“Iron Lion Clan.”

“Are you allies or enemies?”

Creutz could see a group of defeated players as he and the Illusion Knightage soared through the sky of the twentieth stage. They were injured and their armor crushed. Many of the players could barely move and had to lean on each other.

He had already seen many players like this, and he was about to pass them when he saw a banner hanging limply over them. The greatest mercenary group, the Iron Lion Clan, looked like a mess.

Even the Illusion Knightage found them a challenge, and if Iron Lion, their leader, weren’t a mercenary, they would have long been considered one of the emerging clans. And yet now, they were in a pathetic state.

Considering that they’d taken so many players along, it seemed like eighty percent of them had disappeared. They had been almost completely destroyed.

The Iron Lion Ivan looked at Creutz with sharp eyes. He seemed about to raise his sword. Creutz swallowed. An injured beast was still a beast. Ivan’s murderous aura wasn’t normal.

‘Is he just more sensitive because he’s hurt?’ Then there was no need to aggravate him. Ivan was a sunbae he admired, so Creutz replied politely. “We would have met as enemies, but it seems there is no need to fight.”

A corner of Ivan’s mouth curved up. “I did hear rumors that the Illusion Knightage is attempting to recruit the Hoarder. I guess they are true?”

“I don’t think there’s any reason for us to explain ourselves.” Creutz replied firmly. It was the attitude of someone who was always polite.

“All right. I don’t have anything to say either. However, keep this in mind.” Ivan growled with fierce eyes. “Next time, you’ll be my prey too.” A fierce fighting aura spread from him. His eyes were those of a predator who had seen a trespasser.

However, Creutz also had experience on the battlefield, even if it wasn’t as much as Ivan’s. That kind of threat was nothing to him, but he was curious about something. “Don’t you feel embarrassed when you talk like that?”

Ivan was speechless.

“Anyway, I understand your stance. I’ll deliver your words to our Regiment Leader.”

Ivan frowned, dissatisfied. He was about to shout something when there was a large explosion on the mountains. The sky turned yellow.

“Looks like something had happened. I must be on my way. Goodbye.” Creutz pulled the reins of his Flying Dragon and rose into the air. The Illusion Knightage followed behind him.

The hundreds of wyverns flying in the sky was a sight to see, but Ivan ground his teeth as he looked at them and urged his subordinates again. “Let’s return to our base quickly.”

* * *

When Creutz reached the Five Mountains of Penances, he was greeted by the sight of devastated mountains. They could now hardly be called a place for training. Yeon-woo was collapsing even as he exuded an immense holy power.

『Cain!』

『Hey! Wake up!』

Victoria and the Ice King ran to Yeon-woo frantically. Kahn didn’t know what to do since he was holding Doyle. Creutz jumped to the ground even before his wyvern landed.

『It’ll be dangerous if things go wrong. Please move aside for a moment.』

Victoria’s face stiffened at Creutz’s sudden interference. The Ice King jumped up and blocked Creutz. A cold aura swirled around him. They were wary of Creutz and the knights he brought. They could be members of the alliance that was after Kahn.

『What is the Illusion Knightage—or the Fantasy Regiment—doing here?』

『It seems like there’s a misunderstanding. We’re not part of the alliance. Our Regiment Leader is friends with the Hoarder. Haven’t you heard?』

『The Regiment Leader and Cain?』

Of course, they hadn’t heard about it. Yeon-woo never spoke about his personal life. As the Ice King looked at Creutz with suspicion, Creutz became frustrated. 『I’ll explain the details later. However, time is of the essence. The Hoarder seems to be afflicted with a holy fever, and if it’s not treated right away, he’ll be in danger! Please step aside!』

Creutz’s face hardened when he saw Yeon-woo’s fever. The sparks flinging from Yeon-woo’s body had grown worse, and it was hard for even Victoria to approach him. The heat that rose from him was so intense that his entire body was flushed.

Not knowing what to do, Victoria shook her head. It was beyond her abilities. The Ice King recalled his aura and stepped aside. Creutz quickly ran to Yeon-woo and began to examine him. 『Oh, dear. Has it already gone to his magic power source?!』

The price for accepting over 900 powers at the same time was too high. Powers weren’t as simple as skills. Accepting a power meant accepting the will of a god into one’s body. One was already a struggle, but hundreds—this was something a mortal couldn’t endure. It was a wonder that Yeon-woo’s soul hadn’t been crushed.

If Yeon-woo hadn’t increased his potential by swallowing the Monkey King’s exuviae, he would never have been able to attempt it, and the aftereffects were still lingering.

Even though the gods had left, the remnants of their power collided and overheated his body. The holy fever was reaching his internal organs and even his magic power organ. If the fever wasn’t reduced quickly, he could lose his magic power or worse.

Creutz pulled out his holy sword Zulfikar and planted it in the ground. Kissing the stone in the middle, he closed his eyes and recited a spell. The stone glowed with a yellow light and turned into amber.

Amber was a symbol of health, and as divine power descended on Yeon-woo’s body, the heat began to settle. The Ice King and Victoria looked on with surprised eyes.

『What did you do? His fever is subsiding.』 The Ice King had attempted to use his energy to cool Yeon-woo down, and Victoria had attempted healing magic as well. However, Yeon-woo’s heat had only grown worse. It was shocking that he was getting better with such an interesting power.

