[You have entered Section E.]

[This is the outer territory.]

Yeon-woo folded his Fire Wings and quickly left the tunnel. Clearing the Tutorial again brought back a lot of memories.

「Were you too busy walking down memory lane to see the other challengers looking flabbergasted, Master? They were so dispirited. Aw. Poor guys.」 Shanon thought of the challengers struggling among the traps and shook his head. They watched Yeon-woo sliding through the section with his Fire Wings with so much despair that he almost felt sorry for them.

The thought that Yeon-woo was a novice like them probably made most of them retire immediately, thinking that the Tower was full of monsters like him. Shanon thought it was worse to hurt the delicate feelings of the innocent newbies than to crush the stages and make the Bureau suffer.

“That’s why I did it.”

「Why?」

“Most of them will only be filled with despair after entering the Tower anyway.”

Shanon couldn’t think of anything to rebut that statement. He had also felt despair after bumping into a wall after becoming a ranker and dropping out because he couldn’t pass the fiftieth floor.

“If that’s all they amount to, it’s better to give up and return home.”

「Huh. I guess I don’t have anything to say to that.」 Even though Shanon had jokingly called the newbies “innocent”, there weren’t really any innocents among them. The fact that they qualified to challenge the Tower meant they were quite well known in their home worlds or planets, and it was always easier to find immoral seekers of strength than not. Besides, Yeon-woo wasn’t going to leave the Tower alone, and his first plan was to close off the Tutorial. If most of the challengers lost their motivation, it might turn out for the best.

However, Yeon-woo hadn’t only displayed his strength. ‘There were a few with potential.’ He’d seen some people he thought about recruiting for Arthia, and he’d already sent Doyle a list with their descriptions. As soon as they cleared the Tutorial, Doyle would start to scout them.

「That was fun. It’s been a while since I was in the Tutorial. I feel like I returned to my younger days.」 A hazy fog trembled next to Yeon-woo and Lana appeared, holding her spear. She looked relieved. She had led a large crew called the Blue Rose when she was still alive, but she always felt like she was being chased by something and didn’t have time to enjoy things. After she was summoned from the dead, she spent most of her time worrying about Jeong-woo, and this chance to remember her youth made her feel more at ease.

Yeon-woo smiled at her and looked around when he realized someone was missing. ‘Where’s the Vampiric Lord?’

He had been looking for her since they came through the portal but he hadn’t been able to find her at all. He felt her presence in the outer territory so he thought she was waiting for them outside, but he was surprised not to see her. She wouldn’t have left without finding out where Count Ferenc was, nor would she have left Lana behind.

At that moment, a voice made Yeon-woo turn his head.

『Are you searching for me?』

However, he couldn’t see anything at all.

『What are you doing? Are you blind?』

“Where are you?” Yeon-woo looked around incredulously. He couldn’t see her. Her voice sounded like it was nearby, but he couldn’t locate her. He opened Draconic Divine Eyes in case she was hiding, but he still didn’t see anything.

『You dimwit. Look below!』

‘Below?’ He looked down, but of course there was nothing there. He could only see his belt with Vigrid, the Magic Bayonet, and Carshina’s Dagger that he’d pulled out of subspace. Suddenly, Vigrid began to shake. Urrrrng.

『Why do you look so dumb?』

Yeon-woo’s eyes widened. “Are you…?”

「Cain, I think you’re right.」 Lana laughed in disbelief.

When he pulled Vigrid out of his belt, the shaking grew more intense and a dark haze floated up. Chhhhh. The haze gathered and transformed into a fairy the size of a sparrow. It was so small that it was hard to recognize its energy, but the cold, sharp eyes were still the same.

“Why are you in that state?”

『Why do you think?』

“Is it because of Allforone?”

『Hmph! An annoying, impudent bastard.』

Yeon-woo clucked his tongue to himself. He’d forgotten that since the Vampiric Lord had already finished exuviation and gained transcendence through her endless battle in the Demonic Sea, Allforone’s constraints made it impossible for her to enter the stage.

Yeon-woo had met Allforone after inheriting the Throne of Death as well. Fortunately, he had managed to escape after tossing Allforone to the progenitor gods and creator gods but Allforone would immediately appear once Yeon-woo finished exuviation or gained transcendence. The only reason why he wasn’t stopping Yeon-woo now was that Yeon-woo was in a gray area according to his standards.

However, the Vampiric Lord was a different matter. She had the strength of a superior divine being, so it was only natural that she’d stand out, which was likely why she’d hidden her identity. She’d even asked the Bureau for help because she didn’t think it was enough.

At that moment, Yeon-woo felt a sharp gaze from the sky.

[A mysterious being is carefully watching you.]

[A mysterious being is searching for something.]

It was different from the gazes of gods and demons. This one was filled with indifference and contained neither greed nor emotions. Allforone. He was already looking here with his Thousand Li Eyes. Had he felt something?

The Vampiric Lord frowned in annoyance, but she didn’t do anything just in case he recognized her. After a few suffocating seconds, the gaze moved on.

[A mysterious being turns to look somewhere else.]

『Ha!』 Her voice was filled with irritation. 『He’s an annoying bastard. Since I’ve come out of the Demonic Sea already, I’ll stay here for some time.』

Yeon-woo silently nodded. Vigrid was a holy sword with the vestige of many heroes. There was probably no better place for a spiritual being to hide. He was only worried it might be harmful for the Vampiric Lord because of its villain folklore, but she seemed to be fine. In fact, she looked comfortable. ‘It works out well for me. Vigrid’s strength will increase, so the longer she stays, the better.’ The deeper her vestige was engraved, the more the sealed folklores within Vigrid would awake.

