Enemy. Approaching. What. To. Do. The Crawling Chaos slowly revealed his consciousness after sensing a deluge of wills from his other territories. All his subordinates were practically begging for their lives, requesting rescue or support. However, the Crawling Chaos did not respond and simply smiled.

As a primordial being whose life began when the universe was created, he had grown exhausted from observing so many insignificant actions. His consciousness was almost worn out, and so he rarely awakened unless there was something fun. Most of the time, he just let time pass. Perhaps even searching for the Black King’s legacy and going into the Tower to try and resurrect him were too much by this point.

The Black King had already fallen into a deep sleep many years ago. It was likely just the Crawling Chaos’ deep-seated loyalty towards him that kept him searching. His attempt to find and resurrect the Black King was like entertainment, like getting in touch with an old friend.

The Crawling Chaos had no regrets about his life, which was why he was trying to resurrect the Black King even in the face of danger or death. It was the most entertaining thing he could do right now, and using the giants as chess pieces or consuming the dragon race was just part of that.

Then, he had stumbled across Yeon-woo, who immediately piqued the Crawling Chaos’ interest. At first, the Crawling Chaos’ temper had flared up; it was absurd for a mortal to inherit his legacy. The Black King had existed even before the universe had even been created. He was even older than that blasphemous being who called himself the origin of light.

Did it make sense for such a great existence to fall in the hands of a microscopic, insignificant creature? The Crawling Chaos assumed that the mortal had stumbled across an aspect of the Black King through sheer luck and was enjoying its benefits. The Crawling Chaos recalled a creature called Kronos in the Tower who was the Black King’s Apostle, but a mortal was still an insignificant creature.

However, after watching Yeon-woo grow, the thoughts of the Crawling Chaos slowly changed. It. Is. Fun. He did not care whether Yeon-woo was the Black King’s successor or not. It was just fun to watch the mortal. Yeon-woo was one of the few living things that stimulated the Crawling Chaos’ interest, and so, the Crawling Chaos decided to step back and keep an eye on Yeon-woo as he made his way into the corner of the Tower that the Crawling Chaos had chosen for himself. He chose not to restrain Yeon-woo but rather let him wander around freely.

The Crawling Chaos could never forget the words Yeon-woo had thrown at it: “Prepare for your death and wait.” He wanted to see what Yeon-woo could do and how far he could go. Fortunately, Yeon-woo did not disappoint. He took the first territory, and shortly thereafter, advanced into the second and third territories. Yeon-woo’s forces were already on the verge of capturing them.

He also revived the trash that the Crawling Chaos had almost thrown away a long time ago and brought in the gods and demons who had kept the Crawling Chaos in check in the Tower. The Crawling Chaos’ subordinates were begging for its help because of this rampage, but the Crawling Chaos saw them as little more than toys that entertained him. He didn’t care if they perished.

In fact, the Crawling Chaos enjoyed watching Yeon-woo run wild even as his subordinates died, so he decided to wait and observe some more. Scratch! Scratch! The space within the Tower where the Crawling Chaos established his will shook violently. This was a place where his thoughts overlapped with time and space, a mini-universe beyond the Border. The Crawling Chaos could now feel something invading the space.

No one could approach without the Crawling Chaos’ permission, which meant only one thing: the invader was on the same level as he was. Among the inside beings, only a few had the qualifications.

Flash! One part of the mini-universe opened, and an enormous eye appeared. It was the bizarre doorway into the mini-universe.

Resident. Of. The. Border.

The entity that could be considered the leader among all the inside beings revealed itself. It was a being who had led the beings of the inside on behalf of the Black King who slept in the void. Unlike the Crawling Chaos, whose loyalty to him had faded, this leader’s loyalty still burned like a never-ending flame as it longed for his return. It moved to look down at the Crawling Chaos.

Sss! Soon, it united its thoughts and will to form a human figure for the convenience of conversation. The human form resembled Yeon-woo but had a different attitude and feeling. “Crawling Chaos.” The Resident of the Border opened its mouth slowly, looking up at the Crawling Chaos after creating its human form. “How long do you plan on playing around? The time is approaching, but there has been no progress whatsoever.”

The divine power that the Crawling Chaos exuded fluctuated greatly. The Resident of the Border had a solemn expression. Unlike the Crawling Chaos, who only cared about entertainment, it had always maintained a solemn attitude. In some ways, the two didn’t mesh well. “I have to make a decision about outside…”

Expe. Ri. Menting.

“What?” The Resident of the Border’s face twisted in annoyance when the Crawling Chaos cut him off. It had a strong feeling that the Crawling Chaos was mocking it. “What do you mean?”

A. Fun. Experiment.

“Experiment?”

Father’s. Successor. Soon.

The Resident of the Border’s face contorted. “After all this time, you’re still harping on about that? Are you still pursuing what you were doing before? No matter how much Father loved and cherished you, wasn’t it already decided that your pursuits exceeded your authority?”

Soon. Experiment. Results. Come. Out.

“Ha!”

