[Athena is silent.]

Yeon-woo smiled coldly as the messages poured in. He had prepared Dungeon Release with Boo a while back, but it was the first chance he had to open it. The results were better than he’d expected.

The Void that Nemesis spread made everyone panic, and the Guai stoked the fire. Opening the dungeon was like dropping a bomb on them. The players died one after the other, even those that were cornered on a cliff melted from the negative energy and turned into Boo’s energy.

Yeon-woo had worried about Ivan the most, but he was struggling against the Bone Dragon, on which Shanon was mounted. ‘I was worried because it was incomplete, but this is way better than I expected.’

[You have gained souls.]

[You have gained souls.]

New souls were filling up the Soul Collection, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the entire battlefield was in the palm of Boo’s hand. Yeon-woo’s trap had taken in the alliance, partly because they hadn’t been aware of his full strength. ‘And the list of my powers has grown longer. Are they mostly from the gods and demons of death? I should take a closer look later.’

He already had four powers, but now that he had raised their proficiency, it was time to look for additional ones. Yeon-woo wasn’t actually greedy for more powers, so it didn’t really matter to him that the list had grown longer. He wasn’t confident that he could master all of the powers, and once he accepted a power, its owner would have more influence over him. He didn’t want his actions to be limited by this.

It was only because his skills had developed and his body had grown more fit that he thought it wouldn’t be too bad to take on a few more powers. Powers had the identities of gods and demons, and just by accepting them, he would already grow. ‘Besides, if I accept more powers, I can balance out the influence of the gods and demons.’

The gods and demons of death were already interested in him because of the Black King. His actions would be limited whether or not he had the powers, and so maybe it would be a good idea to accept all of them and make the gods and demons police each other. If any one of them tried to exert more influence, the others would put a stop to it.

As Yeon-woo checked the long list of powers, the Ice King sighed, 『I was wise to choose this side.』 This was the reason he’d surrendered so easily to Yeon-woo. Even though he and Yeon-woo might technically be on the same level in terms of abilities, he knew what would happen if they were enemies. Yeon-woo’s teacher, the Martial King, was just like him. ‘No. He’s worse than the Martial King when he was in his prime.’

It was an extreme relief that they weren’t enemies. The Guai were horrifying enough, but to think he could control ghosts and skeletons, too. The Bone Dragon was especially jaw-dropping, and if his theory was right, the Bone Dragon was…! The Ice King put a stop to his thoughts right there. It was best not to delve any further. He’d learned to mind his business during his long life as a mercenary.

Victoria looked at the cave silently. Below the spinning Adamantine Nova, she could see the mercenaries dying, but it was just the start of the massacre. The players in the cave were just the tip of the iceberg, and there were plenty more on the stage that would arrive in more waves. It would be no exaggeration to say that all the mercenaries, magicians, and bounty hunters on the stage would eventually be swept away.

After that, what kind of chaos would follow in the Hoarder’s wake?

『We’ve managed to stall for time, but it’s not over yet.』 When Yeon-woo spoke, Victoria and the Ice King shook themselves and turned to him.

『Victoria.』

『Yeah. You’re going to look for the Monkey King’s exuviae now, right?』 Victoria thought of the conversation she had with Kahn’s shadow and Yeon-woo.

“I left this shadow behind to ask you for a favor.”

“What is it?”

“It’s…Doyle.” Kahn’s shadow paused and he emphasized his next words. “Save Doyle.” Those words preceded an explanation of what Kahn had been through, what was going on inside the cave, and how many members of the Devil Army were inside the Monkey King’s Palace.

“There are five bishops in the main palace. They’re waiting for a signal. Their goal is to complete the sacrificial vessel that will carry the Monkey King’s exuviae out of this place. They’re planning on bringing the Heavenly Demon’s subordinate, the Dragon God. This is why they made me gather so many pieces of the Ruyi Bang. They are going to have a ceremony to place the exuviae in the vessel and so they used the dead players that pursued me throughout the Five Mountains as an offering while gathering the pieces.”

It was all hard to believe everything he said about the vessel, the exuviae, the ceremony, and the human sacrifice. However, this was something completely characteristic of the Devil Army. They were a cult that served the Heavenly Demon, and they would go to extremes for a ceremony.

“Doyle is inside, but he’s unconscious. When the ceremony starts, I’ll block Kindred and the others so you can save Doyle.” The secret message in the letter was asking them to help Doyle.

However, Yeon-woo hadn’t responded right away. Instead, he’d asked, “Why did the Devil Army take Doyle?”

