became gradually equal to that of the other four directors of the Dungeon Market.


    Because of this, Sitri had prepared one secret weapon from the time she created the Dungeon Market. Although she became complacent over the course of one thousand years, she had been thoroughly betrayed by the other directors a thousand years ago.


    Her secret weapon was the master key of the Dungeon Market. She had kept it from the other directors until now and put it in total secrecy.


    Sitri injected mana into the cane. As the owner of the Dungeon Market, she ordered all those who had gone through the Dungeon Market until now.


    "Stop!"


    Her short order soon became a reality. The mana unleashed from the master key filled the entire battlefield.


    The various subordinate spirits that Abrasax took out of the warehouse in the north obeyed her order. Even though the southern forces were nearing them, they just would not move. They literally stopped on the spot.


    About half of the beasts flying in the sky stopped flapping their wings. They also stopped using their superpower that helped maintain their existence in the sky. Left to gravity naturally, they just crashed to the ground.


    The subordinate spirits of the King of Pride, the King of Envy, the King of Lust, and the King of Gluttony also faithfully obeyed Sitri''s order. Most of them experienced going through the Dungeon Market before. The crest of the Dungeon Market still remaining under the crests of the four kings blocked their movement.


    Sitri knew that the moment she used the master key of the Dungeon Market, the whole demon world would know it, so she could not use it twice. It was a massive power that she could never use twice once she activated it.


    The entire northern army got frozen on the spot. There were still some of them moving, but they had no choice but to stop because the rest of them didn''t move.


    But the southern army did not stop marching. They stared into the eyes of those northern forces who could not move properly but who were conscious.


    Those at the forefront of the northern army were terrified. The reality that they could not move even their fingers when their enemies were right in front of them created a tremendous fear.


    They could not even think of their death because they were totally overwhelmed by fear.


    Standing at the forefront of the southern army, Skull swung Baphomet''s sickle violently.


    Rikum and the Black Orc squadron struck the helpless northern army with their own weapons.


    The vanguard unit of the southern forces struck the northern army right in front of them.


    Without slowing down their vehement strike, the southern forces destroyed, trampled upon, and smashed the northern army. The bodies of those at the forefront of the northern forces were shattered to pieces and scattered in all directions.


    Nonetheless, the northern forces could not move. The increasing bodies of their fellow soldiers drove their tense hearts to extremes. The blood and flesh of their dead fellow soldiers covered their faces, followed by the southern forces'' relentless attack with spears and swords.

 282 Mammon 6

    Bifronz clenched his teeth. It was only then that he realized who he had betrayed.


    Sitri, before she was the Queen of Sloth, she was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market. She was the very woman who created the Dungeon Market in the demon world!


    Abrasax shouted in anger. He desperately struggled to get out of the current impasse, but the northern forces who got frozen on the spot would not move. Even if there was someone who flew over their heads, none of them signaled danger or tried to attack. Even if Sitri had not activated the master key, the northern forces would not have captured her.


    It was none other than Samael, the fastest wing of the Dungeon Market, who crossed the space. She flew at a speed that was even difficult for one''s eyes to catch and rushed to Abrasax. With the master key, Sitri naturally found out the exact location of Abrasax, who wielded the power of the Dungeon Market.


    Abrasax also saw Samael. Erecting seven horns on his head, he unleashed the strongest mana of the Dungeon Market.


    But Samael was not scared. She brought out the power of her master, Yong-ho, as well as the power of Greed, Gluttony and Fury through Brigada. She destroyed Abrasax''s mana by wielding much stronger power than she had as a director of the Dungeon Market. Right at this moment, she wanted to take revenge on him on behalf of his subordinate spirits including Karot.


    Bifronz laughed bitterly. Yong-ho''s 12 subordinate spirits appeared before him. The two Red Demons who had been fired like bullets from the giant red dragon Tiamet rushed to Bifronz like a beast as soon as they landed on the ground. They were Eligos and Ophelia, the two beasts under the command of the King of Greed. Moreover, Tigrius stood behind them.


    Faced with the three subordinate spirits with six horns, Bifronz raised his cane instead of giving up. Since he knew instinctively his final moment was imminent, he enjoyed this moment.


    He unleashed mana violently.


    Sometimes, people felt the passage of time differently, depending on their feelings.


    Only a few seconds in the eyes of others seemed like such a long time to Sitri.


    It was impossible to annihilate over 200,000 northern troops within 20 seconds. Because of that, Sitri didn''t depend on the master key alone.


    The King of Pride, who had an overwhelming army, did not appear himself directly in the last battle. Even now, he didn''t reveal himself openly when he had more troops.


    His action was taken for granted. The King of Pride considered everything other than himself as a tool. He would be satisfied with the outcome if he could wear out the King of Greed and the Queen of Fury in return for sacrificing tens of thousands of northern troops.


    So, Sitri had to exactly find out the location of the King of Pride. By finding him, she had to change the nature of this battle from one between the two large forces to one between the kings.


    Sitri knew that the freezing of the northern forces would last only 20 seconds. But do Bifronz and Abrasax know that? Can the King of Pride and the King of Lust detect it?


    Faced with an unimaginable situation at the moment, the King of Pride had to act. He had to expose himself in order to overcome this difficult situation.


    Sitri gulped in a tense moment. She stared at the battlefield, feeling one second was like eternity. And she recognized something at some point. Her heart was pounding.


    Now the king''s mana exploded. Everything screamed at the explosive outburst of mana. The explosion was seen beyond the northern army. Right there, the King of Pride unleashed his power. Erecting as many as eight horns, he radiated the Sins of Pride and Envy. The black giant, the power of the Sin of Envy, was formed over the head of the northern army in the center.


    The King of Lust could no longer hide his position, either. The king revealed his position by erecting the Godly Energy of Lust. He was in the left-wing of the northern forces.


    This was the right moment. Those who had been waiting for this moment for a massive attack began to move at once.


    Dragon Lord Ancablosa and twenty-two ancient dragons opened their mouths immediately. Instead of aiming at the monsters who had stopped on the ground, they let out Dragon Breath toward the ground. Twenty-three rays of light became a huge one and crossed the northern forces. Regardless of those northern forces who could move or not, Ancablosa''s army killed them all.


    Ancablosa was still far from the King of Pride. Besides, the Dragon Breath swept through the northern army who were located between them, so when she reached the King of Pride, her power was greatly weakened. The black giant of Envy wielded the light of Pride to smash the Dragon Breath at once.


    But Ancablosa was satisfied with that because her primary purpose was to open the way for the smooth marching of the southern forces.


    Roaring loudly, Salami spread his wings of flame. Yong-ho, Catalina, and Gusion that were on his back gripped Salami''s back handle.


    Then, Salami got close to the Dragon Breath in full swing at the moment. Sparks from the breath lit the atmosphere. Salami stopped running when the black giant of Envy smashed the Dragon Breath. With the black giant of Envy only dozens of meters away, Salami soared vertically at Yong-ho''s order.


    Now there was really little time left before the freezing of the northern forces stopped. The black giant of Envy saw Salami surging into the sky. The King of Lust also turned his eyes at Salami''s strange movement. But the king had no choice but to look ahead immediately.


    "The King of Lust!"


    The Queen of Fury, who traversed the northern armies, shouted at the king in anger.


    The King of Lust, who had the power of temptation, could not fight his ally. So, the best option would be for him to attack her in the middle of the southern forces.


    The main role of the Queen of Fury was blocking the King of Lust.


    She was the only one among the southern forces who could fully overcome the King of Lust''s power of temptation.


    Kaiwan wielded her whip sword to get rid of those northern forces around the Queen of Fury. Kaiwan''s role this time was to assist the queen. Kaiwan kept the proper distance from the two kings and again swung her whip sword. Instead of looking straight at the King of Lust, Kaiwan looked at the sky where Yong-ho took off a moment ago.


    The leadership of the southern forces initially had no intention of making this fight a battle between the two large armies, for there were too many northern forces for them to confront successfully.


    But they knew they could win this battle by defeating only the King of Pride who commanded the northern army. What was important was not the annihilation of the northern army, but the destruction of the King of Pride.


    It was difficult for the Queen of Fury to confront the King of Lust alone.


    It was also hard for Yong-ho to fight the King of Pride alone. The king''s mana was more powerful than Yong-ho''s.


    So, Yong-ho had to devise a way to make up for his lacing mana, and support the numerically inferior southern forces.