The Resident of the Border burst out in laughter at the Crawling Chaos’s ridiculousness. The Crawling Chaos seemed unwilling to heed its warning. It did not like this aspect of the Crawling Chaos at all. It could not understand why the Black King had kept this stubborn creature around when he was still alive, even though it was said that no child of his could truly fathom his will.

In the end, the Resident of the Border had to take a step back. Activities on the outside were the responsibility of the Crawling Chaos alone. Although it was a viceroy, the Crawling Chaos also occupied a position of equal stature. “Ah! Do whatever you want. But there’s one thing you should keep in mind. We can’t waste time. The Tower or whatever it’s called must be destroyed as soon as possible.”

Although the Resident of the Border ruled over countless time-space dimensions and universes, it could not approach the Tower. The Tower seemed to possess and abide by the laws of all things, but it transcended them all as well. It was a place that could be considered the natural enemy of the inhabitants of the Border who were the closest to omnipotence.

The Resident of Border had to manage everything related to the revelations, so it had no choice but to depend on the Crawling Chaos and wait for him to finish his job. However, each time they conversed, the Crawling Chaos managed to twist its insides with his incomprehensible laugh.

Understand. Just. Wait.

“You’re saying the words, but I’m not sure if you really know what you’re saying.” The Resident of the Border stared at the Crawling Chaos with an annoyed expression and then quietly dispersed and disappeared from the Crawling Chaos’ space.

In the end, the Crawling Chaos was left alone once again. It’s. Fun. As the Crawling Chaos murmured, he turned his attention back to Yeon-woo.

***

「The Fruit of Good and Evil is mine!」

「No! It’s mine!」

The half-giants rushed at the otherworld gods with their weapons like excited bulls that had seen red. They were picking off the otherworld gods one by one. They were already at the fourth territory after moving without stopping. They pushed back the otherworld gods, who had no defensive measures that could counter the half-giants.

At the moment, it was the gods’ and demons’ envoys who, embarrassingly, had to chase after the half-giants.

「Bunch of crazies.」

「I don’t understand how they can move around like this unless they truly have gone crazy…」

It was often said that those who turned to theft later in life were the most dangerous. Still filled with the afterglow of overcoming their challenges and gaining victory, the half-giants continued to pursue combat as though they were addicted to drugs. They longed for more exciting battles and a greater sensation of victory!

This also meant that their awakening was continuing smoothly. Whenever they took over a territory, the spirits of their ancestors appeared and gave blessings to their descendants, and so the giants continued to grow until it was odd to call them “half-giants”.

The strength of the half-giants’ auras made it hard for others to comprehend that they still had more unlocked and untapped potential. In particular, the aura emitted by the higher-ranked warrior corps members, including Valdebich, often made the envoys shiver in fear. There was also the reward that Yeon-woo had thrown in to motivate them: “I shall give this to the warrior who makes the greatest achievement.”

Yeon-woo had shown the Fruit of Good and Evil to the warriors, whose eyes naturally grew as big as saucers. Even those who had no recollection of their ancestors knew about the Fruit of Good and Evil. With just one bite, one would be able to awaken oneself, and, according to legend, if one ate the entire fruit, one would gain omniscience and omnipotence!

Of course, since the Fruit of Good and Evil had been spoken about in legends for generations, there were many inaccuracies about its effects. Still, it was certain that it was a valuable item that was cherished even by those in the heavenly world. It was a reward worth motivating those who aspired for greater power. Naturally, the half-giants’ enthusiasm burned with greater ferocity.

[Vimalacitra is enjoying the actions of the warrior corps.]

[Cernunnos is observing the battlefield with calm eyes.]

The envoys, especially the ones who belonged to the godly societies, were now feeling fear that went beyond a sense of crisis. The advancement of the half-giant corps did not seem to bode well for the godly societies who might have to contend against them in the future.

[The godly society is watching the scene unfold carefully.]

[The godly society is keeping a close eye on the developing situation.]

…

It was the same with all the other godly societies. However, the trigger had already been pulled. Also, since Yeon-woo had the upper hand, they had no choice but to be dragged around by him. Even besides that, they had already gone so far, it was difficult to back down now. They just had to get their hands on the revelations.

[You have successfully fulfilled some conditions of the Scenario Quest (Proof of Gods and Kings IV).]

[Current number of territories conquered (4/7)]

[Number of holy territories built (2/4)]

Yeon-woo quietly turned off the message that appeared in the corner of his eye. He continued to observe the warriors shouting after successfully reclaiming another territory.

The number of territories conquered referred to the territories that the Crawling Chaos had stolen, and the number of holy territories built referred to the temples Yeon-woo would have to build after demolishing the current holy structures. The temples were currently being constructed by the three Cyclops brothers. Fortunately, the construction seemed to be going smoothly.

Yeon-woo turned around and faced a blue-haired man who had been waiting for an answer. It was Erlang Shen. He was one of the three leaders of the Chan Sect and was the highest-ranked envoy among those sent by the various godly societies. Erlang awaited Yeon-woo’s answer with a solemn gaze.

“Let’s finish our conversation. So, you want us to be your mercenaries?”