News of the Hoarder’s arrival spread through Iron Lion’s base. Players moved frantically, as Yeon-woo began his attack. Boom! Boom! With every swing, Vigrid sent fire from the sky and reduced the base to ruins.

“Where do you think you are?!” The vice-clan leader of Iron Lion, Jonathan, rushed to the scene, grinding his teeth. He had just been in a conference about the Hoarder because Torca, whom Yeon-woo had killed, had been like a brother to him. The news that the base was under attack made him rush out frantically.

Jonathan gripped his sword. The Hoarder had been using a hit-and-run method to weaken the alliance bit by bit, but now he finally made an appearance. It meant only one thing: he was looking down on them.

The fire turned the sky red and the ground black. Guai poured out and slaughtered the players. Yeon-woo turned to Jonathan, his eyes like an abyss behind his mask. Jonathan stepped back instinctively as fear wrapped around his heart.

“Let me just ask you one thing.”

“What kind of bullshit are you gonna say?” Jonathan shouted to hide the fact that he had been scared for a moment.

Yeon-woo just asked his question. “How does Iron Lion Clan see Kahn?”

“What…!”

“Do you see him as the son of the leader? Or simply an enemy?”

Even in the Tutorial, Kahn and Doyle had been wary about speaking about their parents. He knew that they were children of outstanding rankers, but they didn’t talk about it. They felt like they’d been tossed aside, and Yeon-woo understood.

He also despised his father, who had vanished when he and Jeong-woo were still young. He’d completely erased all memories of the man, and so he sympathized with Kahn and Doyle.

Kahn’s father, Iron Lion, was chasing after Kahn. If he was trying to rescue his son, Yeon-woo would consider the clan his ally, but that didn’t seem to be the case. They were treating Kahn as though he were an enemy or a criminal, and they seemed ready to force Kahn to go with them once he was caught.

However, Yeon-woo didn’t know for sure if this was what Iron Lion intended, and he wanted to listen to what they had to say. His enmity with Iron Lion was past the point of no return, but for Kahn’s sake, he would be willing to work with them.

As if he’d read Yeon-woo’s thoughts, Jonathan’s gaze turned calm. His boiling fury and violent aura disappeared. He looked at Yeon-woo with cold eyes. “Why do you want to know?”

“I’m his friend.” The word that he thought he would never say flowed from Yeon-woo’s lips naturally. The shadow containing Shanon and Hanryeong shook.

“Friend?” But Jonathan just snorted. “Did you say ‘friend’?” He raised a corner of his mouth in a cold smile. “He is the son of the Lion. Do you think lions have friends? He may have learned the habits of wild dogs after hanging out with a bunch of you, but a lion is still a lion. You don’t think that someone like you with unclear roots can really be his friend, right?” Jonathan gripped a sword in each hand in the rare, dual-wielding technique. “He’s only walking the wrong path because he’s going through a rebellious phase. It’s up to us to lead him to the correct path.”

His aura whipped around his blades. He was the second-in-command, the pride of Iron Lion. Although he had been pushed back by Yeon-woo for a bit, his abilities were close to those of a high ranker.

“So, whatever your goal is, your purpose is to protect Kahn.” Yeon-woo stood against his aura and smiled. A short laugh escaped his mask that sounded like he was relieved but also scoffing at the same time.

Jonathan was about to step forward in anger again.

“What you just said saved your life.”

“What…?” Jonathan couldn’t even shout as Yeon-woo suddenly dropped. Jonathan instinctively tried to step back, pulling his twin blades in. Kashing! Thwack! His right arm felt hot, then it separated from his shoulder. “Aaargh!”

Yeon-woo briefly appeared behind the screaming Jonathan and spread his Fire Wings to trim down the numbers of Iron Lion. ‘Even though they’re on Kahn’s side, they’re a bother. I’d better decrease their numbers.’

* * *

Ivan was always proud of his name, Iron Lion. “Iron” because he was strong and “lion” because he ruled the battlefield. A lion made of iron. Invincibility and tenacity were his trademarks. However, he could only laugh at the sight in front of his eyes. “What a mess.”

It had been ten days since his orders to bring his foolish son back by the collar. He had brought the first brigade after receiving news that Iron Lion Clan was in danger. What greeted them was a military base in ruins. Out of the five brigades he dispatched to the twentieth floor, two had been destroyed, half of one was gone, and the remaining two were filled with players who needed time to recover.

From what he’d heard, each of the alliance’s bases had been attacked, and half of their forces were gone. The destruction wasn’t something to take lightly. He hated losing the most, but even though a simple loss would enrage him, this was so devastating that he couldn’t even feel angry.

“Please kill me, sir.” Jonathan got on one knee and lowered his head, gritting his teeth.

Ivan silently bent to pat Jonathan’s bandaged right shoulder, which was missing an arm. He felt fire flash inside him at the sight. Jonathan had been by his side when he had nothing and held a sword for the first time. He was his comrade, his family, and his only friend, and now this precious friend was in such a state. “Get up.”

“But…!”

“Get up. Are you going to continue humiliating me like this?”

Jonathan got to his feet with Ivan’s help. However, because of his injury, his body was trembling. Ivan’s face stiffened. “The Hoarder, you said?”

“Yes.”

“Not only did he dare to get in my way, he’s harmed my people. I heard he was insolent, but I didn’t know he was this arrogant.” Ivan turned to look at a subordinate, whose head was lowered. “You.”

“Yes, sir!”

Male lions led their prides and bared their fangs when they were being attacked. Whenever Iron Lion bared his fangs, he attacked with all his might. “Send people to each base in the alliance. Tell the other leaders that Iron Lion wants to meet immediately.” He bared his teeth. “If it seems like they’re going to try to drop out…” His sharp canines flashed. “Tell them we’ll rip them apart first.”