    When Salami soared high enough, Yong-ho raised Mammon''s Godley Energy, the magic field. Then he issued an order, emitting twelve lights that symbolized his subordinate spirits.


    "Come to me! Labyrinth of Greed!"


    He was referring to something he found in a secret room on the 13th floor, the deepest place of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    He could do it because he became the true master of the Labyrinth of Greed.


    Magnadon, who beat the earth, said clearly that he had moved the Labyrinth of Greed and that he hid it right under the ground floor of the House of Mammon.


    If so, what about the opposite? Would it be possible to move the Labyrinth of Greed back to its place again!


    Lucia responded. The unimaginable grand magic, which was completed over the course of a thousand years, a great miracle, had come true. A huge dungeon jumped between space and time!


    It was a huge dungeon with thirteen floors. It was hundreds of meters high, and its width was also beyond imagination. A huge weird lump of strange rocks was summoned in the middle of the northern forces, which smashed those around the stormy swirling rocks.


    "The Labyrinth of Greed!"


    The King of Pride screamed loudly, to which the King of Lust had no choice but to turn his eyes. The Queen of Fury was charging at him right before his eyes, but he could not suppress his impulse.


    The dungeon of Mammon, the King of Greed.


    It was the very dungeon he believed had been completely destroyed one thousand and several hundred years ago by the three Kings of Pride, Envy, and Lust!


    Salami shrieked loudly over the Labyrinth of Greed. Yong-ho felt the same sense of security like when he was located deep in the Labyrinth of Greed.


    He once again ordered Lucia.


    "Labyrinth of Greed! Assist your Master!"


    When the master became strong, the dungeon also became strong.


    When the dungeon became strong, its master became strong as well.


    The power of the dungeon was the power of its master. Therefore, the master could bring up his strongest power when he was in the dungeon.


    An aura of great power arose from the Labyrinth of Greed. Yong-ho empowered the entire southern army as well as the Mammon family spirits within that aura. It was as if the entire battlefield became the Labyrinth of Greed.


    The dungeon breathed with the dungeon spirits. They delivered the strongest power to the master of the dungeon.


    Yong-ho jumped off the back of Salami. He spread his black magical wings widely, Catalina''s power, then encircled his body with the power he received from the Labyrinth of Greed. Grasping Aamon, who became united with the Godly Energy of Greed, Yong-ho stared at the black giant of Envy standing in front of him, and the King of Pride inside it.


    "The King of Greed!"

 283 Mammon 7

    "The King of Pride!"


    Yong-ho wasn''t scared at all. He brought out all the power of the King of Pride, who possessed the most powerful mana in the history of the demon world with himself pitted against the king''s own royal family.


    Yong-ho immediately activated all his power at once. The Sins of Greed, Gluttony, and Fury instantly became one in his soul.


    The King of Pride erected eight horns of light over his head.


    Yong-ho also erected eight horns of light.


    The King of Pride spread six wide wings of light while Yong-ho spread the wings of black mana.


    The hugely destructive power of the two kings'' mana collided head-on.


    It seemed as if the whole earth would be split because of the big collision of the two powerful kings. Indeed, the ferocious clash between the two mighty kings was beyond description.


    The fighting on the ground had become a mess. Those who were near the place where the two kings'' mana collided with each other were crushed as if they were caught between huge walls, regardless of whether they were the northern or southern forces.


    Not only small humanoid monsters such as goblins and imps but also even medium-sized monsters such as Ogres and Trolls could not avoid the fate of being crushed to death. Even the giant beasts in the air fell to the ground, hit hard by the two kings'' mana.


    Demon God.


    It was indeed like God''s power.


    They could not help but look at the two kings'' fierce fighting. Even those dungeon spirits who got ''frozen'' by the master key of the Dungeon Market rolled their eyes.


    Hundreds of thousands of the northern and southern troops'' eyes looked at the sky at the same time. They were just absorbed into watching their battle breathlessly as if they forgot how to even breathe.


    With everybody on the ground overwhelmed by the fighting in the air, the Queen of Fury had a horn in her mouth. Instead of attacking the King of Lust, she blew the horn as hard as he could.


    Her horn was like the sound of awakening the southern forces. The Queen of Fury was aware that Sitri had only ten or more seconds left to freeze the northern forces. To ensure the survival and return of even one more southern soldier, she had to defeat the northern forces right now. It was a cruel and selfish idea, but she was the head of the eight clans.


    The huge silence was broken by her blowing the horn loudly. It was the heads of the eight clans who came to their senses first.


    "Tear them off!"


    It was just a few seconds, but during that short span of time, lots of changes took place throughout the battlefield.


    The dragon corps, including Dragon Lord Ancablosa, no longer looked at the King of Pride. Each of them prepared the best possible attack on their own. They were ready to wipe out the flying monsters and beasts of the northern army positioned in the sky.


    Lucia was located in the Labyrinth of Greed, not Tiamet, the giant red dragon, and unleashed the power of the greatest dungeon freely in its deepest room. As a result, a larger aura injected power into the entire southern army.


    Sitri counted the remaining time until the freezing was lifted. For now, she had only several seconds.


    Yong-ho and the King of Pride were staring at each other. The Queen of Fury and the King of Lust already started exchanging attacks with each other. Ancablosa filled her mouth with Dragon Breath, and several ancient dragons of the Dragon Legion were fully ready to use the secret weapon of demon magic. Samael''s fatal blow broke the magic field of Abrasax while Eligos and Ophelia destroyed Bifronz''s magic at once.


    The moment Sitri finished counting down the time, Dragon Breath filled the whole sky. A lightning storm, a rain of fire from the sky, and an earthquake that shook the earth swept through the northern army. The northern forces were killed as soon as the dragon soldiers used the demon magic at once.


    Even though the master key didn''t work any more, the northern forces could not come up with a quick counterattack because it took time for them to recognize that their freezing was lifted. But the moment they realized it, they were faced with the permanent freezing without even screaming when the southern forces didn''t miss the golden chance to attack them.


    Yong-ho and the King of Pride no longer stared at each other. He rushed, and the king swung his hands wide inside the black giant of Envy. The light of Pride from the black giant''s both hands blocked him.


    The green flames of Aamon collided with the light. Their fighting was no longer going on in a physical realm. It was only the difference in what form their mana was released.


    The Sin of Gluttony devoured the light of Pride. The remnant light was burned by the Sin of Greed. Yong-ho, who strengthened himself with the Sin of Fury, threw himself at the black giant of Envy. By wielding Aamon violently, he tore apart the black giant, a lump of terrible emotions!


    "King of Pride!"


    Abrasax shouted at him. Right after he screamed, however, he had to look back. He couldn''t afford to look back at the King of Pride at the moment. The fastest wing, Samael, was the fastest among the five directors of the Dungeon Market. It was impossible for Abrasax to avoid her attack while looking at the King of Pride. All he could do was to simply pour out enormous mana to fill all directions with a magical field.


    Orobas''s absence at the moment was so painful to him. Among the three betrayers of the Dungeon Market, Orobas was the only one who could effectively defeat Samael.


    "Damn it!"


    It was useless even if he tried to crush her with the overwhelming mana itself. Samael, who became the subordinate spirit of the King of Greed, was so different from her days as one of the five directors. His mana that didn''t target her exactly strayed from her mana.


    Abrasax now felt impatient. Born with enormous mana from birth, he did not know how to fight other than crushing his opponent with his mana. Bifronz would have tied up Samael''s feet by combining various magic, but Abrasax couldn''t. For the first time, he found himself on the defensive, and he was so embarrassed by the deadly attack by a woman who he always thought was inferior to him. As a result, he could not even use half of his power.


    ''The number of horns in battle is not absolute.''


    That was what Gusion said before. Samael agreed. Once again, she disappeared from Abrasax''s sight and aimed at his back.


    Now Bifronz felt his final moment was coming. His old friend devised several survival options for him, but he came to the same conclusion at the end of the day.


    He activated four kinds of magic by fidgeting with his four hands, but the situation did not improve. Tigrius, the wizard of the Mammon family, canceled out his magics by triggering different magic with both hands, and the two beasts of the Mammon family crushed or endured Bifronz''s magics by mounting a reckless attack. Eligos and Ophelia''s attack was so strong and fast that Bifronz could not take the time to prepare another magic. The magics he improvised at the moment could not counter the simultaneous attack by the three subordinate spirits of the Mammon family. The subordinate spirits of the King of Lust could not go to help Bifronz. All they could do was to protect the forces of the King of Gluttony from the onslaught of the southern army. Moreover, the subordinate spirits of the Mammon family were much more than expected.