『It seems like divine power.』 Victoria replied as she examined it.

『Divine power?』

『Yes. Divine power. It’s good for recovery and vitality. And it’s the direct opposite of demonic energy.』

『Is it like holy power?』

『It’s similar, but the concept is a bit different. Holy power is something that must be given by gods, but divine power is a power that radiates, just as demonic energy and monstrous energy seem similar but are different.』

The Ice King smiled wryly. 『I’m even more confused.』 As a martial artist, the only power he knew well was magic power, the fundamental strength that advanced martial arts.

『This is what magicians and alchemists deal with. However, it’s rare to see an item with divine power…how interesting.』 Victoria thought of the artifacts in Anastasia’s storage room. They had monstrous energy and could turn into monsters at any moment.

However, the holy sword Zulfikar was their direct opposite. What kind of expression would Anastasia make if she saw his sword?

『I’ve extinguished the fire.』 At that moment, Creutz took his hands off Yeon-woo and turned to the Ice King and Victoria. 『However, the holy fever hasn’t disappeared completely. He needs to rest and recover. Do you know any superior healers?』

The first one Victoria thought of was Yeon-woo’s subordinate, Boo. He could use the Adamantine Nova even though he wasn’t its owner. Wouldn’t he be able to heal Yeon-woo, too? However, it had been a while since he’d shown himself. Was the damage he received from the Head Bishop too great?

Another person flashed through her mind: Anastasia. Wouldn’t her teacher, who had mastered all kinds of spells over a thousand years, be able to do something?

Kahn signaled that Doyle’s temporary treatment was finished. Doyle looked as if he were comfortably sleeping.

『Please follow me.』 Victoria took the lead.

* * *

“If I had read my fortune this year, I think it would have said ‘you’ll have trouble because of your disciple’.” Anastasia’s forehead was wrinkled as she inhaled smoke from her pipe. She’d been spending time with the beautiful children to relieve some stress when her disciple had suddenly burst into her room, urging her to heal the guy she never wanted to see again and some strange-looking bum. Anastasia wanted to tell her to fuck off.

“Seseung-nim.”

However, the sight of her disciple kneeling in front of her made it impossible to do so. Even though Victoria was pathetic, she was still Anastasia’s disciple.

“Please do this favor for me.”

“What right do you have to…?!”

“I’ll pay the price.” Freesia, who was quietly watching the situation, spoke up. She was still hanging around Anastasia and hadn’t returned to By the Table.

Anastasia narrowed her eyes. “Do you know what that means?”

“Trust is crucial to a merchant.”

“Hmph! I think you broke that rule once. But whatever.” Anastasia snorted and held out her hand to Victoria “Hand it over.”

Victoria gave her the Adamantine Nova without any resistance. Anastasia frowned when she saw the spell still carved on the Adamantine Nova. It would normally take months to release it, but when she rubbed it with her hands, she removed a layer of it. The rest of the contract naturally disappeared.

Urrrng! The Adamantine Nova glowed with a blue light after receiving monstrous energy from Anastasia. It flashed with a light that was incomparably brighter than when Victoria had used it and began to rotate in the air.

White light descended to the floor where Yeon-woo and Doyle lay. Anastasia bit her pipe and watched as smoke filled the room.

Kahn bowed to Freesia. “Thank…”

“There’s no need to thank me. Like you, Cain is an important person to us. As his sponsors, we’ll suffer great losses if anything goes wrong with him. And we’ve been watching Foxy Tail for some time, so you can just think of it as an investment.”

Anastasia scoffed next to her. “Hmph. I’m doing all the work, but you’re taking all the rewards.”

“That’s why one’s popularity is important.” Freesia shot back a lesson to Anastasia and smiled wryly at Kahn. “And we made some mistakes, too.”

Kahn looked at her curiously, but Freesia didn’t say more. She just smiled faintly.

At that moment, Doyle began to rustle around. “Mmmm.” Kahn quickly ran to him.

Anatasia explained, “I don’t know what happened, but his soul was in a state of suspended animation for quite a while, so he’s weak. I’ll look for a way to help him recover, but keep that in mind.”

“How long will it take for him to open his eyes?”

“Hmph. If I knew that, I’d be a god; do you think I’d be playing around here in the middle of nowhere?”

“Seseung-nim!” Victoria shouted with a red face.

Anastasia replied in an annoyed voice, “Five days at the most. Two days at the least.” Then, she left the room.

Kahn thanked Anastasia and held Doyle’s hand as if telling him to hang in there. Victoria had said that it was a miracle Doyle was alive and that it was a wonder how his soul hadn’t been crushed or kicked out of his body when the Head Bishop’s large soul had forced its way in.

However, Kahn realized that Doyle must have been making preparations all along. He was called Foxy Tail because even as a child, he was extremely clever. Ever since he was chosen to be the Head Bishop’s vessel, he must have readied himself for any contingencies, believing that he would be rescued. Wasn’t that proof of his trust in Kahn?

‘Defeat it. No matter what.’ That was all Kahn could say to Doyle. Then, he looked at Yeon-woo, who lay next to Doyle. Kahn’s eyes were shaking when he saw the heat around Yeon-woo. “You wake up, too. Then I’ll decide whether or not to be your subordinate.”

What he really wanted to say was, ‘Just as I found my brother, you should find yours.’