<h4>Chapter 89 – Old Man Hwang (3)</h4>


    Inside the barrier on the 1st floor, dozens of masked yers stood surrounding a man wearing a worn leather jacket and holding a boy.


    One of the masked yers,?who seemed to be the?group leader, said to the man in the leather jacket, “We must prepare for the ritual.”


    “All right. Go ahead,” the man replied in a resigned voice. The masked yer nodded and announced, “Get ready for the ritual!”


    Every yer in the group wore a unique mask; most masks had foul-looking monsters.?The masked yers began moving per order. Some began forming a circle, some with canes began drawing magic circles, and the rest activated their skills.


    tter.


    tter.


    A part of the masked group began dragging a stone coffin toward the center.


    The leader of the masked yers announced, “This is the sacrificial altar.” He sounded euphoric as he spoke, but the man in the leather jacket remained rigid without answering.


    “Is something not to your liking,?Apostle?” The masked yer asked when he sensed the leather-d man’s displeasure. The “Apostle” remained quiet as he looked down at the child in his arms, about seven or eight years old. The others couldn’t see it, but his innocent appearance hid his incredible potential and already awakened powers.


    Finally, the apostle shook his head and replied, “No, it’s nothing.” It was toote to regret his decision since he hade too far. Remembering the sacrifices he made, the apostle smiled bitterly, perhaps also realizing that it was all for nothing.


    The masked yer appeared relieved by the apostle’s unwavering will. The other yers were focused on their tasks as the masked yer murmured, “Once the ritual isplete, the door will open. Then…”


    The masked yer suddenly opened his arms as if worshiping his god. “The gods will appear and punish this world! And you, our apostle”—he turned toward the leather-d man—“shall be the king of all gods!”


    Eerie pleasure filled the masked yer’s face, and the others around also raised their hands and bowed to the apostle. Watching the fanatics all around him, the man in the leather jacket smiled bitterly. Here, he was the only one who knew the truth. They had no idea they were just tools serving their purpose.


    Once the sealed door opened and connected their world to the other world…


    The man in the leather jacket murmured, “You people have no idea, do you?” Every yer around him could hear his words, but no one listened. They only heard what they wanted to hear.


    ‘Andras, what’s your true intention?''?The man in the leather jacket was deep in his thoughts when he heard the announcement.


    “The preparation for the ritual isplete!”


    It was finally time. All the masked yers kneeled and shouted, “Apostle! Please bring the offering!”


    “Our offering!”


    “Ohhhh! The offering!”


    The man in the leather jacket silently looked down at the boy again.


    The leather-d man used a skill to keep the child asleep so that he wouldn’t wake up before and during the ritual. As for after the ritual…


    ‘He’ll die.’?The man thought grimly. This child was the key because his veins carried the doorkeeper’s blood. However, once the key was used, both the door and the key would die. The boy will be the next doorkeeper, losing his mortal lifespan and consciousness.


    Step.


    Step.


    The man began to move, holding the child in his arms gently. He slowly walked toward the stone coffin and closed the cover after cing the child inside.


    The leader of the masked yers ordered, “It’s time! Prepare for thest step!”


    Several yers standing nearby ran and began drawing a magic circle on top of the stone coffin with human blood.


    Whir!


    As the magic circles below and above the coffin began vibrating, even the cave in which the fanatics stood began shaking.


    Boom!


    A sudden resounding explosion drew everyone’s attention. Secondster, when their eyes returned to the coffin, they found a yer riding a strange colored wolf atop it. The panicked yers shouted, “Is that a wolf?!”


    “An intruder!”


    “Where are our guards?!”


    “What? How did he cross the barrier?”


    The wolf lowered its head, making its rider more visible: Shiny ck hair, gray armor, and a pair of ck gauntlets. Those were actually the least striking features. His overwhelming magic made him seem like a god.


    The leather-d man met his eyes with the yer on the wolf. Suddenly, the wolf master opened his lips and asked in a cold voice, “Where is Min-Su?”


    ***


    When Gi-Gyu entered the barrier, he moved quickly to assess the situation. Thanks to his enhanced senses, he could pretty urately count the yers inside the barrier.


    Over 50 yers were inside the barrier. 30 gathered in one spot, and the rest guarded the parameters. Gi-Gyu took care of the guards on the outer edges apace; luckily, he got some information from them.


    ‘These bastards n to open the door by using Min-Su as a human sacrifice.’


    The masked yers called themselves the?Caravan. Thinking the ritual was already over, the guards easily let out the information between curses.


    Gi-Gyu quickly summarized the situation. Someone, most likely Old Man Hwang, sealed the door to the other world. Only Min-Su could open the door since he was from the gatekeeper’s bloodline. After opening the door, Min-Su would be something inhuman.


    ‘Caravan… That sounds familiar.’?Gi-Gyu looked around the ce and thought quietly. He remembered hearing the name Caravan before, but he didn’t have the time to mull over it.


    “Kill him! Kill the intruder!” the leader of the masked yers ordered.


    “Don’t let him ruin our ritual!” another yer with a ghastly mask shouted desperately.


    “Apostle, please just focus on the ritual!” another yer yelled to the leather-d man.


    The masked yers’ eyes were filled with madness as they rushed toward Gi-Gyu. However, they kept some distance from the stone coffin Gi-Gyu was standing on. All they did was scream at him as if they wanted him to leave the coffin.


    “Something’s inside this, isn’t it?” Gi-Gyu asked as he watched them. He was right since his enemies groaned, “Argh…!”