    Richard, the silent warrior, broke his long silence. He roared loudly and smashed the forces of the King of Lust. He was second only to Gusion, who was said to be the strongest fighter among Mammon''s 12 Spirits. Accordingly, there was nobody among the King of Lust''s forces who could confront Richard. It was like a tiger moving around in the flock of sheep. Each time he swung his black club, those soldiers around him were shattered to pieces.


    Scathach showed off her infinite vitality. She wasn''t content with treating the wounded soldiers of the southern army. She broke into the northern forces to prove why she was called the Immortal Witch. There were no attacks that inflicted a fatal injury to her who had transcendental regenerative power. Scathach, who dealt with the power of life, attacked the northern army in her own way. Whenever the blue wave struck them, the northern soldiers who received excessive vitality from her saw their bodies bursting out. Some of them lose their lives because dozens of arms sprouted from the wounded areas.


    "Skullkull!"


    The Skull unit was already a battlefield nightmare to the northern forces. Skull, the incarnation of death, was not satisfied with sprinkling death everywhere. The dead stood up and followed the skulls advancing ferociously. The more the northern forces were killed, the more they followed the Skull unit.


    Bucephalas let out a green breath. Not content with rushing forward, he destroyed those who stood in his way. He brilliantly carried out his mission, befitting his image as the King of Nightmare.


    Both life and death were the enemies of the northern forces. They fell into extreme confusion and fear now. Some of them couldn''t move even now, as if they felt they were frozen.


    The King of Pride didn''t care about the northern army from the beginning. The King of Lust could not take care of them. Abrasax and Bifronz couldn''t waste even a second, only focusing on surviving.


    The southern forces were united and strong while the northern forces were in disarray without any central leadership. The nature of the battle quickly transformed from an intense fighting into a war of slaughter.


    "I belong to Yong-ho! I belong to Yong-ho!"


    Shouting loudly, Kaiwan swung her whip sword in all directions. While slaughtering the northern forces with the storm of her sword, she tried to see elsewhere other than the King of Lust.

 284 Mammon 8

    Kaiwan wanted to help the King of Lust. She wanted to kiss the top of his feet. She wanted to be held in the king''s arms. She wanted to listen to whatever the king told her to do. She was willing to bark if the king wanted her to. She felt happy when she bowed to the king and obeyed him.


    "Bullshit! Yong-ho is mine!"


    Kaiwan fought off all those delusions by thinking of Yong-ho whenever she was seduced by the King of Lust. She was the one chosen by Yustia among the subordinate spirits of the House of Mammon as the one who could best resist the king''s temptation. Catalina couldn''t resist the King of Lust since the blood of a Succubus was flowing in half of her body. It was none other than Kaiwan who had the most affection for Yong-ho among the remaining subordinate spirits.


    "Ahhhh! It''s my determination as his official wife!"


    Kaiwan shouted again desperately then empowered her whip sword. She distorted the space itself, so no northern forces could approach the King of Lust and Queen of Fury.


    The Queen of Fury heard Kaiwan shouting desperately. She wanted to refute or deny it, but she couldn''t afford it. Maybe she didn''t even think about it.


    ''Are you going to hit me?''


    ''No, because it hurts.''


    ''Don''t do it!''


    ''Just love me!''


    The power of temptation of the King of Lust was so strong. Sins and Godly Energies neutralized the power of other Sins but didn''t offset them.


    The King of Lust had lived for at least one thousand years. Given how long the king possessed the power of Sin, the Queen of Fury was no match for the king. The queen was far inferior to the king in terms of the ability to understand and use the Sins and Godley Energies.


    The Queen of Fury put up with it by clenching her teeth. She thought of hundreds of thousands of tribesmen of her eight clans who committed suicide, succumbing to the temptation of the King of Lust. Finally, the queen brought out the Sin of Fury more intensely with anger and remembered Yong-ho''s love while relying on the mana of Greed through the Brigada ring.


    "Kuaaaaat!" The Queen of Fury gave a cry.


    At that moment, the Godly Energy of Lust in the shape of a long sword broke the queen''s powerful thruster weapon. It did not stop there, leaving a sharp sword wound on the white and soft skin of the queen.


    But she was not a match for the King of Lust.


    In short, the King of Lust was a sword demon. He was already called the best swordsman in the demon world a thousand years ago. Although the Queen of Fury was a famed war veteran, she could not confront the king alone.


    ''Let''s try to gain as much time as possible. That''s all I have to focus on right now. I have to trust Yong-ho, my love!''


    The Queen of Fury relied on the Sin of Fury, which made its owner stronger as she became more furious. Although she was inferior to the king in terms of mana and skills, she outpowered the king in terms of her Herculean power and defensive power. The Queen of Fury blocked the attack by the king with her body literally.


    The role of the Queen of Fury was to gain time for Yong-ho. If Yong-ho defeated the King of Pride, it meant the victory of the entire southern army.


    Of course, the best scenario would be for the Queen of Fury to defeat the King of Lust then help Yong-ho fight the King of Pride, but that was more than she could chew.


    The Queen of Fury clenched her teeth and swung her fists endlessly. Thanks to the way she fought in battle, marked by her relentless attack without stopping, the queen could make up for her inferior strength, compared with the King of Lust. Just like the queen was struggling to put up with the difficult situation, the king could not overpower her as easily as he thought.


    The Godly Energy of Fury, which looked like a beast''s teeth, bit off the air. The King of Lust managed to avoid the attack by jumping off the ground. Then, after narrowing the distance with the queen, the king approached her from the side and swung the Godly Energy of Lust violently.


    The king''s swift attack while jumping down from the sky was beautiful. The queen hurriedly twisted her body and avoided the Godly Energy of Lust. But the long sword passed barely over her shoulders and chest, leaving a long scar on her white skin once again.


    The Queen of Fury and the King of Lust looked at each other. The queen pulled her fist, and the king withdrew his sword surprisingly quickly. However, their actions were far from their attack against each other. As if they promised to do so, they stepped back at the same time. Both of them looked up at the sky, with their hearts pounding hard.


    There were cracks all over the sky.


    The celestial door was opened.


    ***


    Even after a thousand years, nobody could find out exactly where the celestial hole was opened. In some cases, the celestial hole was opened in an unexpected place, and in other cases, it opened and disappeared in the land where no one lived.


    However, it did not mean that the celestial beings could not fully control where to open the celestial hole. The more widely the celestial door was opened, the more aggressively they opened the celestial hole, just like they chose a city or an army garrison instead of a land with nobody or nothing.


    Yuno and Yustia, who belonged to the non-combat series among Mammon''s 12 Spirits, stood on the deck of the giant red dragon Tiamet and looked down at the sky. Yustia''s cards were listed in the air automatically, indicating the number and size of the celestial holes. There were already five holes in the celestial world that were already open and opening at this moment.


    It was different from the last battle. It was not a situation where the southern and northern forces could withdraw their forces. They had to fight the celestial world in a situation where the two forces were entangled. They were already ready for it when they witnessed the appearance of a couple of super-sized godly men.


    After taking back the stack of cards, Yustia snapped her fingers to leap into the room where the core of the giant red dragon Tiamet was located. The best they could do was to lend whatever power they had to the Labyrinth of Greed through Tiamet.


    Yuno remembered her memory one thousand years ago. Just thinking about it made her shudder. She was breathing more and more roughly.


    "It will be different this time. It will be different."


    Yustia said that, and Yuno nodded. The celestial door was not fully open yet.


    Yuno, who counted the stars, prayed for Mammon, the King of Greed. Together with Yustia, she delivered all of her mana to the Labyrinth of Greed.


    ***


    A super-large godly man stuck his head out of the hole. His black eyes were even more terrifying because his whole body was covered with white light.


    There were five celestial holes, and the super-large godly men stuck their heads out of the four of them. Celestial beings wrapped in gray light were coming out of the one remaining hole toward the earth as if water was pouring out.


    The northern forces were in extreme confusion. One of the generals in charge of them could not even swear, overwhelmed by fear. He was just thinking of stopping the fight and running away from the battlefield.


    The southern army was also agitated because they witnessed what the super-large godly men had done in the last battle.


    Skull, who was smashing the northern forces at the forefront of the southern army, quickly turned his head. He made up his mind, watching the super-large godly man who came out of the hole. After entrusting the Skull unit to the Death Knights, he jumped off the ground. Bucephalas carrying Skull on his back soared into the air and rushed toward the super-sized godly man.