* * *

At Ivan’s request, the leaders of each group gathered in Iron Lion’s camp: Lunatic, Stray Children, Founder of Five Stars, Night Run…Each was a powerful clan. With Triton gone, some people said they were the clans to watch out for.

However, all of the leaders’ faces were dark. They had suffered devastating losses from Yeon-woo’s counterattacks. Only four people had enigmatic expressions: Iron Lion Ivan, Faceless, Doctor Doom, and Nocturn.

Ivan’s clan had suffered the most damage, but as the king of the mercenary world and the person who set up the gathering, he didn’t let his emotions show. Iron Lion was already considered the greatest mercenary clan. They could bear any blows, and rumors were even spreading that they were bringing more forces to the twentieth floor.

Bandages obscured Faceless’ expression, and since Doctor Doom was representing all the Magic Towers and magicians, he kept his expression neutral. Nocturn, the S-class mercenary, was as impassive as always.

“Why is everyone standing around trying to look tough? It seems like everyone’s here. I think we should get started.” Faceless was the first to speak. A sword suddenly closed on his neck as he spoke flippantly.

Clang! Ivan’s sword stopped right at Faceless’ neck. Faceless’ eyes flashed. “What are you doing, Iron Lion?” A violent aura began to grow around him. It was the spirit of a humiliated warrior.

Ivan still left a warning for Faceless despite the sudden change in the atmosphere. “I’m not the one standing around trying to look tough, it’s you guys.”

“What?”

Ivan looked around with intense eyes. The air was filled with a sharp aura. Faceless’ eyes widened in surprise. Ivan was considered a superior ranker but not as strong as any of the Nine Kings. However, at the moment, he seemed nearly as powerful as the Nine Kings. That meant he was among the top 100 players.

“Faceless. I heard you’ve been chasing after the Hoarder, yet you didn’t help our allies when they were being attacked.”

Faceless looked away and whistled. It was a bad situation for him. It was true that he and the Chest of Souls had only focused on Yeon-woo so that they could investigate his abilities.

Ivan frowned at Faceless’ attitude and turned to Doctor Doom and Nocturn. “Doctor Doom, I heard you escaped with the magicians and Nocturn just watched the fight.”

Doctor Doom crossed his arms without opening his mouth, and Nocturn’s eyes narrowed. An emotion flashed across Nocturn’s face for the first time. It was a naked desire to defeat the Iron Lion. He didn’t hear anything else as he wondered how strong Ivan was. Nocturn was a hyena who only looked for strong people.

“The strongest people here only care about the Hoarder’s Bian studies or my son’s location. You don’t care what happens to others. And…” Ivan’s words trailed off as he looked at the leaders around him. When they met his eyes, they either trembled or looked down. “The same goes for others.” Ivan spit out his next words. “We’re only an alliance in name. This isn’t a real alliance. We’re just a bunch of prey who’ve gathered together to make it easier for him to slaughter us!”

Boom! Ivan brought his fist down on the table. The roar of the lion heated up the atmosphere. “From now on, I will not allow anyone to act alone. If you don’t like it, leave. However, if I catch you here…” Instead of finishing his sentence, Ivan bared his fangs. It was clear what he meant. If they didn’t follow him, they would die.

He was taking charge of the alliance. The leaders of the clans looked at Faceless, Doctor Doom, and Nocturn. Faceless and Doctor Doom were among the Six New Stars, and it was likely they wouldn’t want to report to anyone. Nocturn probably felt the same, too.

However, Faceless shrugged without saying anything, and Doctor Doom nodded. Nocturn looked Ivan in the eye silently. The alliance was now in Ivan’s hands without any opposition.

Ivan’s blazing eyes were on the three players whose thoughts were impossible to read. At that moment, the door burst open, and a mercenary from Iron Lion ran inside. All eyes turned in his direction.

“An urgent report!”

“What is it?”

“Young Master…no, Blood Sword Kahn has been found!”

Everyone stood up. Ivan didn’t miss the peculiar way Faceless’ eyes flashed.

* * *

『What in the world is Cain doing?』 Kahn’s eyes widened as he looked at the different battles happening around the stage. The net around him had loosened, so he had been wondering what was going on. When he finally looked down, he realized that something unexpected was going on.

Yeon-woo, Victoria, and the Ice King were working together to tear the net apart. He could see Iron Lion crumbling at a fast pace. A bitter smile appeared on Kahn’s face. Although he had left them, the clan members were like family. Jonathan was like a kind uncle, and he hoped that Yeon-woo hadn’t hurt him too badly. 『Still, it’s a relief that noona doesn’t seem to be that hurt.』

He sighed in relief. After leaving Victoria, he had constantly been worried about her. It seemed Yeon-woo had rescued her in time. Although he didn’t mean to use them, he was still grateful and sorry. It wouldn’t be too long before he saved Doyle now. 『I’ve gathered enough.』

Kahn spread his palm open. Multiple pieces of the Ruyi Bang floated up and combined into one. He’d managed to obtain these pieces because of the time that Yeon-woo and the others had bought for him. Since the small fry were gone and only the big players remained, he’d been able to gather a large amount in a short period of time. With this, the sacrificial vessel would be completed.

Kindred was already at their meeting place. All he had to do was go there. Kahn recalled the piece of the Ruyi Bang and headed to the Monkey King’s Palace, where the exuviae of the Monkey King resided, a place he’d visited a long time ago.

With Yeon-woo diverting attention away from him, he would be able to get there easily.

Screech! High in the sky, a red bird discovered Kahn and cried out, 『Master! I’ve found Kahn!』