Kahn’s shadow paused and replied in a grim voice. “Doyle is…a candidate for the new Head Bishop’s body.” At those words, the shadow disappeared, likely because Kahn had gone deeper inside the cave and the Void had blocked off any chance of communication.

Yeon-woo had been thoughtful for a long time before he began the preparations to head off the alliance.

‘What is he trying to do?’ Victoria was sure Yeon-woo had a plan, but she had no idea what it could be.

『Please watch over this place.』 Yeon-woo sat on the floor and closed his eyes. Victoria set up a barrier around them and prepared for any sudden attacks. The Ice King also stood guard with sharp eyes. Wind gathered over them, and Rebecca appeared and disappeared.

Yeon-woo’s mind settled, and he recalled the Consciousness that he had expanded outside. He could feel all kinds of vestiges tied up together, including his own. He had tried to get rid of all the traces of the Seventy-Two Bian last time, but it seemed like he hadn’t been thorough enough. There was something that could be called Evil Nian left behind.

Yeon-woo held onto the one that seemed clearest. He felt like he was floating.

[You have succeeded in leaving your body.]

[You are transcending the limits of your physical body. There are new limits to your stats because of your condition.]

[Your current condition is unstable. You are a living being. If you go to far or do not return to your body within the set time, you risk death.]

[00:30:00]

[00:29:59.99]

[00:29:59.98]

……

[Your understanding of souls has increased.]

When he looked down, he could see himself sitting cross-legged on the ground as Victoria and the Ice King protected him. ‘It’s interesting to see myself like this.’ It was only possible because they were near the Monkey King’s exuviae. Yeon-woo turned his head into a different direction

He had only thirty minutes to take care of business and return. Something far into the abyss was calling him. Just like the story of the little girl who climbed a rope to avoid a tiger, Yeon-woo ascended while clinging onto this call.

He suddenly had a wide view of the events below. He could see intertwined paths that looked like ant tunnels. He saw the alliance fighting Boo and a second wave of players entering the cave. Then, Yeon-woo felt himself being absorbed somewhere else. The scene around him changed, and he found himself in a familiar place.

It was a mountain with fruit and waxberry trees, a paradise with warm sunlight and fresh breezes. It was Mount Huaguo.

『Monkey King! Monkey King! Are you here?』 Kahn had said that he would try to stop the ceremony to give Yeon-woo time to save Doyle. However, Yeon-woo thought it was too dangerous and risky.

The Devil Army wouldn’t be fooled that easily, and for the plan to succeed, Kahn would have to sacrifice his life. It may have been an obvious choice for Kahn to give up his life for Doyle, but to Yeon-woo, it was like abandoning his friend deliberately. He was going to flip the strategy over. ‘The best thing to do would be to abort the ceremony.’

If he hid the Monkey King’s exuviae before the ceremony began, then everything the Devil Army had prepared would go up in flames. Things would descend into chaos, and he’d have time to figure out how to save both Kahn and Doyle.

However, Yeon-woo’s face hardened. ‘He’s not here. Where is he?’

Yeon-woo searched the mountain with his Fire Wings, but he couldn’t find a single trace of the Monkey King’s exuviae anywhere. It was eerily quiet, as though the illusory world had been abandoned.

However, he was definitely in the same place that the exuviae had created. If the owner of a world disappeared, the world could fall apart. So, where was the exuviae? ‘Has he already been moved into the vessel? No, the ceremony hasn’t begun, yet.’ Nike would have let him know right away. ‘I don’t see the Blue Dragon, either.’

The Dragon God, Sheng, who had been the Heavenly Demon’s subordinate, was missing too.

[00:12:29.41]

Time was still ticking, and Yeon-woo considered returning to the cave when a light suddenly shone in his eyes. Something small floated up, but it contained a dynamic power that was strangely familiar.

『Sheng?』 It was the power of the Dragon God. The small object shook as though it were nodding. Then, it suddenly began to move swiftly. Yeon-woo chased after it with Fire Wings, but it was so fast that he had to use Wind Path – Gale and Blink over and over. Finally they arrived at a small cave a short distance from Mount Huaguo.

『Are you telling me to go inside?』

Urrrng, urrrng! The object shook again and disappeared. Yeon-woo’s eyes narrowed as he entered the cave. It was damp, but not in the same way as the Monkey King’s Palace. The path was short and he quickly reached its end. “Argh, I’m not doing it! It’s annoying, so why do you keep…?!”

『Monkey King?』

“Huh? It’s you?” The Monkey King was sitting on the ground, his body wrapped in chains. Was it really him? He looked so feeble compared to the first time they’d met. The Monkey King looked at Yeon-woo through his messy hair and cringed. “Shit. This is embarrassing.”