    The celestial power emanating from the super-sized godly man was rushing toward Skull like a storm. But Skull cut off the power of the celestial world by wielding Baphomet''s sickle with the wicked energy of purple light. Then he tore it apart with the powerful mana and opened the way.


    "Skullkull!"


    Skull was determined to defeat one godly man from the celestial world. Watching him from a distance, Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura clan, came to his senses.


    He hastily issued a new order.


    "Surround yourselves with mana! Prepare for celestial power!"


    Unlike the disorderly northern forces, the southern forces were in good shape and fully prepared for the fight. Although they witnessed the celestial doors, they were not overwhelmed with fear.


    [The power of the celestial world is coming! Be prepared for its shock!]


    Shouting like that, Lucia sprinkled the power of the Labyrinth of Greed over the heads of the southern army. The aura that empowered the southern forces now became a barrier to the celestial power.


    Some of the northern forces right under the hole were killed at once without even giving a cry.


    "Help me! Help me!"


    Some of the northern forces abandoned their weapons and jumped into the southern army.


    Most of them were killed by the southern forces wiedling their swords, but some of them survived. The southern army remained cool-hearted even at this moment. Because of this, they could not completely turn away the northern forces stricken with fear and shock. Even though they were fighting against each other, they tried to keep the gentleman''s agreement in an urgent and dangerous situation like this.


    "Leave the northern forces alone! Just prepare for the godly men! Just keep your position!"


    Biryubakcha issued another order. The battle between the godly men wrapped in white light and the southern army finally began.


    Gusion cursed at them. While looking for a chance to help Yong-ho, who was in the thick of fighting the King of Pride, he turned his head. Two godly men appeared from a hole in the sky.


    They weren''t as huge as those from the other four holes. But they were even more dangerous.


    They were none other than the godly generals.

 285 Mammon 9

    The dragon corps secured their own territory in the sky.


    The monsters nosedived to the ground. It was really a terrifying spectacle to watch dozens of monsters plunging to the ground with their bodies entangled with dozens of godly men. The battlefield, which was a mess because of the clash between the northern and southern forces, fell into even greater chaos.


    And their mana collided with each other in the center of all this chaos. Yong-ho and the King of Pride did not hide their murderous intentions toward each other.


    Basically, mana on both sides was too powerful. Whenever Aamon''s Godly Energy collided with that of the King of Pride, heaven and earth shook. There were huge craters deep down in the ground while there wasn''t a single cloud left in the sky.


    "The King of Greed! King of Greed! King of Greed!"


    Laughing loudly, the King of Pride wielded the Godly Energy of Pride against Yong-ho. Whenever he wielded the Godly Energy of Pride in the shape of a huge sword of light, a tremendous amount of mana moved with it. The movement of their mana itself was much more threatening than the king''s sword attack itself.


    Since the king''s sword attack was not simple, Yong-ho had no choice but to face it with mana.


    The Godly Energies of Aamon and the King of Pride collided again, but Yong-ho clenched his teeth. His arm holding Aamon''s Godly Energy was so painful as to be torn off, but he endured it with all his might.


    The King of Pride laughed again. He suffered a lot of damage every time he exchanged attacks with Yong-ho, but he couldn''t hide his gladness. Yong-ho had more Sins than the king, but he was inferior to the king in terms of the total amount of mana and physical strength. The more intensely they fought, the more pronounced this kind of difference between the two was.


    "I''m the demon world itself! I''m the demon world itself!"


    The King of Pride shouted violently at Yong-ho. He had lived for thousands of years. His body, which he had completed over the past one thousand years, was the crystal of the demon world.


    The King of Pride decided that he would not lose to Yong-ho with the blood of the alien world. In his mind, the strongest one in the demon world was Pride, not Greed!


    [Master!]


    "You''re done!"


    The King of Pride cursed at him blatantly. The Sin of Envy, which became stronger in proportion to the intensity of its owner''s feelings, pursued him. The black smoke wrapped around the King of Pride quickly took shape as a black giant, who then swung his huge fist toward Yong-ho, who fell to the ground.


    Kwaaaaaaaakang!


    Heaven and earth were shaken. At the same time, Yong-he screamed then he vomited blood.


    Yong-ho''s mana blocked his fist but failed to push it out. It was still being held down by his power.


    At that moment, the green flames arose to burn the dark feelings of Envy. The Sin of Gluttony ate up the mana of Pride ferociously.


    However, that was not enough. It was too difficult to reverse the dynamics that had once tilted in favor of the King of Pride.


    "Yong-ho!"


    Kaiwan screamed. As his subordinate spirit, she immediately recognized the danger her master was in. But there was nothing she could do. Although she raced toward Yong-ho and the King of Pride, she was still far away from them. Besides, the king''s mana in the surrounding area blocked her approach.


    The Queen of Fury also wanted to help Yong-ho. But the King of Lust did not allow it. The king decided to hold the queen rather than overpowering her.


    Catalina turned boldly in spite of the possible attack by the godly general behind her back. But her two alter egos of dark mana blocked his attack. She regarded her body as a single sword. She collected black mana in order to penetrate the King of Pride''s mana.


    Yong-ho''s other subordinate spirits also realized their master was in danger. However, there were very few of them who could leave their location, unlike Catalina and Kaiwan.


    "Skullkull!"


    Skull left a trace of death on the godly man''s huge neck. Then he passed by the killed godly man to run toward the place where Yong-ho was. Eligos and Ophelia stabbed Bifronz''s chest for the seventh time then turned their heads to Yong-ho immediately.


    "Master!"


    Gusion screamed. Richard roared. Scathach shouted desperately.


    Sitri stepped forward while the three were screaming.


    Yong-ho felt his heart was beating. It was the moment when he was on the verge of death, but he knew it.


    The Queen of Fury and the King of Lust also knew it. The queen was gasping for breath while the King of Lust felt pain and urgency at the same time.


    The King of Pride, who was showing intense hatred toward Yong-ho, turned his head. Actually, he had to because he suddenly felt his heart was pounding.


    "The Queen of Sloth!"


    Sitri, who stood by Mammon to the end and watched his last moment.


    "The King of Pride!"


    Sitri''s soul was poisoned by the power of the celestial world. She had been keeping the power of Sloth for over a thousand years, but she was the weakest in terms of fighting. So, it was reckless for her to challenge the King of Pride with eight horns.


    Nonetheless, she acted. The King of Pride felt threatened by the Queen of Sloth.


    She jumped over space and stepped on the air. She approached him from the side. The invisible barrier of corrosion that originated from the power of Sloth pushed out the king''s mana and opened a way. As the distance between them narrowed, the strength of the invisible barrier of corrosion increased more.


    "Sitri?"


    Kaiwan slowed down before she knew it. For the first time, Catalina realized that she was the reincarnation of Elune. She noticed one fact when she looked at Sitri from behind.


    The dark energy of Envy enveloped Sitri before being dismantled and disappeared.


    Normally, Sitri could never have done it. But the King of Pride understood it. That was why he concentrated his power to disrupt Sitri''s attack instead of Yong-ho.


    The invisible barrier of corrosion opened the way to the King of Pride by breaking his mana. through the magic of Pride. The power of Sin was the power of the soul. Sitri burned her own soul. She was completely different from when she confronted the three directors who betrayed her. She wanted to survive back then, but not now. She would die where she was standing. She planned to bite the king''s neck by exhaling the power of Sloth as much as possible.


    The King of Pride was already like a demon god. Even if Sitri burned all her soul, she could never destroy him. But she could deal a fatal blow to him so that Yong-ho could stand up again and confront him. She believed that Yong-ho could overpower the weakened king and destroy him at the end of the day.


    She knew she was content with her role like that. By doing so, she could save the demon world.


    "Sitri!"


    Yong-ho shouted from the ground, trying to stop her. But she didn''t listen. She took another step forward. Now, she recalled Mammon, throwing herself toward the King of Pride who was about to use all his might to disrupt her attack. Smiling at Yong-ho for the last time, she brought out as much power of Sloth as possible.


    There arose a beautiful and enormous flame caused by her sacrificing herself.


    The flame didn''t flare up, but it faded away instead.


    The King of Pride was not responsible for it, nor was Sitri.