However, the threat of Allforone looking at him while the Vampiric Lord was around still hung in the air. Fortunately, there were limits to his interference because the Tutorial stage was like a hidden stage. The Vampiric Lord had probably figured that out as well.

『Anyway. We’re at the Tutorial like you wanted. I did my best to keep my promise.』 She crossed her arms as she spoke solemnly. Now it was time to keep his word. Yeon-woo nodded.

Lana looked at the two with a nervous expression. Where was the father who left her and her mother when she was still too young?

『Where’s the Count?』

Yeon-woo spoke in a low voice. “The seventy-seventh floor.”

『What?』 The Vampiric Lord’s eyes widened. Lana also turned to Yeon-woo with questioning eyes.

“Your husband is on the seventy-seventh floor. He’s Allforone’s captive.”

* * *

Clang. Haa. Haa. Along with the sound of a cold casing falling on his bloodied body, a cold voice that accompanied eyes that were even colder said, “This is the end, Jang Wei.”

Jang Wei’s eyes shot open. The dream that he wished he could prevent forced him awake.

“Kyahaha! He’s up! He’s up!”

Jang Wei saw the person laughing giddily at him. It was hard to tell their identity because of the bandages wrapped around their body. He couldn’t even tell their gender. Chills ran down his back at the overlapping voices. Jang Wei remembered which player was supposed to look like this: Faceless, a super rookie.

Just like him, Faceless had also gone into hiding for some time. However, they didn’t have any connection with each other, so why was Faceless sitting next to him? Jang Wei instinctively tried to move back. It was a habit he’d developed after becoming an archer in the Tower because it was difficult to win without distance between himself and a target.

“That’s enough. It would be in your best interests not to move any farther.”

Jang Wei stiffened at the cold voice. Before he realized it, the bandages wrapped around his body and the ends aimed for his neck like they were ready to slit his throat. Faceless’s eyes were so sharp that Jang Wei wondered if this was the same person who’d just been giggling like a child. It was like Faceless had suddenly become a different person.

At that moment, Jang Wei managed to read the various energies swirling within Faceless’ eyes. An archer needed to have keen eyes, and because he was the Apostle of one of the greatest archers, Hou Yi, he had the ability to penetrate into the abilities of his opponent. Faceless was a monster with thousands of souls forced inside and mixed up in him.

However, among those beings was an entity that made Jang Wei straighten his back.

“Long time no see, right?” It was a low voice. Faceless smiled. Although it was the first time Jang Wei had heard the voice with his ears, he’d heard the same voice many times through Open Speaking. It belonged to Cheonghwado’s master, the Sword God.

“How…are you alive?”

The Sword God had been on the verge of death after Jang Wei stabbed him in the back during the battle with the Summer Queen. Jang Wei thought he’d died after being chased by Red Dragon. To think he was living like this. It seemed like he had already recovered his past strength, and perhaps had grown even stronger.

“I was lucky. And luck smiled on me again to let me rescue you like this.” The Sword God’s voice disappeared and an exuberant voice emerged.

“Are you…Flanc?”

“Of course.”

“Impossible…!”

Flanc—the Spear God who founded Cheonghwado with the Sword God and the Martial King’s little brother—was here. Jang Wei couldn’t believe it. Faceless became the Sword God again and looked at him sharply. “All kinds of strange things occur in this Tower, so how strange could this be?”

Jang Wei pressed his lips together. Faceless was right. He didn’t even have to look far; his fate had been to die in a cold warehouse but he’d come back to life with this magical power, and he’d even managed to meet his sister’s enemy, Yeon-woo, even though he’d been caught by some weird guy before he could finish the job.

“What do you plan to do with me?” Jang Wei closed his eyes. He was prepared for death since he was the main cause of Cheonghwado’s fall. He was the greatest enemy of these people, and in fact, it was a surprise that they hadn’t killed him already. The only thing he regretted was not being able to kill Yeon-woo before dying. He didn’t know how he could face his sister.

“Haha. Seems like you’re mistaken about something.”

But something was strange. When he opened his eyes, Faceless was looking down at him with a lofty and self-righteous gaze. Those were the eyes of the Sword God when he led Cheonghwado. “After that day, I died and was reborn. We don’t kill like you do.” A cold light flashed in his eyes as he made a twisted smile. “We simply become one.”

Jang Wei couldn’t reply.

“And you are always welcome to join us.”

Jang Wei didn’t speak. Why did the “we” Faceless was talking about sound like a cage to him that trapped and nurtured monsters?

“Before that, there’s something we want to suggest to you.”

“What is it?”

“It appears you have a grudge against the Shadow King. Is that so?”

“How do you…” Jang Wei was about to ask when he realized it was a foolish question and closed his mouth. If Faceless had rescued him from the emptiness, it meant Faceless had been tracking Yeon-woo for a long time. He’d probably guessed that they had history together.

“We happen to have some ill feelings for the Shadow King as well, so we want to work together. Even though we didn’t get along in the past, we’ve seen that you are sufficiently skilled. You’ll be a great help.”

Jang Wei didn’t reply again.

“But that doesn’t mean we’ll attack him immediately. Arthia already has more security than Fort Knox, and his whereabouts are a mystery so it will be difficult to approach him.”

“So?”

“We’re going to steadily eliminate the people around him. Just as he did, we’re going to wear out his network bit by bit without him noticing and then attack. Only then will he learn the pain of losing a close one, won’t he? So first…” A cold look appeared in his eyes. “We’re going to assassinate the Martial King.”