    “We can’t let him interfere with our ritual…” One of the masked yers whispered, but none dared to move.


    Meanwhile, Gi-Gyu continued to assess his opponents.


    ‘Most of them are B-grade yers… Mostly semi-rankers… I can sense a few A-grade rankers too, but…’


    What confused him was the man in the leather jacket. Based on Gi-Gyu''s sense, he was about as strong as Gi-Gyu. Yet he refused to move and just silently stared at Gi-Gyu.


    “Tsk,” Gi-Gyu clicked his tongue in frustration. No one was attacking him, but this didn’t mean he could stay here forever. He ordered Bi to attack the yers before him and simultaneously materialized Lou and El in his hands. Then, he plunged both of his Egos into the stone coffin.


    The masked yers screamed, “N-no!”


    “Our ritual!”


    Kaboom!


    When Gi-Gyu’s swords entered the stone coffin, a giant explosion urred. Gi-Gyu flew back and fell to the nearby ground, and the area began to burn in angry mes.


    “Ugh.” Gi-Gyu groaned and rose, his body scorched from the explosion. Thankfully, Oberon and Brunheart absorbed most of the damage. He activated elerate and Rush at the right time to escape the st radius; he would’ve been badly hurt had he been any slower.


    “Khoff, khoff.” Gi-Gyu coughed from the smoke. He couldn’t see very well due to the fumes, but he could hear the yers screaming.


    “Ackkk!”


    “Get that wolf!”


    It seemed Bi was still doing its job faithfully.


    Swish!


    Suddenly, a refreshing wind blew, dispersing the smoke. The scene before Gi-Gyu was a mess. The coffin was mildly damaged, the magic circles were bent out of shape, and the yers close to the coffin before bounced off to different ces.


    However, the man in the leather jacket still stood exactly where he was before the explosion.


    “That man…” murmured Gi-Gyu, distracted by the sight.


    “You’re interfering with our ritual! You bastard! Die!” Suddenly, an almost-ranker-level yer sprinted toward him while wielding a long spear.


    Rumble!


    Gi-Gyu simply stomped the ground, and the weak vibrations made the man lose his bnce. Taking this opportunity, Gi-Gyu reached forward to slice the man’s arm with Lou.


    “Ugh!” the man moaned. However, the man didn’t stop and thrust his spear toward Gi-Gyu.


    “Binding.”


    When the masked yer saw the ck stem growing from Oberon, he swung his spear to cut it. However, it was the wrong move. Raising his arm left his body unprotected, and Gi-Gyu promptly plunged Lou into the yer’s neck.


    The masked yer stammered as he choked, “U-gh… O…our r…ritual… Our god… Andras…”


    Within seconds, the man stopped breathing.


    “Andras?”


    -Andras…? Did that bastard…


    Lou whispered in rage. Gi-Gyu hadn’t felt such anger from Lou since the 30th-floor test when his physical form was used as a puppet. The resentment Lou felt now seemed just as strong as then.


    Some yers battling Bi headed toward Gi-Gyu as they screamed, “Die! Die!”


    Even Bi was badly injured now, so Gi-Gyu couldn’t continue to use him as his shield. He needed toe up with another n.


    “It should be okay here,” Gi-Gyu murmured. This ce was surrounded by a high-level barrier that not even the association noticed. Here, he feltfortable fighting to the best of his abilities.


    ‘Min-Su is inside there.’?Gi-Gyu could feel Min-Su’s presence inside the coffin with his unusually heightened senses now that it was a bit damaged. Since the explosion only gave the stone coffin mild scratches, Gi-Gyu felt certain Min-Su was still safe inside.


    Over ten yers stormed toward Gi-Gyu as they used their skills.


    “Kill him!”


    “Open,” Gi-Gyu ordered; immediately, Brunheart’s gate opened as a blue light shone from his chest.


    “H-he’s essing god’s territory! But how?!” one masked yer stammered in shock.


    “T-this can’t be! He’s only human!” another whispered.


    “Who is that man?!” some injured masked yer on the ground yelled.


    “Is he also a god’s messenger?!” the leader of the masked yers shouted in confusion.


    While the yers stared at the blue gate in shock, Gi-Gyu ordered, “Durahan. Bring out the skeletons.”


    -As… you… wish…


    After eating so many crystals, the durahan could now speak a little. Then, the headless durahan and a long row of skeleton soldiers exited the dancing blue light.


    One of the masked yers murmured in surrender, “Those are the god’s soldiers…”


    Gi-Gyu ordered, “Kill them all.”


    “Your wish is mymand,” the durahan murmured as it swung its giant sword. After the battle began, Gi-Gyu slowly walked toward the stone coffin while keeping an eye on the leather-d man. He still hadn’t moved. Gi-Gyu lifted the stone coffin and ced it inside the gate using his incredible strength.


    “Hart, you know what to do. Take care of it, all right?” Gi-Gyu ordered.


    -Grandmaster, your wish is mymand.


    The gate closed, but the battle didn’t stop. Explosions and screams could be heard from everywhere, but the leather-d man and Gi-Gyu stood quietly as if they had nothing to do. When their eyes met, Gi-Gyu asked, “Why aren’t you stopping me?”


    Had the man tried, he could’ve stopped Gi-Gyu from taking the coffin. Yet, he didn’t move a muscle. The man gave Gi-Gyu a bitter smile and replied, “Because I didn’t want my son to be used like this either.”


    After a brief stunned silence, Gi-Gyu asked in shock, “Sir…? You’re Min-Su’s father?”