    Yong-ho''s shouting stopped it. He could not tolerate her sacrifice. His will and shouting finally awakened Yong-ho again. The resonance of the Seven Deadly Sins gathered in one place awakened him from his long sleep. He could never sit idle, watching her sacrificing herself before his eyes.


    "[I won''t allow for it because you are mine, and your soul is mine!]"


    The moment the invisible barrier of corrosion was removed, Sitri bounced off, pushed out by the king''s mana. Catalina caught her in the air. The two looked at her, aghast.


    Tears came down Sitri''s eyes.


    The King of Pride shuddered. He felt scared before he knew it.


    He barely spoke. "It''s a lie!"


    The Queen of Fury was thrilled. The King of Lust couldn''t even breathe properly.


    Gusion shouted loudly while Yong-ho''s 12 subordinate spirits also screamed.


    "My King!"


    Yong-ho and Mammon, the unified King of Greed, responded to their shouting.


    ***


    The day when Mammon, the King of Greed, disappeared from the demon world.


    On that day, a thousand and hundreds of years ago, Mammon closed the door of the celestial world and died, totally emaciated.


    The King of Pride thought so, and Mammon''s 12 Spirits also thought likewise.


    But the King of Greed, never died that way.


    ***


    Yong-ho felt and understood it. Yuno, counting the stars, told him that he was not the reincarnation of Mammon, but that Mammon was always with him.


    She wasn''t talking about Mammon''s legacy. What Yuno saw was more essential.


    ***


    Mammon, who killed numerous godly men, finally shut the celestial door. Although he was exposed to tremendous celestial power, he was still the greatest king of the demon world.


    Sitri, the Queen of Sloth who stood by him to the end, met Mammon.


    He made the following request to her who was weeping.


    ''Kill me with your power.''


    Mammon in her arms was like a bomb. His body contained a large amount of celestial power beyond imagination. He could not control it with his mana anymore. The moment Mammon breathed his last breath, the power of the celestial world would grow explosively, which would inflict another irreparable damage to the demon world.


    So, Mammon asked her to erase him from the demon world along with the power of the celestial world by using her invisible barrier of corrosion.


    Mammon would shortly face his last moment, and he was destined to die anyway.


    Nonetheless, his request was so cruel to her.


    Sitri hugged him with trembling hands. Then, she activated the invisible barrier of corrosion to accept his request and ended his life. At that moment, her soul was poisoned by the celestial power, and she had an indelible wound deep down.


    ***


    The reason why he could meet Aamon as soon as he started exploring the dungeon.


    The voice he heard while he was peeking into Scathach''s memories.


    His memory of Mammon in the human world.


    Why had not there been a successor born for the past one thousand years since Mammon''s death?


    What happened to the Sin of Greed during those years?


    And why did Sitri not get the power of Greed, Gluttony, and Fury?


    Yong-ho could understand all of them now.


    ***


    Mammon did something for the last time before he died in Sitri''s arms. He could do it because Sitri''s power of the invisible barrier of corrosion neutralized the celestial power.


    The Seven Deadly Sins were the fragments of the demon god''s soul.


    Mammon, the King of Greed, did not let go of the Sin of Greed. He owned it by himself, which became the Sin of Greed itself over one thousand years.


    ***


    Yong-ho felt Mammon. He was Greed, which was with himself. It already became united with him.


    He stepped forward. He jumped over space and stood next to Sitri and Catalina. Holding the crying Sitri in his arms, he unleashed the Godly Energy of Greed.


    The power of the Godly Energy of Greed was possessiveness.


    The King of Pride raised his head. He couldn''t understand what was happening before his eyes, but he acted instinctively. He swung the mana of Pride to stop the King of Greed and gathered the light of Pride and the black energy of Envy to attack him.


    But it was too late. Yong-ho hugged Sitri so hard as to almost crush her. He possessed her to accept her body and soul. Devouring the celestial power that poisoned her, he declared the contract on making Sitri his 13th subordinate spirit.


    The demon god''s heart within him began to pound. The seventh claw broke into Yong-ho''s chest. The four Sins of Greed, Gluttony, Fury, and Sloth became one in Yong-ho''s soul.


    All eight horns of light that sprouted above Yong-ho''s head disappeared. It was impossible to measure his power by the number of horns.


    The light of Pride and the black smoke of Envy scattered, and the celestial power evaporated.


    Everyone on the battlefield forgot to fight. Even the celestial beings were forced to stop and look.


    The King of Greed, rather, the Demon God of Greed.


    Yong-ho grabbed Aamon and fired up the flames of Greed.


    He looked down at the King of Pride.

 286 Demon God

    Mammon, who became united with Greed over the course of a thousand years, could no longer be called a human being. However, Yong-ho felt Mammon''s will. He was now with Yong-ho himself.


    It was a battlefield where hundreds of thousands of people gathered together, but there was no sound of them even swallowing. It was as if the whole world stopped.


    Four Sins gathered in one place.


    Mammon''s Godly Energy that united the powers of different Sins.


    The heart of the Demon God that guided the power of the owner''s soul to a higher place.


    The King of Pride opened his mouth. But he couldn''t speak properly. Although he had the mana as powerful as that of God, he never thought of wielding it. He just got frozen with the shock that he met a much more powerful being than him.


    Yong-ho looked down at the king and lifted Mammon''s Godly Energy, guided by Mammon''s whispering. He broke the huge silence by shouting at the king.


    "Own it, Labyrinth of Greed!"


    Lucia responded to his shouting. The Labyrinth of Greed took root in the earth. It didn''t just emit an aura, but it owned the surrounding area. It turned the entire battlefield into the Labyrinth of Greed!


    The surface of the ground rose and became a wall. The protective walls did not differentiate between the southern and northern forces. They were all inhabitants of the demon world. In other words, they were the people of the Demon God.


    The celestial power that crushed the entire battlefield was pushed back. The demonic beings who were groaning in pain and fear felt calm in the dungeon.


    Yong-ho''s power grew even stronger.


    As the demon king became stronger, the dungeon also became stronger.


    The beings of the celestial world rushed to the beings of the demon world, screaming silently. But they were different from before. The demonic beings located inside the dungeon were no longer helplessly destroyed by the power of the celestial world. A fierce battle broke out in both heaven and earth.


    Bifronz smiled. With his heart destroyed by the mighty attacks of Eligos and Ophelia, he could not continue living. It was impossible for him to even say a few words.


    But he was satisfied. Although he made the wrong choice, and it was impossible for him to see clearly what was happening before his eyes, he knew that the demon world would become one. He also knew his longing would come true.


    Instead of giving a fatal blow to Bifronz, Eligos ran toward Yong-ho. Ophelia also ran next to Eligos. Tigrius also did not look back.


    Abrasax denied reality. He had seven horns. He was called the strongest mana of the Dungeon Market. But why was he so powerless now?


    Richard smashed the godly general''s head. He opened his mouth amid the scattering light. Instead of shouting, he made articulate words for the first time.


    "My King, My King!"


    Yustia and Yuno cried in the Labyrinth of Greed. Scathach smiled after laughing.


    Gusion burst into laughter loudly.


    The King of Lust sat down helplessly. He barely breathed. He then shed a stream of tears.


    It wasn''t just because he accumulated regrets for more than a thousand years.


    With a tearful voice, he cried, "Bellial."


    The King of Pride. The King of Lust, disguised as a woman, had been loving the king for several thousands of years.


    "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"


    The King of Pride screamed. By shouting like that, the king gathered mana once more. Then he radiated the light of Pride, which was the power of his presence, and the dark energy of Envy, which was a lump of terrible emotions.


    It was a thousand years. The King of Pride recreated his body in the best shape as much as he could over the past one thousand years, so he was far superior to Mammon of the past,


    But why was he defeated?


    "Don''t look down on me like that!" The King of Pride shouted.


    His mana was really powerful, so much so that he could be called the Demon God.


    But his opponent was a tough challenger. Yong-ho unleashed his remaining Fury.


    He swung Aamon violently, arousing the green flames of Greed.


    Yong-ho''s mana devoured the king''s mana. The green flames, which contained not only Greed but also the power of Gluttony, burned the light of Pride and the dark energy of Envy. The power of Sloth canceled out the aftermath of the collision, and the power of Fury empowered Yong-ho.


    Yong-ho pierced through the green flames. He swung Aamon violently once again to strike the king strongly, but the king hurriedly lifted the Godly Energy of Pride and stopped his attack.


    Their eyes met while they were wielding their swords and spears. Now, the situation was unfolding differently from before. The King of Pride could not withstand Yong-ho''s power as well as the Demon King''s power anymore. The king vomited blood.


    Once again, their spears and swords clashed in the air. Yong-ho discovered how the King of Pride acquired the mana as it was now. He witnessed countless souls howling inside the king''s soul.


    The King of Pride spread its six wings wide. But it was useless. Each time Yong-ho swung Aamon, his wide wings were broken one by one. Obviously, the king''s mana was so powerful as to shake heaven and earth, Yong-ho''s power was stronger.


    "The King of Greed!"


    The King of Pride screamed. Confronting his despair, jealousy, and anger, Yong-ho injected strength into Mammon''s Godly Energy. Then he condensed all the power of his 12 subordinate spirits as well as those in the dungeon.


    [My master!]


    Aamon responded. Yong-ho felt everyone in the endlessly growing power.


    Demon God.


    He was the only master of the demon world. He was the man who ruled the dungeon named the demon world.


    Aamon broke the Godly Energy of Pride. And Aamon''s green flames burned everything that stood in the way. His final blow pierced the king''s heart!


    The King of Pride saw Yong-ho. He opened his lips and said something he couldn''t even think of before. The moment he was facing his last moment, he could think of only one name that occupied his mind.


    "Asmo¡­ deus¡­"


    It was the name of the King of Lust who had loved him alone for several thousand years.


    Aamon''s green flames burned the King of Pride. Yong-ho reached out and grabbed the king''s essence¡ªPride and Envy, the two Sins.


    The Sin of Greed was empowered at the moment and owned it all.


    ***


    Six out of the Seven Deadly Sins had gathered together.


    The King of Lust no longer resisted. He put everything down and left himself to the natural attraction.


    The Seven Deadly Sins were originally one. So, the Sin of Lust wanted to be united with other Sins. The Sin of Lust now belonged to the King of Greed.


    The King of Lust, disguised as a woman, fell on the floor and cried. He was the only one in the world who would cry for the King of Pride.


    ***


    The celestial beings attacking the southern and northern forces stopped attacking and headed for the sky. They did so to preserve their power, but they were instinctively scared of the incredible power of the Demon God.


    Not only the celestial men but also the godly generals headed to the sky, and new celestial holes began to open high in the sky.


    ***


    Yong-ho stood at the highest place in the Labyrinth of Greed.


    Although he defeated the King of Pride, he had to conquer the celestial door. Today''s fight was not over yet.


    The red sky was turning blue, which was evidence that the celestial door was opening.


    The vortex of mana created by the clash between Yong-ho and the King of Pride prompted the celestial door to open.


    Yong-ho recognized it through Mammon''s memory.


    It was a coincidence that Mammon left his offspring in the human world. Maybe even that was guided by his fate, but he didn''t think so.


    Mammon visited the human world again shortly before the final battle with the celestial world. He did so to prepare for the possible collapse of the demon world just in case he could not block the attack of the celestial world.


    Mammon looked for his descendants in the human world and gave them the heart of the Demon God. If one day a qualified person was born, he would own the heart of the Demon God.


    More than a thousand years have passed.


    Finally, a new King of Greed appeared, and he obtained the heart of the Demon God and Mammon''s Godly Energy. By collecting all the Seven Deadly Sins, he rose to the level of the true Demon God. And now, the celestial door was opened in front of him.


    The celestial world was the worst alien world to the demon world. The existence itself was the opposite of the demon world, so it constantly longed for the demon world.


    Even Mammon did not know clearly about the celestial world. However, when he looked into the celestial world through its door, he was convinced that he should not be merely content with shutting down the door itself. This time, he had to cut off the connection between the celestial world and the demon world by using his power as the Demon King.


    The 12 subordinate spirits of the past and present gathered by Yong-ho''s side.


    Although the celestial door was opening in the sky, none of them expressed fear.


    Salami landed next to Yong-ho. He flinched a bit at the overwhelming presence of Yong-ho, who became the Demon God, but soon, he wagged his tail as always.


    Yong-ho looked at the sky. He saw the stairs he had seen in his memory many times. It was another evidence that the celestial power was getting stronger again.


    "Skullkull," Skull said.


    Yong-ho turned at his calling and smiled before he knew it.


    Above the entrance to the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed, Yuria, Baduk, and the dungeon meerkat stood, gasping for breath. Behind him were standing not only Rikum and Burgrim but also the Goblin Rangers. Also, behind them was Trient, who was waddling up the stairs.


    Yuria did not know what kind of fighting took place today. She didn''t know who Yong-ho was going to fight from now on. But she guessed that his fighting was different this time.


    The place Yong-ho was going to head for now was a really dangerous place. Maybe he would never come back.


    Yuria held back the urge to burst into crying before she knew it. She looked up at him then laughed reluctantly while fiddling with the chicken voucher in her hand.


    She bowed to him and said, "Bye."


    Baduk and the meerkat also bowed. Rikum and Burgrim also bowed to him while the Goblin Rangers and Trient, who arrived late, did the same.


    Lucia was seated next to Yuria. She, the soul of the dungeon as well as Yong-ho''s alter ego, nodded to him instead of speaking long.


    Watching them, Yong-ho laughed. He stroked Lucia''s hair and sat down before Yuria at her eye level. He said, holding her hand tightly, "I will be back. Let''s eat chicken together when I come back."


    Yuria nodded. Eventually, she shed tears. He wiped her tears off and stood up again.


    Lucia smiled like a grown-up.


    [Bye.]


    [My Master, King of the Demon World!]


    Yong-ho turned. He looked up at the stairs leading to the celestial door. Then, this time, 12 subordinate spirits spoke one by one.


    "I, Enderion''s daughter, Ophelia, will be with you, master of the great Mamon family."


    "I, the butler, am the last bastion of the dungeon. But this time, I will be the bastion of my master."


    Ophelia and Eligos stood by Yongho''s side.


    Gusion and Scathach said one after another.


    "I will never let you go alone this time."


    "I told you to fight with your subordinate spirits, right?"


    At that moment, the godly men and godly generals were coming out in droves from the hole of the celestial world. As they were standing in the place closest to the sky, they could feel the threat directly.


    However, the 12 subordinate spirits did not stop. Samael and Tigrius quietly stood by Yong-ho, and Richard stood behind Gusion.


    "I will protect you by sacrificing my life."


    Catalina flapped her ears and tail. She was always an escort knight guarding him at hand.


    "Because I am his official wife, let me forgive you for using me as the shield against the attack."


    Then Kaiwan hugged Yong-ho''s arm.


    "Because you are my master as well as the King of the eight clans, I''ll be with you. Besides, I have to hold a wedding ceremony with you after the fight."


    Dritarashutra, the Queen of Fury, blushed and spoke a little timidly.


    Skull laughed and stood at the forefront.


    Yong-ho finally looked at one person next to him.


    "My beloved customer. I trust you."


    Sitri smiled at him and felt Greed that existed within his body. He also smiled at her. Without any further delay, he stepped forward.


    The stairs leading to the celestial world.


    It was the path where Mammon, the King of Greed, climbed alone and saved the demon world.


    From heaven and earth, everyone in the demon world looked up at him. The celestial beings looked down from the sky that turned blue.


    [My master.]


    [I will stay with you until the end.]


    Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus. He had always been Yong-ho''s strong support.


    Yong-ho opened up the power of the Demon God. Heaven and earth shook with his overwhelming mana, which evaporated the celestial energy that was filling the sky.


    Yong-ho climbed the first staircase by jumping through space.


    Then he ordered his subordinate spirits, "Let''s move!"


    That was the word that Mammon could not say back then.


    Following the King of Greed, they climbed the stairs to the celestial world.

 287 Epilogue 1

    The war lasted only one month, but its aftereffects were devastating.


    When the war between the celestial world and the demon world, followed by the war of the northern and southern forces, was finally over, the changes that the demon world experienced were far greater than all the changes over the last thousand years.


    ***


    Samael looked at the collapsed dungeon. Just a few months ago, there were numerous people going in and out of the dungeon.


    The special auction house of the Dungeon Market. It was broken and ruined. On its walls and floors were the traces of the day when the special auction house collapsed. Samael clenched her teeth when she found the darkened bloodstains all over the walls.


    Among the changes caused by the war of the northern and southern forces, the collapse of the Dungeon Market was most talked about by the busybodies everywhere.


    Dungeon Market completely collapsed.


    It wasn''t because three of the five directors there were gone.


    Although they were greatly destroyed, the distribution channels of Dungeon Market were still connected throughout the demon world, and its various production facilities were also in good shape. In fact, since the Dungeon Market monopolized the entire demonic world, there was no competitor to replace it in the event of a crisis.


    Nonetheless, the Dungeon Market collapsed.


    The demon world no longer believed the Dungeon Market.


    "But I''m going to build it again."


    Samael thought of Siri''s words, slightly lifting her wings.


    Sitri, the founder of the Dungeon Market, shared all the remaining properties of the Dungeon Market with Samael. Sitri asked Samael to create a new Dungeon Market.


    Even if the inhabitants of the demon world do not trust the Dungeon Market, they still needed it in the demon world.


    "Master, the time is up."


    When she heard the voice from behind her back, Samael turned around. It was the voice of Incubus Henry, Samael''s new butler. He was the younger cousin of Karot, who was killed while defending her dungeon, even though he was overwhelmingly inferior to the enemy in military strength.


    "I''m sorry. I think I have been delayed too long."


    Samael was the owner of the new Dungeon Market, but she had only one master.


    "I should not be late. Let''s hurry."


    Today was a special day.


    Just like Karot, Henry escorted Samael politely. The fastest wing, Samael, who was one of Yong-ho''s 12 subordinate spirits, ascended on a flying wagon heading for the Labyrinth of Greed.


    ***


    The age of the six kings had come to an end.


    People in the northern area, who lost their king, fell into great chaos, but only for a brief period. The situation in the northern area soon went back to normal.


    It was a place where dozens of house masters ruled their respective dungeons and competed with each other.


    However, it was different from the southern land that had been divided over the past one thousand years because Yong-ho existed in the current demon world.


    He was the one and only greatest king in all the history of the demon world.


    The masters of the northern area sent their envoys to the south competitively to curry favor with him. Today was a very special day for the entire demon world.


    ***


    The territory of the King of Lust, like the territories of the King of Pride and the King of Envy, became an unclaimed land because of its division.


    The vassals of the King of Lust kept his dungeon, waiting for the king''s return, but the king did not appear before them.


    The King of Lust was alive.


    Even now, when both the war of the North and the South, as well as another great war, was over, the soul of the dungeon of the King of Lust was alive. This meant that the dungeon owner, the King of Lust, was alive.


    Asmodeus, the King of Lust.


    Sword demon, the king who had lived longer than anyone else in the demon world and cherished the Sin of Lust.


    The King of Lust had been with Lust for so long. It was no exaggeration to say that the king was already the Sin of Lust.


    Because of this, even after the war ended, the king still existed like before. In fact, he was similar to the Queen of Fury or the Queen of Sloth who shared the power of sin with Yong-ho after they were made his subordinate spirits.


    Yongho did not kill the King of Lust. Following Mammon''s last will, he freed the king.


    The King of Lust wandered in the wilderness. While wandering aimlessly, the king stopped on a small hill in the north. It was the place where the king first encountered the King of Pride a long time ago.


    A rough wind blew. The king''s snow-white hair was twined around her chest and shoulders.


    The King of Lust did not resent Yong-ho. This time, the king didn''t have any deep regrets either. She just shed tears for the King of Pride.


    "Bellial."


    That was the name of the King of Pride that Asmodeus, the King of Lust, remembered.


    The King of Lust did not rush. She waited a little more, facing the blowing wind.


    She remembered her love for the King of Pride.


    ***


    The war between the celestial world and the demon world lasted three days and three nights. For this reason, there were some who called the war the Three Days'' War.


    The biggest feature of the war was that all those in the demon world became united as one.


    The survivors of the southern and northern forces, who had once gathered together to fight against each, joined hands under one flag and fought the celestial world. Although they fought only three days, they all became the greatest king''s subordinate spirits during the battle.


    The war made the whole demon world united as one with the King of Greed as the central leader.


    The Labyrinth of Greed, which was the great battleground, no longer existed in the center of the demon world because it returned to the place where it was originally supposed to be.


    ***


    Dragons were lazy individualists even now as they used to be.


    On the day when the war between the celestial world and the demon world ended, the Dragon Legion was disbanded. As a matter of fact, they could be established because of the absolute charisma of the King of Violence. Now that even the King of Violence''s last will was gone, there was no reason to maintain the dragon army anymore.


    Dragon Lord Ancablosa returned to a free blue dragon. While she was goofing off in her own hideout Rare, she woke up at the urging of Dark Elves who were her subordinate spirits.


    "What the heck?! The promised day has not come yet!"


    What she complained about was that she had not yet slept for a month when the war was over in less than a month. According to her original schedule, she was supposed to wake up two months later than now, on the day when the King of Greed would get married to the Queen of Fury.


    The Dark Elves trembled and expressed fear at their master''s annoying voice.


    Ancablosa suppressed her anger and asked again with a slightly softened voice, "If you hadn''t been crazy, you wouldn''t have woken me up for no reason. What happened while I was sleeping?"


    The Dark Elves nodded. Then they delivered urgent news to Ancablosa, who turned into an Afsaras with long dark blue hair.


    ***


    "We must hurry to return even by ourselves."


    Tigrius of Harmony, one of Yong-ho''s 12 subordinate spirits, spoke, gently touching Salami''s back. The reason why Salami, Yong-ho''s private car, was carrying Tigrius on his back, was simple.


    Yong-ho ordered Salami to give him a ride because he could not take a break even after the war was over, who had to lead the northern expeditionary force.


    When the war was over, the territories of the King of Pride, the King of Envy, and the King of Gluttony became no king''s land.


    The territories of the King of Pride and the King of Envy were located far too far from the "Land of Greed" in the south. However, it was not the territory of the King of Gluttony, so Yong-ho organized a northern expedition with Tigrius as the head.


    "Skullkull."


    Another pillar of the northern expedition force, Skull, responded with a hearty laugh.


    The Skull unit, which made great achievements in the war with the celestial world, was advancing at the forefront of the northern expedition force under the feet of Bucephalas running through the sky with Salami.


    Originally, the northern expeditionary force should have already arrived at the Labyrinth of Greed, but due to unexpected troubles, they didn''t arrive on time. If they led the northern expedition force as they were now, they would not be able to participate in the event.


    "Well... I understand that you also agree. Then, let''s leave the command to Wicross until you return."


    Skull laughed again this time, and Tigrius cast a spell while feeling a bit anxious.


    He conveyed the message that he would leave the return of his expeditionary force to Vampire Lord Wicross, who was in charge of the northern expedition force in the center.


    "All done. Now, then let''s go."


    "Skull Skull."


    Skull nodded and put the spur on Bucephalas. Bucephalas ran at full speed, leaving behind green flames, while Salami, which started belatedly, was upset with Skull. Even though Tigrius didn''t convey any message, Skull spread the wings of the flames and sped up.


    Tigrius''s hair and beard were quickly messed up because he had no time to cast the windshield magic. But instead of expressing anger, Tigrius laughed like Skull. Grabbing the handle on the back of Salami, he enjoyed the blowing wind.


    "Skullkull!"


    He had to hurry. Today was the day of the wedding of Yong-ho, their beloved and respected owner.

 288 Epilogue 2

    He was the descendant of Mammon as well as the father of Yong-ho, the King of Greed.


    Dressed in a stylish formal dress, he, who was wearing an apron, looked around the wedding hall in excitement.


    Headed by dungeon garrison leader Rikum, the Black Orc Squadron dressed in sparkling armor were standing around the hall. Although they were standing there as the guards, Yong-ho''s father thought of the thinly sliced ??green onions wrapped in fried chicken while looking at them proudly. Each of them was brightening the atmosphere of the wedding hall.


    Even now, when he closed his eyes, he remembered the day when he met his third daughter-in-law. He was so shocked back then.


    Turning up the corner of his mouth slightly, Yong-ho''s father showed satisfaction once again.


    Although he spent the happiest days of his life while staying in the Labyrinth of Greed during the last few days, he was happiest when he liked to fry chickens like this, standing in the wedding hall. It wasn''t that Yong-ho made his father fry chickens on his wedding day because he was a bad son. Actually, Yong-ho''s father volunteered to fry chickens.


    Yong-ho''s father could not believe that chicken was the special menu of those at the Labyrinth of Greed, praised as the best food in the demon world that demons wanted to eat. He was the happiest today after he opened his chicken shop in the human world 30 years ago.


    The wedding hall was busy with guests from all over the place. Among them were those who didn''t look like demon people at all, such as winged Harpy, the big Trient, and the crawling Slime, etc.


    "Give me some fried chicken!"


    "Wal! Wal!"


    "Whining! Whining!"


    Yong-ho''s father lowered his head when the dungeon trio shouted at the same time.


    He saw Yuria smiling brightly over the white tablecloth. She looked so lovely when she showed him a couple of crumpled chicken vouchers.


    "OK! Here you go. I don''t need anything like this voucher today."


    Returning the chicken voucher that got hand-stained, he served them a generous amount of freshly fried chicken.


    Smiling brightly, Yuria said, "Thank you."


    "Wal! Wal!"


    "Whining! Whining!"


    Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat ran around with joy. Yong-ho''s father straightened himself after stroking Yuria''s head. Looking at the waiting rooms of the bride and the groom, he laughed heartily again.


    ***


    "Whew! Although this is a joint ceremony with Catalina, that''s fine with me because I''m his official wife," said Kaiwan, wearing her shoes made of silver dragon leather. She was wearing a silver dragon leather suit looking like a leotard as if to show everybody she was Kaiwan.


    Kaiwan in Scorpio, the Queen of Sword.


    Catalina, who Kaiwan always called a dumb and innocent lady, pouted her lips when Kaiwan cast a jealous glance. Unlike Kaiwan, Catalina was wearing a white robe, revealing her womanly beauty. It was a beautiful dress made by Yuno in person.


    Kaiwan, who saw Catalina''s tail drooping, smiled and gently hugged her softly. Then, she rubbed her cheek against Catalina''s face even at the risk of ruining her makeup.


    "You don''t mind it because I love you so much, Catalina, right?"


    After all, Catalina burst into laughter, too. Flapping her ears and tail, she nodded.


    Catalina in Libra was in charge of escorting the King of Greed, but she was lovely, as always.


    Watching the two women, the Queen of Fury, Dritarashutra, frowned. Although she put on the formal dress befitting the head of her eight clans, she was not wearing a wedding dress like them.


    "I feel like I''m very much inferior to them."


    Dritarashutra in Virgo is in love with Yong-ho.


    She was supposed to hold a wedding ceremony with him two months later. Unlike Kaiwan and Catalina''s joint wedding ceremony, she was having a separate wedding ceremony with him.


    Definitely, it would be a wedding involving the marriage of the Queen of Fury as the head of her eight clans and Yong-ho, as the master of the House of Mammon. Naturally, their wedding would be different from the current wedding in terms of scale. Tens of thousands of guests would watch their wedding ceremony in the most spectacular event of the demon world.


    Nonetheless, the Queen of Fury felt she was losing. She didn''t expect at all that the two asked to have the wedding ceremony ahead of her.


    "Why does she think she is losing when she is going to have such a great wedding ceremony soon? Don''t you think so?" Kaiwan said with a sarcastic laugh.


    Moreover, even Catalina, who the Queen of Fury trusted, chimed in, flapping her ears and tail.


    "It seems like our master has been outdone."


    Gardimundi whispered to Kirtimuka.


    "Gardimundi!"


    Gardimundi turned away from Kirtimuka, as always, while the King of Fury trembled, watching Kaiwan sticking her tongue out. She clenched her teeth, then turned to Kirtimuka.


    "Dang it, I can''t stand it, Kirtimuka, it sounds crazy, but can you ask them to send me a wedding dress?"


    "Please be patient," Kirtimuka said, embarrassed.


    Then Gardimundi snapped sharply, "Just break in his room on the wedding night!"


    "Gardimundi!"


    Kirtimuka got enraged again, but Gardimundi turned away her eyes again. While Kaiwan and the Queen of Fury exchanged fierce glances, Catalina looked toward the wall, flapping her tail, where there was the groom''s waiting room.


    ***


    "The bride''s waiting room is noisy," said Yong-ho, dressed in dark red robes, with a rather tense expression. Unlike his confident attitude he showed after dismantling the celestial door, he looked a bit diffident now, waiting for the opening of the wedding ceremony.


    Instead of answering, Sitri took a step closer to him and said, adjusting his clothes, "My beloved master is so blessed."


    "Hmm, I can''t deny it."


    Yong-ho and Sitri looked at each other and smiled.


    She opened her lips again, unable to speak out her mind before she knew it.


    "My beloved customer, would you please stay still for a moment?"


    He nodded. She quietly hugged him and buried her head on his chest for a moment.


    Mammon.


    She didn''t say it loudly. She just felt Mammon who became Greed itself.


    At the last moment when he defeated numerous godly men and generals and stood before the celestial door, Yong-ho heard Mammon''s voice. Together with Mammon, he destroyed the celestial door with the power of the great Demon God. He cut off the connection between the celestial world and the demon world completely.


    And that was it.


    Sitri never heard Mammon''s voice again. What she heard last from him was that he would not allow her to commit suicide.


    Yong-ho also couldn''t feel the presence of Mammon''s will anymore. He just felt that Mammon was with him, or Mammon was already united with himself.


    Hesitating for a moment, Yong-ho hugged her. The two shared their warmth for a long time.


    "Thank you," Sitri said, raising her head.


    He replied, slightly blushing in embarrassment, "You''re welcome. You can ask me a favor anytime."


    "Oh my God, you won''t take back what you have just said, right?"


    Sitri suddenly spoke provocatively, and he blinked.


    "Sitri?"


    "Master, you''ve got only ten minutes before the wedding ceremony."


    At that moment, he heard assistant butler Jun serving him a gentle reminder as if she was checking the wedding time. As the Goblin Ranger''s only female member, she, like the butler Eligos, was essential in the Labyrinth of Greed.


    "Thanks for the reminder."


    Yong-ho replied, and Sitri suddenly withdrew her hands.


    She made a mischievous smile at him.


    ***


    Yong-ho''s wedding began.


    Yong-ho stood on the podium while Catalina and Kaiwan stood on both sides.


    Catalina flapped her tail without hiding her excited feelings while Kaiwan was shy unlike her confident attitude in the bride''s waiting room.


    "Brother Eli, when will we get married?" Asked Ophelia, who was watching them with a warm smile.


    While he was moved to tears for a moment, Eligos responded, blinking his eyes, "Uh?"


    "Are you pretending not to know what I''m saying?"


    Ophelia grinned at him, nudging him in the ribs gently. He cleared his throat, flinching at her unexpected question for a moment.


    Looking back at Yong-ho, Eligos shed tears of joy again.


    "I''m glad Kaiwan wasn''t dumped by him," said Yukrasion, feeling great relief, in the presence of the former masters of the House of Mammon. All of them smiled at Kaiwan when she was shy, not knowing what to do at the moment.


    "It looks like they feel like this when they marry off their children," said Gusion, shaking his head a bit, standing in the middle of the spirits of the arena.


    Opening her eyes wide, Scathach said, "Oh my goodness! Is our master your child?" Scathach asked gently.


    Yuno and Yustia looked up at Yong-ho on the podium, just like Gusion did.


    At that moment, there was a small voice heard from the flames of the red lotus next to them.


    [I also agree with Gusion just for today,] said Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus, who had always been with Yong-ho until now.


    "Isn''t our master being anguished highly now?"


    Aamon just laughed at Gusion''s question.


    "Oh, he has just started it!" Yuno said.


    As she said, Yong-ho on the podium kissed Catalina and Kaiwan. Burgrim put the rings on the two women, which he made elaborately. Those participants watching them broke out into exclamation with joy.


    ***


    Baduk was absorbed into enjoying fried chicken, and the baby dungeon meerkat, enjoying chicken, raised her head upright and watched the wedding of the greatest king of the demon world.


    Flapping her wings, Lucia looked to the side. Instead of putting the crispy fried chicken in her mouth, she lightly touched Yuria''s shoulder, who was looking at Yong-ho, Catalina and Kaiwan, blushing. They didn''t need to talk to each other about it.


    Lucia looked askance at her while Yuria nodded enthusiastically.


    Demon God of Greed, Yong-ho Cheon.


    Master of the great Mammon family.


    The one who had saved the demon world, just like Mammon in the past.


    Yong-ho hugged Catalina suddenly. He then kissed Kaiwan and held Dritarashutra in his arms, who came running to him when she couldn''t stand it.


    He was the most greedy man in the demon world, after all. He didn''t give up anything he laid his hand on.


    Sitri looked at him and smiled brightly, shaking off her thousand years of agony.